Cincinnati Police Chief Was Placed On Leave Following Internal Investigation

The sudden departure of Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge marks a dramatic shift in the city’s effort to restore order amid escalating violence and internal turbulence.

In a city where public trust and law enforcement morale are already fraying, the decision to place Theetge on paid administrative leave—less than three years after she made history as the first woman to lead the department—signals more than just a personnel change. It signals a department at a crossroads.

City Manager Sheryl Long’s statement, invoking the need for “stability at the command level,” is pointed and deliberate. Stability is, of course, a hallmark of effective law enforcement. But in this context, it reads like an indictment—an acknowledgment that under Theetge’s leadership, the department was, at best, unsteady.

While Assistant Chief Adam Hennie steps in as interim chief, the underlying problems remain unchanged: spikes in violence, shaken business owners, uneasy residents, and a string of high-profile incidents that have turned Cincinnati’s downtown into a symbol of broader dysfunction.

The string of shootings downtown—two on Fountain Square within a week, a fatal shooting near a bar—are not isolated events. They are symptoms. They reflect a deeper unease, not just about safety, but about the city’s ability to respond. And while crime has reportedly decreased citywide, the reality on the ground tells a more complicated story.

Vehicle break-ins, home burglaries, public brawls—the litany grows. Safety downtown, in particular, has become a political flashpoint, prompting City Council to pour millions into patrols and safety programs. But so far, the violence persists.

And then, there’s the lawsuit. Filed by veteran officers, alleging racial and gender bias in promotions under Theetge’s command. While there’s no official link between the suit and her dismissal, the timing is hard to ignore. A leadership change amid legal challenges of this magnitude casts a shadow on the department’s internal cohesion.

Theetge entered office with bold goals: reducing gun violence, boosting officer wellness, and addressing recruitment shortfalls. These are systemic problems, not easily solved by any one chief. But as confidence faltered—both from the streets and inside the department—so too did the city’s tolerance for delay or missteps.

For Mayor Aftab Pureval and City Manager Long, the decision to remove Theetge was framed as necessary, even pragmatic. But it’s also risky. A leadership vacuum in times of crisis can fuel instability just as easily as it claims to prevent it. The coming months will test Interim Chief Hennie’s ability to command trust, enforce strategy, and calm a city on edge. For Cincinnati, the question is no longer just about who leads the department—but whether any leader can truly steer it back from the brink.