October 30, 2025 • 21 mins
Willie talks with Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge's brother, Captain Russ Neville of the CPD, about his sister's dismissal by city leadership.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
By Billy Cunningham, the great American. Of course, the issue
of the firing Charlie Say, administrative discharge in a sense
of Chief of Police Thigi is on the front burner
and it's one of the big election issues coming up
on Tuesday. In the studio with me? Now, is Captain
russ Neville retired? Is that correct? How many years you've
been four thirty four years? Did you enjoy it?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I did? I enjoyed it, respect it, appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
But more importantly, you're the brother, let's get it out
there of Terry Thigi. She is your sister, correct, yes, sir.
A little bit of the history of Chief Thiji A
mother of four? Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yes, sir.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
She went through the whole police department from bottom to
top with four kids, and I guess there are adults
by this point. And then how many grandchildren does she have?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
She has nine grandchildren.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
So the city manager and Mary wants to fire a
mother and a grandmother. Correct, yes, Tell me about Tell
me about your feelings about what happened to Chief Thigi
and why was so unfair?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Well, I think there's a combination of reasons. But the
way it came about is ridiculously unfair, bordering on inhumane.
There were opportunities for communication that could have ended in
a different fashion. Basically, what they did is they forced
her to fight, and we're not going to walk away
from a fight. She dedicated thirty five years to the city.
(01:22):
She was a good team player, a leader. She is
not and I emphasized not a DEI higher. She earned
everything she got through her thirty five years. She was
mentored by some of the best and brightest minds of
this organization over the last thirty five years. Tom Striker,
Jim Whalen, Vince Demassi. Not bad, not bad at all.
(01:43):
So if anybody wants to throw DEI out related to Terry,
they are way off base.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
She earned it, earned it a hard way, the hard way,
being a mother and a grandmother while being in a
cop You mentioned this the other day. Not easy. It's
hard for a man, a father, much less a mother
and a grandma. Been put in sixty seventy hours a
week on behalf of the people of Cincinnati. And she
did it without without reservation, without anger, without frustration. She
(02:08):
did her job.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
She did it with pride and commitment and dedication and care.
I couldn't begin to tell the amount Terry cares regarding
the communities. And I mean all fifty two, not one
or two, like the mayor, all fifty two communities, all demographics.
It doesn't matter to Terry. What's right is right, and
what service needs to be provided shall be provided.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Why was she I'll use the term fired, because that's
where it's coming. I can't imagine after this review, bought
and paid for by the mayor, the law firm that
he hired, is going to come back and say, oh,
you know, Mayor, you're wrong. You know what's going to
come in a couple months is smearing of thief chief Fiji. Well,
why do you think it happened.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
I think it happened because she had a desire to
provide services to the community that would reduce diminish impact
violent crime. And I think she had thoughts, plans, and
ideas on that. And I will leave it at that
for now until things work themselves out going forward. And
I believe the mayor had a different opinion.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
As far as the administrative put on the administrative leave
with pay of your sister. The mayor said a day
or two after this happened, we're going to start enforcing
the law. We're going to have misdemeanors being enforced. You know,
as a cop, you come from a family of cops
going back about one hundred years that when you enforce
the broken window theory of law enforcement, when someone is
(03:31):
taking drugs in public, when someone is sleeping on a
public sidewalk, when someone is shooting through a window and
he's classified as property damage, you know something's wrong. Do
you think the mayor got the message that somehow you
cops are going to have to start enforcing the law
because it hasn't happened so far.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
I couldn't begin to tell you what message the mayor got,
but I will offer to you those services are provided
lesser crimes are focused on and were focused on under Terry.
