Cincinnati residents woke up to the ugly truth last week: the city’s downtown is no longer a safe place to gather, and the official response made things worse, not better. Five people were shot in a string of incidents that unfolded in less than eight hours, including a fatal shooting and at least two victims struck in the Fountain Square area. The facts are undeniable and demand leadership that understands deterrence, not lectures.
Police Chief Teresa Theetge’s public admonition — “learn how to behave” — landed like a taunt to victims and a plea to criminals, and it exposed a baffling disconnect at the top of the department. Telling law-abiding citizens to adjust their behavior instead of promising swift arrests and prosecutions is tone-deaf and politically convenient for leaders who prefer optics to outcomes. When a chief speaks like a scolding social worker rather than a commander of public safety, citizens rightly lose faith in the institution meant to protect them.
The Fountain Square shooting, which injured a juvenile and an adult and saw suspects taken into custody after a foot pursuit, shows the kind of violence that spills over when consequences are weak and chaos goes unchecked. Local outlets reported officers on scene and suspects detained, but the public is left asking why this keeps happening in the heart of the city. Residents want fewer press statements and more prosecutions, yet too often we get performative rhetoric that shifts blame away from criminals and onto the community.
This isn’t an isolated PR misstep — it follows a summer viral brawl that devastated two visitors and set off a firestorm about how the department and city handle mob violence. Chief Theetge has publicly chided social media and journalists for showing only “one version” of events, a line that sounds less like accountability and more like damage control. When leaders refuse to face the hard truth on camera, the public assumes they’re protecting narratives instead of people.
Compounding the problem are reports that senior officers have sued the city alleging discriminatory promotion practices under Theetge’s leadership, which has further eroded morale and trust inside the department. While polite press releases and internal hand-wringing continue, rank-and-file officers and citizens see a leadership vacuum where clarity and backbone used to be. The city’s problems won’t be solved by finger-pointing — they’ll be solved by restoring pride, standards, and accountability in policing.
Governor Mike DeWine and state partners have signaled they’re willing to step in with targeted efforts to curb repeat violent offenders, proof that local leadership is failing to get the job done alone. That intervention should be welcomed by anyone who cares about safe streets, because when city leaders get soft on crime the state must act to protect law-abiding citizens. If Cincinnati’s mayor and chief won’t confront the failures of prosecutors and judges who release dangerous offenders, then outside pressure and real policy change are the only options left.
At the end of the day, a police chief who publicly scolds residents while shootings climb has to answer to the people she’s sworn to protect. Conservatives who believe in law, order, and common-sense accountability should demand more than hollow sound bites: we need leadership that backs officers, supports victims, and brings repeat violent offenders to justice. If Teresa Theetge can’t shift from woke platitudes to enforceable action, her tenure should be in serious jeopardy — because Americans will not accept a city that tells them to tiptoe around chaos.
