Lawsuit against Cincinnati police alleges women, officers of color picked for ‘career enhancing’ assignments
Updated: 6:06 PM EDT May 26, 2025
LEADING THE WAY. WELCOME BACK FOR CINCINNATI POLICE. OFFICERS ARE SUING THE CITY AND POLICE CHIEF CLAIMING DISCRIMINATION. SO THIS FEDERAL LAWSUIT CLAIMS THEY WEREN’T PROMOTED BECAUSE OF THEIR RACE AND THEIR GENDER. WLWT NEWS FIVE LINDSAY STONE HAS BEEN DIGGING INTO THE COURT DOCUMENTS. AND LINSEY, WHAT EXACTLY HAVE YOU LEARNED? YEAH, A LOT OF INFORMATION IN THESE DOCUMENTS, GUYS. SO THE FOUR OFFICERS ARE ALL WHITE MEN AND CLAIM THAT POLICE CHIEF TERRY TEAGUE GAVE PREFERRED ASSIGNMENTS MORE OFTEN TO OFFICERS WHO ARE MINORITIES OR WOMEN. A BOMBSHELL LAWSUIT FILED IN FEDERAL COURT ALLEGING CINCINNATI POLICE CHIEF TERRY FIJI GAVE PREFERRED ASSIGNMENTS MORE OFTEN TO WOMEN AND MINORITIES. PREFERRED ASSIGNMENTS INCLUDE PERKS LIKE MONETARY BENEFITS, TAKE HOME CARS AND ADDITIONAL OVERTIME OPPORTUNITIES. THESE ASSIGNMENTS ARE CONSIDERED CAREER ENHANCING, INCLUDING FOR PROMOTIONAL PURPOSES. THE LAWSUIT, FILED BY FOUR CPD OFFICERS, CLAIMS THEY WERE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST FOR BEING WHITE MALES. THE LAWSUIT ALSO LISTS NINE EXAMPLES OF WOMEN OR MINORITIES WHO WERE PROMOTED OVER THE OFFICERS. DESPITE BEING LOWER ON THE PROMOTIONS LIST, THE LAWSUIT ALSO CLAIMING THAT OUT OF CPD’S FEMALE LIEUTENANTS, 89% WERE GIVEN PREFERRED ASSIGNMENTS AND 79% OF MINORITY LIEUTENANTS ALSO GOT PREFERRED ASSIGNMENTS. MEANWHILE, ONLY 44% OF WHITE MALE LIEUTENANTS WERE GIVEN PREFERRED ASSIGNMENTS. NOW, IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT 65% OF LIEUTENANTS IN CPD ARE WHITE MEN, WHILE JUST 35% ARE WOMEN OR PEOPLE OF COLOR. WE REACHED OUT TO CPD FOR COMMENT, BUT DID NOT HEAR BACK. MEANWHILE, KEN KOBRE, PRESIDENT OF THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE, RELEASED A STATEMENT TO WLWT. IT READS, QUOTE, THESE ALLEGATIONS ARE DISTURBING. IF THEY’RE PROVEN TRUE IN COURT, I HOPE THESE VETERAN OFFICERS RECEIVE WHATEVER REMEDY THEY’RE ASKING FOR. AND YOU CAN READ THE FULL LAWSUIT ON O
Lawsuit against Cincinnati police alleges women, officers of color picked for ‘career enhancing’ assignments
Updated: 6:06 PM EDT May 26, 2025
The Cincinnati Police Department is being accused of discrimination in a new lawsuit.Several captains and lieutenants within the department are suing CPD and police chief Terri Theetge of discrimination.All of the officers involved in the federal lawsuit are white men. They claim Chief Theetge favors women and people of color when making assignment decisions.The officers say they were skipped over for assignments that are considered “career enhancing.”The lawsuit also claims that out of CPD’s female lieutenants, 89% were given preferred assignments. 79% of minority lieutenants also god preferred assignments.Those numbers are compared to 44% of white, male lieutenants being given preferred assignments, the lawsuit says.65% of Cincinnati police’s lieutenants are white, compared to just 35% being women or people of color.WLWT has reached out to CPD about the lawsuit but have not heard back.
The Cincinnati Police Department is being accused of discrimination in a new lawsuit.
Several captains and lieutenants within the department are suing CPD and police chief Terri Theetge of discrimination.
All of the officers involved in the federal lawsuit are white men. They claim Chief Theetge favors women and people of color when making assignment decisions.
The officers say they were skipped over for assignments that are considered “career enhancing.”
The lawsuit also claims that out of CPD’s female lieutenants, 89% were given preferred assignments. 79% of minority lieutenants also god preferred assignments.
Those numbers are compared to 44% of white, male lieutenants being given preferred assignments, the lawsuit says.
65% of Cincinnati police’s lieutenants are white, compared to just 35% being women or people of color.
WLWT has reached out to CPD about the lawsuit but have not heard back.
