CINCINNATI (WXIX) – Newly released audio reveals what happened inside a two-hour meeting between Police Chief Teresa Theetge and City Manager Sheryl Long just days before Theetge was fired.
The two-hour audio recording was sent to the newsroom by Theetge’s attorney, Steven Imm. In the first hour, Theetge reviews findings from an independent investigation that concluded she was not an effective leader of the CPD. City Manager Sheryl Long was in that meeting and said nothing for the entire first hour.
Chief disputes performance claims
Former Chief Theetge denied City Manager Sheryl Long ever expressed dissatisfaction with her job performance. But the independent investigation tells a different story.
The report says Long repeatedly directed Theetge to follow a summer safety program and fill all police work details — orders Theetge says were never clearly communicated. Theetge called the plan unreasonable, citing a shortage of 130 officers, existing overtime commitments and data she says didn’t support it.
She also disputed claims she resisted help from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, saying the sheriff acknowledged staffing constraints and couldn’t commit. Theetge says a follow-up meeting happened without her.
Funding and safety concerns
On finances, Theetge says funding alone wasn’t enough. She pushed the city to work with CPS on unruly juveniles and asked the mayor to address repeat offenders with judges. She says neither happened.
Theetge also raised concerns about the city’s $1.2 million safety package, saying Long wanted to redirect leftover funds, including to pay community advocate Iris Roley’s salary. She says a separate frustration was the city’s failure to act when Roley allegedly interfered in police business.
On the October shooting near Fountain Square, Theetge says patrols were there. The suspects just didn’t care.
‘It’s me or you’
Theetge says she and Long had an understanding — if the city wanted new leadership, she’d get a heads-up and leave with dignity. She says that promise was broken, and the relationship shifted right after that Fountain Square shooting.
Then came a moment on the recording where Theetge recounted Long’s words to her:
“I’ve talked to Sheryl enough times on the phone. I can tell when she’s calm and I can tell when she’s in a panic mode. And she told me she had talked to the mayor because I said, well, I talked to the mayor. He was fine. She said, well, I talked to him. He’s not fine. He said, it’s me or you.”
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2026 WXIX. All rights reserved.