But the reality it is Bill, if there's a revolving
door at the justice center, or if there's early release
for no justified reason, placing people back into the communities
(04:09):
where they just victimized people without accountability one through fifteen times,
it's irrelevant. They there needs to be something done to
control the early release and the offenders being placed back
out into the streets without any accountability.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
That's not on the coppers it's not on the cops.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
It's on the judges exactly. And I am here to
say the cops work hard. I'm not criticizing for one
second the officers of Cincinnati or any agency in Hamilcanty
and beyond. I'm here to tell you that the administrative
suspension of Terry was in humaine unjust. And let's think
about the fact that it's asked backwards. You place your
(04:51):
ound administrative suspension, then you decide you're going to hire
a law firm, and your conducting investigation determined why you
placed yourun administrative suspension. I'll leave the rest of that lawyer,
mister m and Terry. But everybody with a lick of
sense understands what this is about, what's driving it, who's
driving it, And that's where I think the conversation needs
(05:11):
to go as we go forward. Today.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
I think Channel twelve had this report about the emails,
the text messages back and forth. A precipitating factor, according
to Cheryl Long, was that your sister Chief Thiji joined
the Hamlety County Police Chiefs Group without the permission of
the city manager or the mayor. Was that a made
(05:34):
up Was that precipitating it wasn't unusual for the chief
of police of Cincinnati, which is about what about forty
percent of the county to join a group of other
police chiefs. Is that a bad act? Was that wrong
for Thiji to do?
Speaker 2 (05:49):
I don't see why it was wrong or how it
could be wrong. I mean, it's part of your responsibilities
as the head of an organization is to communicate with
heads of other organizations and put together strategies and plans.
I just have to leave it at that until anything
goes forward involving the case that may be pending.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Well, what is does Chief Thiji want her job back?
Speaker 2 (06:11):
I can't speak for her Bill either. I talked to
her every day.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
You must talk to her every day. Talk to her
because she want her job back.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
I'm going to refrain from answering a question based on
mister M's recommendations. Let me say this.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
I would say no, because how do you work in
that environment when you can't implement the policies and procedures
you want to implement. Because the city manager and the mayor,
and I guess Counsel Scottie Johnson others are saying, don't
do that. In other words, put in speed bumps, don't
pull people over for traffic offenses. I had on the
corner about a month ago, and she was going to
a big event, I think Fiddler on the Roof at
(06:44):
the Music Hall, and she and a retired federal judge
felt threatened walking across Washington Park when they left the
play early because they knew they had to get back
to the car before dark. Those are the things that
I think that the police should administer and take care
of that the police directly indirectly receive orders or indications
from the city manager or the mayor not to enforce
(07:06):
certain statutes. I think that was the case. That's why
the mayor said we're going to start enforcing the criminal law.
Was there a sense under your sister's leadership that she
was told directly or indirectly by expression or implication not
to enforce certain criminal statutes.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Not that I'm aware of, and I talked to her
every day, and I think it is something that needs
to be kept between her and her attorney and for
any future purposes. So I really do refrain from discussing it, Bill,
because it is right for her going forward with any
potential when will she speak when her attorneys when the
case is settled potentially.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
So going back to my point, does she want her
job back? You can't say yes to that.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
I'm not going to answer that. I will tell you this,
you wouldn't want it. I wouldn't want it. My brother Mike,
who's in the studio with us, wouldn't want it. But
I'm not going to speak for Terry.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Why wouldn't you and your brother Mike went Why wouldn't
someone who's come up through the ranks from the bottom
of the top not want the job today?
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Well today, meaning only under these circumstances wanting the job
prior to this happening to her, I would have even
wanted it at that point. But under these circumstances, why
would anybody want to go back and work and report
to two individuals that have treated them so inhumanely. One
reason somebody may want to do it because they care
about the community, and they care about the members of
(08:26):
the organization, and they appreciate the support they're getting from
each of those. So you have to balance those elements
and reporting to two people who treat it so inhumanely,
who clearly don't want you there, And let's emphasize it
is two people Bill, it's not one.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
What was it inhumane about her discharge?
