CINCINNATI — Teresa Theetge is set to become the first female police chief in Cincinnati history. 

City Manager Sheryl Long announced that decision Tuesday. Theetge has held the title of interim chief since Feb. 2022 following the retirement of the former chief, Elliot K. Isaac.

Long stated she had “full faith” Theetge is the best person to lead the Cincinnati Police Department. A formal swearing-in ceremony is set for next week.

“Throughout my journey at the Cincinnati Police Department, I envisioned myself leading this department one day. But as time passed, I also saw an opportunity to change the status quo,” Theetge wrote in a statement. “I am the first, but I guarantee, I will not be the last female chief this department sees.” 

The lifelong Cincinnatian has been with CPD for more than 30 years. She received a promotion to assistant chief in 2016 and in 2020 assumed the role of the executive officer.

“It is my goal as your chief of police to make you feel safe and love the city where you live, work, and play so you can be proud to tell folks I’m from Cincinnati, Ohio,” she added.

Finding the right person for the job

In a press release, Cincinnati’s city manager stressed that the selection of Theetge was done through a transparent recruitment and interview process. The city whittled the field of 13 candidates down to four finalists in mid-November.

The group included Theetge and Assistant Police Chief Lisa Davis. Davis has been with the department since 1992. Long also selected two outside candidates: former Norfolk, Va., Police Chief Larry Boone and Todd Chamberlain, who had a lengthy law enforcement career in Los Angeles.

“During my time at the city, I have worked closely with Chief Theetge, especially over the last few months,” Long wrote in the statement. “I have seen first-hand her deliberate decision-making, her effectiveness in engaging with our citizens, the depth of her knowledge on cutting-edge policing techniques and her prioritization of equity and fairness.” 

City Council member Mark Jeffreys met with Theetge and the other three finalists one-on-one prior to the hire. He also attended one of two community forums where the finalists answered questions from the public. 

“It’s important that our police chief take a collaborative approach and listen to the community,” he said. “We need somebody who’s empathetic, but also accountable, and so I think (Theetge) brings all of those attributes to the job.”

Jeffreys said Theetge impressed him during her 10-month run as interim chief. He voiced a special appreciation for her willingness to partner with City Council, the mayor and community leaders on community projects.

“(Theetge) has a track record in the department of being respected and of listening to constituents and working with communities to make our streets safer,” he said. “I look forward to more of that going forward.”

Iris Roley, a longtime community leader, praised Long for designing a recruitment and interview process she feels led to the best candidates who applied for the position.

The process included not only the forums, but also a community survey to collect feedback from residents. The city used the responses to create the job description and marketing materials to attract candidates, Roley said.

“Our voices were heard,” she added. “The city manager did the best she could with what she had.”

‘There’s room for improvement’

Roley currently works as a consultant for the city on issues related to the Cincinnati Collaborative Agreement, a historic plan devised to improve police-community relations.

She has a standing weekly meeting with Theetge, Roley said. One of their joint projects has been working to attract more women to CPD as part of its 30 by 30 commitment to have at least 30% non-male officers by 2030.

Despites some successes, there’s room for improvement, Roley admitted. She listed areas like racial disparities and shoring up recruitment and retention of Black and Brown police officers. That’s important, Roley added, because it ensures the police force reflects Cincinnati’s population.

She also thinks there’s work to do to implement recommendations related to the Citizens Complaint Authority and the recent refresh of the Collaborative Agreement.

West End resident Nick Johnson likes the choice. A prominent youth football coach in the area, Johnson often crossed paths with the new police chief while he worked in the neighborhood on the construction project for TQL Stadium behind District 1 police headquarters. 

“She's a down-to-earth person who anyone would be comfortable interacting with,” he said.

Noah O’Brien, who’s vice president of the West End Community Council, said he’s optimistic about the hire as well. But he noted there are a few common complaints he hears from residents during meetings that he hopes Theetge can work to address.

Most notably, he said, is the lack of officers walking through the neighborhood on foot to establish better relationships with residents.

“Older residents remember when that was more common, but it’s something you don’t see anymore,” he said.

The West End is an area that has struggled with violent crimes, O’Brien said. He mentioned a desire to improve the neighborhood liaison officer position to increase their level of engagement with the community.

“The community knows police are not the magic solution to crime; there are larger systemic problems that must be addressed like the historically racist practice of concentrating income-restricted housing in areas of minority concentration,” O’Brien said. “But the police have a role to play as well.”

Theetge stressed that with this new role comes “great responsibility.” She promised to not take the position lightly.

“We’ve all fought so hard to build a strong relationship between the community and police and this will remain at the forefront of our agenda,” she added. “I understand the power of partnerships and how we can’t move forward without community collaboration.”  

Meet the new chief of police

Over the course of her three-decade career, Theetge gained experience in patrol, investigative assignments, inspections’ audits and internal investigations.

During an interview with Spectrum News in February, Theetge credited Isaac with helping prepare her for his old job. In 2016, he promoted Theetge to assistant chief, making her the second woman in the department’s history to hold the rank. Two years ago, Isaac promoted her again, making her executive assistant chief.

At the time of entering her role as interim police chief, she said she would work on bolstering recruitment efforts and reducing the uptick in the city’s gun violence that has been occurring since 2018.

Theetge’s tie to CPD goes even deeper — her father’s two brothers, Theetge’s uncles, were also lieutenants with the department. Four of her seven siblings also chose careers in law enforcement — three of which joined her as part of the Cincinnati Police Department.

Theetge and her husband, Bob, have four adult children and eight grandchildren.

“I have always been proud to call Cincinnati home,” she wrote. “Cincinnati is where I was raised, where my husband and I raised our children, and the place where my children now raise our grandchildren. Cincinnati is the city I took an oath to protect and serve more than three decades ago.”

Spectrum News digital producers Madison MacArthur and Lydia Taylor contributed to this report.