Almost five months after Cincinnati put Police Chief Teresa Theetge on paid leave, her attorney called for the city to end its internal investigation into her leadership and release the report.
Attorney Steve Imm, at a press conference on March 16, called the anticipated investigation report “a hatchet job,” though he said he hasn’t seen the report yet.
“We have reason to believe it will be a hatchet job, the hatchet job that we expected from the beginning,” Imm said.
Imm demands the city ‘stop this charade’
Theetge and her family stood behind Imm at the Finney Law Firm in Downtown Cincinnati. Theetge didn’t speak at the press conference. Her attorney made a demand of the city.
“Stop this charade,” said Steve Imm, Theetge’s attorney, at a press conference on March 16. “Apologize to this woman and let her get back to work.”
Theetge still feels she’s a scapegoat
Almost five months earlier, Imm and Theetge stood in the same location slamming the city and accusing the mayor and city manager of making Theetge a scapegoat.
On Oct. 20, Cincinnati City Manager Sheryl Long placed Theetge on paid leave as city leadership faced growing criticism over how it handled crime in the urban core. The stabbing death of a business owner in his Over-the-Rhine home and viral videos of a street brawl on Fourth Street last summer became major issues in the Cincinnati City Council and mayoral campaigns.
Imm reiterated they feel Theetge was a scapegoat for the mayor weeks ahead of the November election.
“The city had recently experienced a spate of high-profile crimes, and the mayor felt that he needed a scapegoat,” Imm said. “He chose the city’s first female police chief to be that scapegoat.”
Mayor has said politics had nothing to do with it
The Enquirer reached out to Mayor Aftab Pureval and the city manager’s office. Pureval’s Chief of Staff Keizayla Fambro, in a statement texted to The Enquirer, said the mayor and his staff do not have a role “in administrative personnel matters such as these.”
Pureval said in October he did not pressure the city manager to put Theetge on leave and that the election in November had nothing to do with the decision.
“The election has nothing to do with this decision or really any of the decisions that we take in this office,” Pureval said in October. “Our number one priority continues to be public safety… all options continue to be on the table.”
In a text to The Enquirer, spokeswoman Mollie Lair said the city manager didn’t have any comment. She wouldn’t confirm whether the investigation would conclude at the end of the month.
“I’m unaware of any timeline being shared,” Lair said in a text to The Enquirer. “I do know the current contract expires at the end of the month.”
Where the investigation stands
The city has not released any information on what, if anything, the investigation into Theetge’s leadership has uncovered.
In the meantime, taxpayers have continued to foot Theetge’s $203,000 annual salary. Assistant Chief Adam Hennie has served as interim police chief in Theetge’s absence.
The city has contracted with law firm FBT Gibbons, formerly known as Frost Brown Todd, to investigate Theetge at a cost of up to $49,000. The original contract expired at the end of December. The city extended it through February, then extended it again until the end of March.
Theetge enduring ‘toughest five months of her life’
Imm said FBT Gibbons investigators have interviewed Theetge. He wouldn’t reveal what they asked.
Theetge hasn’t filed a lawsuit yet against the city. Imm said there would be a lawsuit “when any adverse action is taken” against Theetge.
“I think it would be safe to say these have been the toughest five months of her life,” Imm said about Theetge. “Fortunately, she has a vast family of support.”
Enquirer media partner Fox19 contributed. This story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati police chief’s lawyer warns of ‘hatchet job’ in city probe
Reporting by Scott Wartman and David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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