Speaker 2 (08:46):
It was done in a shockingly surprising way. She didn't
see it coming, didn't see it coming. It was done
after a text notification to come back from a police
common difference where she was there to represent the city
of Cincinnati and the police department in an honorable a
(09:07):
leadership fashion, and it was done with minimal to no communication.
And I'll leave it at that.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
From chera Long's perspective, why do it then? It's like embarrassing.
According to media accounts, someone was listening to me at
one seventeen PM. Somebody told me her days were in
the single digits.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Yeah, I heard you.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
And she goes to I was told that. And so
she goes to Denver for this national deal and I'm
thinking this isn't good. But somebody approved her trip to Denver.
She didn't do this. Did city manager approve her trip
to Denver? I couldn't tell you the process on who
approved it.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Bill. She had authorization to go to Denver and represent
the City of Cincinnati, the police Department, in the constituents
of Cincinnati and represent them in high fashion, in high order, honorably,
and she was summoned back shot.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Would you say she was shocked at that maneuver by
Cheryl Long.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
I would say she was caught that she needed to
come back so quickly.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Because right now, as I understand it, she's an I
WILL employee. That means she can be fired for a
good reason, a bad reason, or no reason. It can't
be an illegal reason. But if the city manager would
say to Teresa Theichi, you know things aren't going very well,
I have to let you go. Let's talk about how
we do this. That's different than what happened. Correct, That
(10:23):
is definitely different than what happened. So she gave an
interview somewhere that she said she sent a text or
something Sheryl Long that said, I got thirty five years
in October twentieth as my anniversary. I'm not going to
be here forever. I want to have some indication as
to the future. Do you recall seeing that text. I'm
aware that text is out there. And as far as
her being out there, was she planning to retire anyway?
(10:45):
Because when you say, you know, you've been at a
job for a long time and somebody you get an
indication things are going the wrong direction. When she said,
I know I'm not going to be there forever. Was
that an indication from her that she knew something was coming?
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Honestly cannot answer that. I don't know what her thought
was when she sent that. I haven't discussed that text
with her.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Do you know how she was fired put on administrative leave?
Speaker 2 (11:09):
You know how? I truly don't. I don't recall if
it's something she was told or if it was something
that was notified by her attorney. I truly don't recall
how it came to her.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Was she shocked about that? She was caught off guard,
off guard and it just came out of the blue. Yes,
How is she doing today? This afternoon? Is she actually
it's interesting you ask. Over a thousand people have asked
me that question in the last two weeks. She's doing
well as well as can be. She's spending she's doing
as well as can be. She's she's she's terry, she's
(11:40):
a leader, she's confident, she's independent, she's capable to overcome anything.
But with that said, it's a kick to the gut.
It's internally straining.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Her. Her feelings are hurt, her reputation has been tarnished.
But with that said Bill, she I gid you not.
She is approached everywhere we go, or she goes in
one hundred and fifty mile radius of Cincinnati, with people
saying they support her, they believe in her, they know
what's really going on, they know it's politics. She was
(12:16):
at the Bengals game the other day and there were
people yelling from two stamp two levels up down to
her saying we support you, we believe in you. Keep
fighting the fight. But with that said, that's all great, right,
that's all awesome for her to hear. But at the
same time, there's the internal hit that comes with that
of what she's going through that would even cause people
to need to yell that out to her and show
(12:38):
that support to her. But she's doing as well as
anybody could do under this situation.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
She's going sixty seventy miles an hour. All of a
sudden there's a crash and at this point she I
guess four kids, how many grandkids?
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Nine?
