Cincinnati police chief placed on administrative leave over public safety issues

Cincinnati city officials on Monday placed police chief Teresa Theetge on administrative leave over her alleged failure to bring the city's crime rate down. 

Rumors about Theetge's tenure at the department surfaced last week after a shooting on Fountain Square. Theetge has been in the role since 2022, after former chief Eliot Isaac retired from the department.

Theetge spoke heavily about bringing the city's gun violence rate down after she was chosen to replace Isaac, but gun violence remained a serious issue throughout her time in the top post, per local news outlet WCPO.

City Manager Sheryl Long said Theetge has been placed on paid leave "pending an internal investigation into the effectiveness of her leadership."

"The City continues to face serious public safety challenges that underscore the need for stability at the command level. Therefore, I’ve named Assistant Chief Adam Hennie as Interim Police Chief," Long said in a statement. "Our focus remains on maintaining stability within the department and ensuring the highest standards of service to our residents. I have full confidence in Interim Chief Hennie and the department’s command staff to continue their dedicated work at this time."

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval said he supports Long's decision to place Theetge on leave.

"I'm confident that the Interim Chief, our entire police force and our administration will continue to put the safety of our residents above everything else," he added.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.