Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge was fired on April 23, 2026, by City Manager Sheryl Long, who accused her of insubordination, poor leadership, and failing to carry out the city’s public safety priorities. Theetge, the first woman to permanently lead the department, has appealed the dismissal. Lt. Col. Adam Hennie is serving as interim chief while the city searches for a permanent replacement.
Why Sheryl Long Fired Teresa Theetge
The termination came in a letter from City Manager Sheryl Long. Long’s stated reasons were insubordination, poor leadership, and a failure to advance the city’s public safety priorities. The letter itself is the source of the accusations; the city manager, not the mayor or council, holds the authority to make this call.
Under Cincinnati’s council-manager form of government, the police chief reports directly to the city manager.1City of Cincinnati. About City Manager That reporting line is why Long alone made the decision, and why any challenge to it runs through an administrative appeal rather than a political one.
Theetge’s Appeal and the Charter Standard
Theetge filed her appeal on May 1, 2026, requesting a hearing before an impartial party. The appeal turns on a specific provision of the Cincinnati City Charter: a police chief who has served more than six months can only be removed for cause. Theetge, sworn in as the city’s 16th police chief on January 9, 2023, was well past that threshold.2City of Cincinnati. Police Chief
The charter lists the grounds that qualify as cause: incompetency, inefficiency, dishonesty, insubordination, unsatisfactory performance, misfeasance, malfeasance, nonfeasance, or a felony conviction. Long’s letter cited insubordination and unsatisfactory performance, both of which appear on that list. The question in the appeal is whether the facts support those labels, not whether the labels themselves are valid grounds.
During a chief’s first six months on the job, the city manager can remove them without stating any reason. After six months, the for-cause protection kicks in. The structure gives the manager hiring flexibility at the start while giving an established chief some insulation from a politically motivated firing.
Who’s Running the Department Now
Lt. Col. Adam Hennie was named interim police chief when Theetge was removed. He has been handling the duties that come with the role, including appearing before the city’s budget committee in early 2026 to walk through options for absorbing a proposed $6.6 million cut to the department. Those options included holding vacancies open, delaying a recruit class to fiscal year 2028, and trimming non-sworn positions.
The department Hennie is temporarily leading has roughly 1,000 sworn officers and 125 civilian employees, with a fiscal year 2026 budget of $188.4 million.3Cincy PD. Cincinnati Police Department4FOX19. Cincinnati Police Brace for Potential $6.6M Budget Cut An interim chief carries the same operational responsibilities as a permanent one, including policy direction through the department’s Procedure Manual and oversight of internal investigations and discipline.
The Search for a Permanent Chief
City Manager Long has launched a formal search and announced finalists in late 2026.5City of Cincinnati. Cincinnati Police Chief Search The process follows the same pattern the city used when Theetge was hired: a consulting firm recruits candidates from across the country, community members provide input through public forums and surveys, and the city manager makes the final appointment.
Article V, Section 5 of the Cincinnati City Charter gives the city manager sole authority to appoint the police chief, along with an executive assistant police chief and any assistant chiefs. Elected officials, community leaders, religious organizations, and business groups all weigh in, but none of them vote on the choice. The decision is Long’s alone.
Who Teresa Theetge Was
Theetge spent her entire career in the Cincinnati Police Department. She entered the academy in 1990 and rose through assignments in District One Patrol, Central Vice Control, and Internal Investigations before being promoted to Assistant Chief in 2016. In 2020 she became Executive Officer, giving her direct oversight of day-to-day operations, and she served as interim chief before her permanent appointment in January 2023.
Her more than three decades inside the department were central to her selection over outside candidates. That same depth of institutional ties is part of the backdrop to her dismissal, though the specific friction points between Theetge and Long are described in the termination letter only in the general terms Long used: insubordination, poor leadership, and failure to carry out public safety priorities. Whether those characterizations hold up is now a matter for the appeal.