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Nine, maybe some on the way. She's a mother and
a grandmother, and now she's going to care for her family,
and she's always cared for her family. Now she's always
physically present. She wasn't physically present. I would think for
a long part of her life because she was a cop,
and going forward, who knows what's going to happen. I
think the important takeaway is Number One, she was shocked
(13:13):
about what happened. Number Two, your indications are she won't
take the job back as it's presently constituted.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Because I don't mix it up. I'm not indicating one
or the other. I'm telling you I don't know what
Terry's answer that definitively is or would be. And even
if I did, and I wouldn't share it, I would
let her do it and her attorney do it at
due time. What I'm telling you is you wouldn't take
it back. I wouldn't take it back, and Mike wouldn't
take it back. But Terry's independent, Terry's confident, and that's
(13:41):
for Terry to decide if that ever comes to fruition.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Is there some information she has about the mayor or
the city manager that would require her to sign an
NDA in order to get the settlement?
Speaker 2 (13:53):
To my knowledge, none of those discussions have taken place,
and if they've had, Terry's kept them between herself and
her attorney.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
So there may be something that you can make public
to embarrass the city behavior.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
No, I'm just responding to the NBA. I don't know
the embarrassment side of it, Bill, I can't answer it.
I think there are things that took place in her
in her career during her administration that would benefit her
through litigation, but I don't know what those are at
this time, and we'll just have to leave it that
way until mister m decides what to do with what
(14:23):
information he compiles, or what he chooses to do.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Going forward to Davis with Chris Finny Law firm, a
week before all these events transpired, she was, in your view,
respected by Cheryl long respected. I can recall we had
numerous news conferences on the air. It was af Tab,
it was Cheryl and and it was long and also Thiji.
(14:47):
The three of them stood up there. Questions were asked
of the mayor, for example, are you satisfied with the
chief of police? Every time it was yes, Yes, her
evaluations were exceptional or above exceptional, whatever the that is,
and that this was up to the moment she was
put on administrative leave. Was there a triggering event that
went from exceptional to your gone? Because normally in normal life,
(15:10):
you if you have a bad employee, you give them
bad reviews. You know you got to improve this, got
to do that. I've seen the reviews. They're off the charts.
Teresa Tiji was at the top. All of a sudden,
she's gone. What happened in those two or three days
that caused that to transpire? When the mayor says she's
better in sliced bread, now she's going to be sliced,
what happened?
Speaker 2 (15:30):
It's the question for the mayor to answer. It's a question.
He's not a question for the mayor answer. It's a
question for the manager.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
She's not talking.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
You're correct, and we don't know what it is that
caused this to happen.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Bill, yesterday, you're looking at the mayor. You were sitting
at that table. You've been in public service in Cincinnati
for more than thirty years, a captain well known, the
family and Neville family is well known. You look at
the mayor and you said, we need a strongly or
a week leader. What did you say to the mayor
and he did not respond to you? Man to man
(16:04):
Eyeball to eyeball, what did you say to Aftab?
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Basically, I basically shared that the city is under week leadership,
whether it be him or the manager. I said that,
I think people who are going out to vote need
to make a decision on what's most important to them.
Is it going forward, is it improvement or is it
maintaining a loyalty or commitment to whatever thought process you
have that have placed him in there. And I offered
(16:28):
to people not to vote for the coward.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
So you're calling Aftab pure of all, a coward.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
I called him a coward.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
What about Cheryl Long?
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Cheryl Long wasn't there. She's out there, she skipped, She
wasn't there. She did arrive. I think as we were
leaving chambers, I did not see her go in. I
was told she came in after we had left chambers.
So that's where we are.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
She did a great job in North College Hill. Now
she's doing it for the people of Cincinnati.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Yeah, it's the decision making of those that are in charge. Now,
Bill that has us where we are. That mayor has
no he generates no benefit to the city of Cincinnati.
He does not, truly, truly, in his gut, in his heart,
care about the people of Cincinnati, the constituents. He's wasting money,
(17:20):
he's wasting resources. He treated a thirty five year veteran
of this department like the trash to be thrown out.
And I think the voters please please understand that literally
crime if things hadn't happened in the downtown business district,
I don't know that this happens. The American answer that
(17:41):
litigation may answer that I don't know, but I will
offer you have crime plateaus, you have an ebb and
flow of crime throughout the other fifty one neighborhoods. Mayor
has never shown this type of response and benefit or
support of those neighborhoods. And I think I think it's
I'm not thinking. I'm certain this is a political decision.
