Cincinnati’s former police chief, Teresa Theetge, who previously faced a lawsuit from subordinates alleging discrimination against White male officers, has been dismissed from her position.
According to an official statement, Theetge was criticized for not increasing police presence during a particularly violent summer last year. She was relieved of her duties as the city’s leading law enforcement official on Thursday, marking the end of her nearly three-year tenure. Her career with the Cincinnati Police Department spanned 35 years.
The announcement of Theetge’s dismissal was made by City Manager Sheryl Long.
Long stated, “I acknowledge Chief Theetge’s over 35 years of dedication to the Cincinnati Police Department and to our city. However, after a thorough review, it has become evident that new leadership is needed for the department’s future.” This statement was shared with Fox News Digital.
During her tenure, Cincinnati Chief of Police Teresa Theetge was involved in announcing the arrests of two individuals tied to a nationally recognized altercation. (Image: Teresa Theetge for Fox News Digital)
In a sharply-worded termination letter, Long criticized Theetge for what she considered ineffective leadership and insufficient communication, particularly highlighting her failure to implement a summer anti-violence strategy.
“As just one example, you admitted you did not agree with the City’s Summer Safety Plan, which included more police coverage in the urban core, and you admitted that I begged you to fill the police work details called for in the summer plan.”
Cincinnati found itself under national scrutiny last August after a viral beatdown in the city’s downtown left a woman with neurological damage.
Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge speaks at a press conference about a viral early Saturday morning beatdown in downtown Cincinnati on Aug. 1, 2025. (Fox News Digital)
In the early-morning hours of July 26, a confrontation outside the LoVe nightclub, located on the corner of Fourth and Elm Street in the city’s downtown business district, led to a horrific beatdown that was captured on video.
The video circulated rapidly on social media, sparking fury as at least two White victims were pummeled into the ground by a group of Black suspects. Once on the ground, the suspects did not back off. Instead, they continued to stomp on the victims, one of whom was left with a possibly life-altering brain issue.
Over the course of the next month, seven people were arrested and charged with crimes related to the beating.
An eighth person has been charged in a violent street fight in Cincinnati, police said Tuesday, though the individual is considered a victim. (Jay Black)
Long also ripped Theetge for two shootings in the Fountain Square area in the city’s downtown last October, saying she “failed to provide leadership in response to two shootings” in the area that month.
“You further admitted that on October 14 (the day after the second shooting) you chose to go to a play rather than attend a public safety town hall meeting…” Long wrote in the termination letter, later adding that Theetge “should not need to be told to attend a public safety meeting … the night after a shooting on Fountain Square.”
In May of last year, four White male officers filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Theetge, who was the city’s first female police chief, saying that they were passed over for promotions and passed over for preferred assignments because of their race and/or sex.
“Defendants’ intentional and discriminatory practices in assigning Lieutenants to preferred assignments has disproportionately favored non-White males and/or females, without legitimate, non-discriminatory justification, thereby denying Plaintiffs equal employment opportunities,” the suit says in part.
Holly, a victim of the July 26 Cincinnati brawl, poses for a photo after sustaining life-altering injuries while trying to break up the fight that injured six people and led to six arrests. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)
“The City and Chief Theetge have actively and systemically undertaken efforts to promote, advance, and make promotion and assignment decisions that are preferable to women and minorities, and to the exclusion of white men, including through hiring, diversity initiatives, outreach programs, promotional processes, and other steps that demonstrate both a systemic practice of discrimination against white males, and that there are background circumstances to support the suspicion that the defendant is that unusual employer who discriminates against the majority,” the lawsuit also says.
Theetge’s attorney did not return a request for comment. Neither did Mayor Aftab Pureval’s office.
