[NYPOST] Embattled Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge was being sued by four high-ranking officers claiming she discriminated against white lieutenants while doling out promotions and assignments using a ''race-based quota system.''The lawsuit, filed in May, resurfaced as Theetge faces scrutiny amid her department's investigation into the high-profile vicious street beatdown of a defenseless white woman in the Ohio city last weekend.
Capt. Robert Wilson and Lieutenants Patrick Caton, Gerald Hodges and Andrew Mitchell claimed in the suit that the police chief bypassed them for positions they deserved — and instead gave minority and female lieutenants preferential treatment, Newsweek reported.
''These assignments, which offer significant professional and financial benefits, have been disproportionately awarded to non-white and/or female officers, often disregarding merit, qualifications, or legitimate business needs,'' the lawsuit claimed, local Fox19 reported.
''The public deserves a police department that upholds equal treatment under the law, and we trust the judicial process will deliver a just outcome.''
Theetge was allegedly ''personally involved in the assignment decisions'' and used a ''race-based quota system'' to promote minorities and women to career-enhancing positions, the suit states.
Coveted ''preferred-assignments'' were doled out to 79% of minority lieutenants and 89% of female lieutenants in 2023 — but just 44% of white male Lieutenants were given the assignment, the lawsuit claimed.
The officers are seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages, and injunctive relief in the ongoing civil case that names Theetge and the city of Cincinnati as defendants.
Theetge is currently embroiled in another racially-tinged controversy as cops in the Queen City continue their investigation into the wild brawl — which went viral when footage emerged showing a group of black suspects beating two white victims.
Critics have called out the police department for not moving quickly enough to arrest the suspects, with Vice President JD Vance, a former Ohio senator, urging cops to ''throw their asses in prison.''
''The cops in Cincinnati, the law enforcement, you gotta prosecute people. We've had way too much lawlessness on the streets of great American cities,'' Vance said during a speech on July 28, two days after the beatdown.
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Teresa Theetge 08/02/2025 Cincinnati police chief Teresa Theetge vows to release more footage of viral brawl that left woman knocked out cold
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JD Vance 08/02/2025 Cincinnati police chief Teresa Theetge vows to release more footage of viral brawl that left woman knocked out cold
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JD Vance 07/29/2025 JD Vance just WENT OFF on the violent mob that attacked two men and a middle-aged woman at the Cincinnati Jazz Festival
JD Vance 08/02/2025 Cincinnati police chief Teresa Theetge vows to release more footage of viral brawl that left woman knocked out cold
JD Vance 07/31/2025 Cincinnati brawl arrests: Detective says fight was 'coordinated' by 2 suspects
JD Vance 07/29/2025 JD Vance just WENT OFF on the violent mob that attacked two men and a middle-aged woman at the Cincinnati Jazz Festival