It's a scapegoat situation. I think he's weak. I think
(18:04):
he's a coward, and I think he's bad for this city.
And I wish people would come out, get out of
their comfort zone, vote for new leadership. And I really
believe this. If you want to go down to council
and vote for four or five of the current council members,
do it. Do it, get some new council representative. And
(18:26):
there's Smitherman, Keating Curry, I think still Scottie Johnson actually
on there now, some mixture, some new and some old blood,
and let's see what can be done. But regarding the mayor,
do not do not cast a vote for the marriage
just because you're down there voting for the council representatives.
(18:48):
Vote for new leadership. People know what that means. Vote
for new leadership in that mayor seat. If you want
to see economic improvement, if you want to see first
responder management improvement, if you want to see humane treatment.
I highly recommend people come out and those that haven't
voted in ten years or so, Billy, check the website,
(19:09):
see if their registration is still valid. Come out, come out.
We're still sitting at twenty five twenty eight percent right now. Low.
If we get that to say thirty five forty forty
five fifty, specifically on the west side, Hyde Park, Mount
look Out, Mount Washington, we can have new leadership. Yeah,
people have to vote to get off. Vote off your
duff and go do something. If you care, I mean
(19:30):
if you don't care.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
If you don't care, don't vote, don't care. If you
like the status quo, want to continue with this, you
know what to do. Don't vote or vote for AFTAB
you call him the coward of Cincinnati. You have to
have puivault.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Well, I think he's a bad manager. I think he's disloyal,
I think he lies. I think he's a coward the
way he's handled this. And you know what, a week
and a half prior to this, he says to my
brother that there's no light between he and the chief.
While all this is brewing, apparently, I mean yesterday, my
brother Mike has approached by Iris Rowley at council chambers
(20:02):
to show support for Terry and how much she believes
she's being mistreated and this is being let me finish
this being mistreated, and how much she treats, appreciates and
respects her and wishes things work out well. Whether Iris
believes that or not, I don't know. But people who
say those things, if you truly believe them, get out
(20:23):
from behind closed doors and share it. It's not about Terry.
It's about future seats for this chief position, the fire
chief position. It's about the future of the city. Right.
If we want to use Terry as a process of
explaining it and have any opportunity to share it, okay,
we'll do that. She shouldn't be going through it. But
with that said, there's council members reach out and they say,
(20:44):
how hey, we don't like the way this is being done.
They sit there and they they toe the line, as
you say, they tow the line, Bill, And that is
that leadership, is that character. It's neither we.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Got to run, Captain Russ Noville, good luck, get out
and vote. We get the government we deserve. And at
times that concerns me. Thank you, sir, captain, thank you
very much. Than Bill Cunningham News Radio seven hundred WO
By Billy Cunningham, the great American. Of course, the issue
of the firing Charlie Say, administrative discharge in a sense
of Chief of Police Thigi is on the front burner
and it's one of the big election issues coming up
on Tuesday. In the studio with me? Now, is Captain
russ Neville retired? Is that correct? How many years you've
been four thirty four years? Did you enjoy it?
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I did? I enjoyed it, respect it, appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
But more importantly, you're the brother, let's get it out
there of Terry Thigi. She is your sister, correct, yes, sir.
A little bit of the history of Chief Thiji A
mother of four? Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yes, sir.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
She went through the whole police department from bottom to
top with four kids, and I guess there are adults
by this point. And then how many grandchildren does she have?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
She has nine grandchildren.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
So the city manager and Mary wants to fire a
mother and a grandmother. Correct, yes, Tell me about Tell
me about your feelings about what happened to Chief Thigi
and why was so unfair?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Well, I think there's a combination of reasons. But the
way it came about is ridiculously unfair, bordering on inhumane.
