Cincinnati Police Chief Terri Theetge has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into her leadership.
Theetge drew condemnation in July for the way she handled a mob beatdown of two white victims. On July 26 in downtown Cincinnati, a group of black suspects brutally beat, stomped on, and pummeled to the ground one white man and one white woman.
Footage of the event went viral almost immediately, prompting a nationwide discussion about crime rates in American cities, as well as Cincinnati’s catch-and-release trend.
Theetge delivered a now-viral rant after the July attack in which she scolded media for taking the fight “out of context.” High-profile politicians, including Vice President JD Vance, condemned the police department for not arresting suspects soon enough.
“The cops in Cincinnati, the law enforcement, you gotta prosecute people. We’ve had way too much lawlessness on the streets of great American cities,” Vance said days after the attack. “The only way to destroy that street violence is to take the thugs who engaged in that violence and throw their ass in prison.”
Racial-justice advocates also accused the city of racism and mishandling the situation after police charged only the black suspects with assault. One of the white victims may have partially instigated the brawl by using racial slurs and slapping one attacker after the fight began, advocates claimed.
Seven black people were arrested and charged with various degrees of assault related to the attack. After community backlash, police charged the white male victim, 45-year-old Alex Tchervinski, with disorderly conduct.
Theetge was reportedly asked to resign from her post before being placed on leave and refused. The first woman to lead the Cincinnati Police Department, she is now suspended pending an investigation into the “effectiveness of her leadership.”
“She is a dedicated public servant, this is in her blood, her DNA, she wants nothing more than to be a servant,” Stephen Imm, one of Theetge’s lawyers said, adding that Theetge is the city’s “political scapegoat.”
“The chief’s sincere hope is the city will rethink this hasty and unlawful decision and reinstate her to her position promptly,” Imm said.
As Theetge faces backlash over her department’s investigation into the July event, the police chief is also being sued by four officers who claim that she employed a “race-based quota system” to favor female and minority officers for promotions over white lieutenants.
“These assignments, which offer significant professional and financial benefits, have been disproportionately awarded to non-white and/or female officers, often disregarding merit, qualifications, or legitimate business needs,” the lawsuit says, according to local news. “The public deserves a police department that upholds equal treatment under the law, and we trust the judicial process will deliver a just outcome.”
Desirable assignments were handed to 79 percent of minority lieutenants and 89 percent of female lieutenants in 2023, according to the lawsuit. Only 44 percent of white males were given “preferred-assignments.”
“The City continues to face serious public safety challenges that underscore the need for stability at the command level,” City Manager Sheryl Long said. “Therefore, I’ve named Assistant Chief Adam Hennie as Interim Police Chief. 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 expressed confidence in the city manager’s decision to place Theetge on leave, and said Tuesday that he discussed with the police department plans to deploy “technology, visibility, and rapid response to critical incidents – on top of spearheading the recommendations from the climate assessment.”
Theetge’s legal team, however, says that her job was burdened by city judges’ tendency to release repeat criminals.
Already, two of the suspects charged in relation to July’s attack, DeKyra Vernon and Aisha Devaughn, have been released on bond. They both face three counts of felonious assault, three counts of assault, and two counts of aggravated rioting, each.
Vernon, 24, is accused of hitting the female victim. A judge lowered her bond from $250,000 to $25,000 during an arraignment hearing, and Vernon was released on bail pending trial.
Devaughn, 25, was accused of striking the female victim in the head and hitting and stomping on the male victim. She has two prior felony theft convictions. During an arraignment hearing, Devaughn’s bond was lowered from $300,000 to $25,000, and she was also released on bond pending trial.