The professional future of Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge is in limbo as city leaders look for an outside law firm to investigate her leadership. It was only two months ago that Mayor Aftab Pureval said he “absolutely” had confidence in Chief Theetge. Now his tune has changed as scrutiny from CPD’s union ramps up ahead of November’s election.
How did we get here?
Public scrutiny of public safety efforts began intensifying this summer. In June, a local gym owner, Patrick Heringer, was fatally stabbed following a break-in of his Over-the-Rhine home. Then there was the July Downtown brawl that quickly went viral, prompting fiery commentary about Cincinnati’s safety from far-right figureheads. In August, a 31-year-old woman was killed when she was caught in gunfire from a passing vehicle in Over-the-Rhine. Finally, the Oct. 13 double shooting at Fountain Square left several people injured and riled up local business leaders.
On Oct. 15, Theetge was called back to Cincinnati from a conference in Denver “to address departmental matters,” according to a statement from City Manager Sheryl Long. Pureval then told reporters that the city is “exploring all options” when asked if new police leadership was on the table.
Ken Kober, president of Cincinnati’s Fraternal Order of Police, told CityBeat that Pureval asked Theetge to resign upon her return. Theetge, who has been with the department for more than 30 years, refused. In Cincinnati, the city manager is the only city leader with the authority to fire the police chief.
Days later, Theetge was placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation into the “effectiveness of her leadership.” Adam Hennie, head of CPD’s Central Business Section, was named interim chief in the meantime.
Theetge, who is the first woman to hold the position of chief in CPD’s history, made it clear she has no intention of leaving. She hired employment attorney Stephen Imm, who told reporters the city has no grounds for the decision.
“They’re looking for a scalp. They’re looking for a scapegoat,” Imm said during an Oct. 22 press conference. “Terri Theetge deserves better than that. Cincinnati deserves better than that.”
Kober described the internal investigation as a “sham probe” meant to deflect blame for the “violent crime wave,” which he places on Mayor Pureval.
“Cincinnati is bleeding out because of Aftab Pureval’s failed leadership,” Kober said. “He pulls every string in this city like a puppet master, from stacking the courts with weak-kneed judges to micromanaging the police department and rendering the city manager a powerless yes-woman. Placing Chief Theetge on leave doesn’t solve a damn thing. It just spotlights Pureval’s inability to lead and his habit of hiding behind others when the heat turns up.”
‘Puppet master’
City leaders confirmed on Oct. 23 they are now hiring their own outside attorney to conduct the internal investigation into Theetge’s leadership. That same day, the FOP announced it will drive a mobile billboard around City Hall and Downtown, encouraging residents to, “back the chief and change Issue 5.”
The LED truck will feature a 6.5’ x 12’ billboard depicting Pureval as a “puppet master.”
“Mayor Pureval, the puppet master who really made this decision, wants to fire the chief to make her the scapegoat of his failed leadership and progressive politics,” Kober said. “If we want to fix the violence and long-term issues facing Cincinnati, city council needs to change Issue 5 and put the power to fire a chief in the hands of city council, not the city manager with influence from the mayor.”
Issue 5 was passed by voters following the 2001 police killing of Timothy Thomas. The charter amendment allows the city manager to hire and more easily fire the chiefs of police and fire.
“We all know the mayor would love to see his face on a bigger political stage one day,” Kober said. “While we can’t help with that, we hope he’s paying attention to his face and the message behind this billboard.”
Police and politics
The FOP’s intensifying scrutiny against Pureval comes ahead of the Nov. 4 election, when Pureval is seeking reelection.
The campaign against Pureval started in August. That’s when the FOP voted unanimously for “no confidence” in Pureval, endorsing instead his Republican opponent, Cory Bowman. The vote came after city consultant Iris Roley was shown on police body cam footage intervening between officers and a man drinking on the street. The FOP demanded Roley be fired for “harassing officers,” but faced no disciplinary action from the city. Then, after police had charged multiple Black suspects in connection with the viral Downtown street brawl, the prosecutor’s office charged a 45-year-old white man with disorderly conduct for allegedly slapping a Black man at the start of the confrontation. The man is also listed as a victim in the incident.
The FOP perceived the charge as a directive from the city to appease civil rights groups.
“The city administration is eroding the very fabric of the justice system with orders to prosecute those without probable cause,” Kober said. “Cops are being used as political pawns. It’s disgusting.”
Pureval released a statement after CPD announced the charge against the brawl victim, saying, “We have been clear about the fact that anyone involved in perpetrating violence should be held accountable. This is another step toward achieving that, and I want to thank CPD and the prosecutors for their hard work as this process continues.”
One week later, the police union voted unanimously for “no confidence” in Pureval and later endorsed Bowman for mayor.
Why does it matter who the FOP endorses for mayor?
While mayoral races are nonpartisan in Cincinnati, the candidates’ party affiliations are no secret, either. Another way to show your colors is to nab coveted endorsements from unions like Cincinnati’s AFL-CIO, Cincinnati Federation of Teachers and the Cincinnati FOP.
Pureval didn’t get the FOP’s endorsement in his 2021 race against fellow Democrat David Mann. Then-president of the FOP, Dan Hils, told the Enquirer their endorsement of Mann was inspired by his reaction to protesters during a 2020 budget hearing. Protesters calling for less funding for CPD shouted over a presenter speaking on behalf of police, prompting Mann to shut down the meeting as the council’s Budget and Finance Committee chairman.
“I think David Mann proved himself a very balanced thinker,” Hils told the Enquirer. “He was outspoken and stood up to the anti-police crowd.”
But at the time, both Mann and Pureval maintained they did not support defunding CPD.
Looking at the FOP’s mayoral endorsement history, the Cincinnati chapter hasn’t had a chance to endorse a Republican since 2009.
The election winner appears in bold.
2017: FOP endorsed John Cranley (D) over Yvette Simpson (D)
2013: FOP endorsed John Cranley (D) over Roxanne Qualls (D)
2009: FOP endorsed Brad Wenstrup (R) over Mark Mallory (D)
2005: FOP endorsed David Pepper (D) over Mark Mallory (D)
In 2001, the FOP did not make any endorsement in the mayoral race, despite it being the city’s first direct mayoral election in 80 years. Before that, the job went to the top vote-getter in the city council race. The FOP declined to endorse either incumbent Democrat Charlie Luken or Charterite Courtis Fuller as tensions between police and Black residents skyrocketed following the police shooting death of Thomas. Months after the ensuing riots, the FOP said in a newsletter that whoever is elected mayor “will be put on probation in this first term.”
Then-president of the FOP Keith Fangman appeared to issue a warning to the candidates in the newsletter, saying, if the new mayor “takes an adversarial approach” to the police department, “we will fight publicly … to paint them as ‘anti-police’ in the minds of the voters.”
Election day is Nov. 4.
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