There were opportunities for communication that could have ended in
a different fashion. Basically, what they did is they forced
her to fight, and we're not going to walk away
from a fight. She dedicated thirty five years to the city.
(01:22):
She was a good team player, a leader. She is
not and I emphasized not a DEI higher. She earned
everything she got through her thirty five years. She was
mentored by some of the best and brightest minds of
this organization over the last thirty five years. Tom Striker,
Jim Whalen, Vince Demassi. Not bad, not bad at all.
(01:43):
So if anybody wants to throw DEI out related to Terry,
they are way off base.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
She earned it, earned it a hard way, the hard way,
being a mother and a grandmother while being in a
cop You mentioned this the other day. Not easy. It's
hard for a man, a father, much less a mother
and a grandma. Been put in sixty seventy hours a
week on behalf of the people of Cincinnati. And she
did it without without reservation, without anger, without frustration. She
(02:08):
did her job.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
She did it with pride and commitment and dedication and care.
I couldn't begin to tell the amount Terry cares regarding
the communities. And I mean all fifty two, not one
or two, like the mayor, all fifty two communities, all demographics.
It doesn't matter to Terry. What's right is right, and
what service needs to be provided shall be provided.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Why was she I'll use the term fired, because that's
where it's coming. I can't imagine after this review, bought
and paid for by the mayor, the law firm that
he hired, is going to come back and say, oh,
you know, Mayor, you're wrong. You know what's going to
come in a couple months is smearing of thief chief Fiji. Well,
why do you think it happened.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
I think it happened because she had a desire to
provide services to the community that would reduce diminish impact
violent crime. And I think she had thoughts, plans, and
ideas on that. And I will leave it at that
for now until things work themselves out going forward. And
I believe the mayor had a different opinion.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
As far as the administrative put on the administrative leave
with pay of your sister. The mayor said a day
or two after this happened, we're going to start enforcing
the law. We're going to have misdemeanors being enforced. You know,
as a cop, you come from a family of cops
going back about one hundred years that when you enforce
the broken window theory of law enforcement, when someone is
(03:31):
taking drugs in public, when someone is sleeping on a
public sidewalk, when someone is shooting through a window and
he's classified as property damage, you know something's wrong. Do
you think the mayor got the message that somehow you
cops are going to have to start enforcing the law
because it hasn't happened so far.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
I couldn't begin to tell you what message the mayor got,
but I will offer to you those services are provided
lesser crimes are focused on and were focused on under Terry.
But the reality it is Bill, if there's a revolving
door at the justice center, or if there's early release
for no justified reason, placing people back into the communities
(04:09):
where they just victimized people without accountability one through fifteen times,
it's irrelevant. They there needs to be something done to
control the early release and the offenders being placed back
out into the streets without any accountability.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
That's not on the coppers it's not on the cops.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
It's on the judges exactly. And I am here to
say the cops work hard. I'm not criticizing for one
second the officers of Cincinnati or any agency in Hamilcanty
and beyond. I'm here to tell you that the administrative
suspension of Terry was in humaine unjust. And let's think
about the fact that it's asked backwards. You place your
(04:51):
ound administrative suspension, then you decide you're going to hire
a law firm, and your conducting investigation determined why you
placed yourun administrative suspension. I'll leave the rest of that lawyer,
mister m and Terry. But everybody with a lick of
sense understands what this is about, what's driving it, who's
driving it, And that's where I think the conversation needs
(05:11):
to go as we go forward. Today.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
I think Channel twelve had this report about the emails,
the text messages back and forth. A precipitating factor, according
to Cheryl Long, was that your sister Chief Thiji joined
the Hamlety County Police Chiefs Group without the permission of
the city manager or the mayor. Was that a made
(05:34):
up Was that precipitating it wasn't unusual for the chief
of police of Cincinnati, which is about what about forty
percent of the county to join a group of other
police chiefs. Is that a bad act? Was that wrong
for Thiji to do?
