CINCINNATI — With a police department facing ongoing manpower issues and city gun violence the new chief of the Cincinnati Police Department said she is focused on tackling both issues and taxpayers and police officers can expect changes in the new year.
“We will be having a meeting here shortly after the first of the year to sit down and talk about reallocation of personnel,” said Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge. “I don’t have every officer I need; we still need to up our game in hiring some officers.”
The reallocation will focus on helping ease the strain with 140 empty patrol officer positions, Theetge said. Police departments nationwide are facing similar issues when recruiting for academy classes. She said the department is being selective with who they hire.
“I could easily fill the next recruit class with 50 bodies. But the question I have to ask, are they the most qualified 50 individuals to join the police department,” Theetge said. “So sometimes we have to go a little lesser than what our goal is to make sure that we maintain the highest standards to turn out the highest Police Department for this country for the city.”
CPD previously confirmed that the current police recruit class, set to graduate the police academy in February, has 33 people in the class instead of the 54 the city had wanted.
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval says he and the city council stand behind Theetge’s appointment and the department overall.
“This council and I have been incredibly supportive, whether it's increasing the number of recruit classes, or increasing the pay for recruits. As the Chief mentioned, it’s a significant challenge nationwide,” he said.
Part of the Theetge’s solution is to continue partnerships with other agencies like the U.S. Attorney’s Office, ATF and FBI, Theetge said, to get the job done with a continued focus on filling the upcoming May recruitment class.
“If we can get that next class full, we will be embarking on the right direction,” she said.
It’s not just a lack of quality recruits. The department is also facing a number of retirements.
In October the Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police said 250 police officers are eligible to retire next year and the city has already lost 45 of them this year alone.
Theetge is the first woman to fill the position of police chief, something she sees as an important milestone for the department.
“As the city's first female police chief, I feel even more pressure to succeed, because I get the opportunity to pave the way for female leaders to come,” Theetge said.
During the hiring process the city wanted to maintain transparency and gave both the rank and file and the community a chance to provide feedback and even allow the community to ask direct questions to the four candidates.
“It was through these interviews, the first ever community forums and conversations that it became clear, Chief Theetge was the best person for the job,” said Cincinnati City Manager Cheryl Long.
As for the historic moment of Theetge’s appointment, Long thanked all of the applicants and said there was only one right choice.
“It's about time, a woman, one who has dedicated more than 30 years of her life to this city through public service is rewarded for the hard work and appointed police chief. Chief Theetge, you deserve this honor and you have my full support,” Long said.
With three other candidates Theetge knows some within the department may have wanted another one of the candidates at the helm.
“100% of the officers were not for me,” Theetge said. “So, I need to find out the ones who threw their support behind somebody else, any of the other three. Why was that? What was I missing? So, I need to hear from them? Where do I need to step up my game?
She says she is reimplementing the Chief’s Internal Advisory Board to get a better understanding throughout the entire department.
“I need to hear what they what they want,” she said.
As part of that Theetge said the well-being of her officers will also play a factor in her leadership style to ensure mental health awareness.
“I will continue to make officer wellness a top priority for our organization to ensure that our officers are healthy and mentally strong when they return home to their families and loved ones,” she said.
In the end, Cincinnati’s new police chief sends a message that her department is here to police problems and not people and said she plans to be out in the community hearing from those impacted firsthand by crime in Cincinnati.
“I hope the community recognizes that behind this badge. I am just like you I am a wife, a mother and a grandmother who loves Cincinnati,” she said. “I want you to know there will always be room at my table to join the conversation and become a difference maker. Thank you very much.”
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