City manager 'begged' fired Cincinnati police chief for more officers on street as crime skyrocketed
Four White male officers also filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Teresa Theetge last year
By Peter D'Abrosca Fox News
Published April 24, 2026 11:19am EDT
Cincinnati Chief of Police Teresa Theetge announces the arrests of two people involved in a fight that gained national attention over the weekend.
Cincinnati's now-former police chief, once sued by subordinates for alleged discrimination against White male officers, has been fired.
A termination announcement says Teresa Theetge was "begged" to put more officers on the streets during a crime-riddled summer last year. She was from her role as the city's top law enforcement officer on Thursday after only about three years on the job. She was a police officer in Cincinnati for 35 years.
City Manager Sheryl Long made Theetge's termination announcement.
"I recognize Chief Theetge’s more than 35 years of service to the Cincinnati Police Department and to this City. At the same time, after completing this review, it’s become clear that a change in leadership is necessary for the department moving forward," Long said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
In a scathing termination letter, Long blasted Theetge for what she viewed as ineffective leadership and poor communication, including failing to adhere to a summer anti-violence plan.
"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.
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