Speaker 2 (05:49):
I don't see why it was wrong or how it
could be wrong. I mean, it's part of your responsibilities
as the head of an organization is to communicate with
heads of other organizations and put together strategies and plans.
I just have to leave it at that until anything
goes forward involving the case that may be pending.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Well, what is does Chief Thiji want her job back?
Speaker 2 (06:11):
I can't speak for her Bill either. I talked to
her every day.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
You must talk to her every day. Talk to her
because she want her job back.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
I'm going to refrain from answering a question based on
mister M's recommendations. Let me say this.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
I would say no, because how do you work in
that environment when you can't implement the policies and procedures
you want to implement. Because the city manager and the mayor,
and I guess Counsel Scottie Johnson others are saying, don't
do that. In other words, put in speed bumps, don't
pull people over for traffic offenses. I had on the
corner about a month ago, and she was going to
a big event, I think Fiddler on the Roof at
(06:44):
the Music Hall, and she and a retired federal judge
felt threatened walking across Washington Park when they left the
play early because they knew they had to get back
to the car before dark. Those are the things that
I think that the police should administer and take care
of that the police directly indirectly receive orders or indications
from the city manager or the mayor not to enforce
(07:06):
certain statutes. I think that was the case. That's why
the mayor said we're going to start enforcing the criminal law.
Was there a sense under your sister's leadership that she
was told directly or indirectly by expression or implication not
to enforce certain criminal statutes.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Not that I'm aware of, and I talked to her
every day, and I think it is something that needs
to be kept between her and her attorney and for
any future purposes. So I really do refrain from discussing it, Bill,
because it is right for her going forward with any
potential when will she speak when her attorneys when the
case is settled potentially.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
So going back to my point, does she want her
job back? You can't say yes to that.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
I'm not going to answer that. I will tell you this,
you wouldn't want it. I wouldn't want it. My brother Mike,
who's in the studio with us, wouldn't want it. But
I'm not going to speak for Terry.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Why wouldn't you and your brother Mike went Why wouldn't
someone who's come up through the ranks from the bottom
of the top not want the job today?
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Well today, meaning only under these circumstances wanting the job
prior to this happening to her, I would have even
wanted it at that point. But under these circumstances, why
would anybody want to go back and work and report
to two individuals that have treated them so inhumanely. One
reason somebody may want to do it because they care
about the community, and they care about the members of
(08:26):
the organization, and they appreciate the support they're getting from
each of those. So you have to balance those elements
and reporting to two people who treat it so inhumanely,
who clearly don't want you there, And let's emphasize it
is two people Bill, it's not one.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
What was it inhumane about her discharge?
Speaker 2 (08:46):
It was done in a shockingly surprising way. She didn't
see it coming, didn't see it coming. It was done
after a text notification to come back from a police
common difference where she was there to represent the city
of Cincinnati and the police department in an honorable a
(09:07):
leadership fashion, and it was done with minimal to no communication.
And I'll leave it at that.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
From chera Long's perspective, why do it then? It's like embarrassing.
According to media accounts, someone was listening to me at
one seventeen PM. Somebody told me her days were in
the single digits.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Yeah, I heard you.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
And she goes to I was told that. And so
she goes to Denver for this national deal and I'm
thinking this isn't good. But somebody approved her trip to Denver.
She didn't do this. Did city manager approve her trip
to Denver? I couldn't tell you the process on who
approved it.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Bill. She had authorization to go to Denver and represent
the City of Cincinnati, the police Department, in the constituents
of Cincinnati and represent them in high fashion, in high order, honorably,
and she was summoned back shot.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Would you say she was shocked at that maneuver by
Cheryl Long.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
I would say she was caught that she needed to
come back so quickly.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
Because right now, as I understand it, she's an I
WILL employee. That means she can be fired for a
good reason, a bad reason, or no reason. It can't
be an illegal reason. But if the city manager would
say to Teresa Theichi, you know things aren't going very well,
I have to let you go. Let's talk about how
we do this. That's different than what happened. Correct, That
(10:23):
is definitely different than what happened. So she gave an
interview somewhere that she said she sent a text or
something Sheryl Long that said, I got thirty five years
in October twentieth as my anniversary. I'm not going to
be here forever. I want to have some indication as
to the future. Do you recall seeing that text. I'm
aware that text is out there. And as far as
her being out there, was she planning to retire anyway?
(10:45):
Because when you say, you know, you've been at a
job for a long time and somebody you get an
indication things are going the wrong direction. When she said,
I know I'm not going to be there forever. Was
that an indication from her that she knew something was coming?
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Honestly cannot answer that. I don't know what her thought
was when she sent that. I haven't discussed that text
with her.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Do you know how she was fired put on administrative leave?
Speaker 2 (11:09):
You know how? I truly don't. I don't recall if
it's something she was told or if it was something
that was notified by her attorney. I truly don't recall
how it came to her.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Was she shocked about that? She was caught off guard,
off guard and it just came out of the blue. Yes,
How is she doing today? This afternoon? Is she actually
it's interesting you ask. Over a thousand people have asked
me that question in the last two weeks. She's doing
well as well as can be. She's spending she's doing
as well as can be. She's she's she's terry, she's
(11:40):
a leader, she's confident, she's independent, she's capable to overcome anything.
But with that said, it's a kick to the gut.
It's internally straining.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Her. Her feelings are hurt, her reputation has been tarnished.
But with that said Bill, she I gid you not.
She is approached everywhere we go, or she goes in
one hundred and fifty mile radius of Cincinnati, with people
saying they support her, they believe in her, they know
what's really going on, they know it's politics. She was
(12:16):
at the Bengals game the other day and there were
people yelling from two stamp two levels up down to
her saying we support you, we believe in you. Keep
fighting the fight. But with that said, that's all great, right,
that's all awesome for her to hear. But at the
same time, there's the internal hit that comes with that
of what she's going through that would even cause people
to need to yell that out to her and show
(12:38):
that support to her. But she's doing as well as
anybody could do under this situation.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
She's going sixty seventy miles an hour. All of a
sudden there's a crash and at this point she I
guess four kids, how many grandkids?
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Nine?
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Nine, maybe some on the way. She's a mother and
a grandmother, and now she's going to care for her family,
and she's always cared for her family. Now she's always
physically present. She wasn't physically present. I would think for
a long part of her life because she was a cop,
and going forward, who knows what's going to happen. I
think the important takeaway is Number One, she was shocked
(13:13):
about what happened. Number Two, your indications are she won't
take the job back as it's presently constituted.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
Because I don't mix it up. I'm not indicating one
or the other. I'm telling you I don't know what
Terry's answer that definitively is or would be. And even
if I did, and I wouldn't share it, I would
let her do it and her attorney do it at
due time. What I'm telling you is you wouldn't take
it back. I wouldn't take it back, and Mike wouldn't
take it back. But Terry's independent, Terry's confident, and that's
(13:41):
for Terry to decide if that ever comes to fruition.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Is there some information she has about the mayor or
the city manager that would require her to sign an
NDA in order to get the settlement?
Speaker 2 (13:53):
To my knowledge, none of those discussions have taken place,
and if they've had, Terry's kept them between herself and
her attorney.
Speaker 1 (13:59):
So there may be something that you can make public
to embarrass the city behavior.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
No, I'm just responding to the NBA. I don't know
the embarrassment side of it, Bill, I can't answer it.
I think there are things that took place in her
in her career during her administration that would benefit her
through litigation, but I don't know what those are at
this time, and we'll just have to leave it that
way until mister m decides what to do with what
(14:23):
information he compiles, or what he chooses to do.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Going forward to Davis with Chris Finny Law firm, a
week before all these events transpired, she was, in your view,
respected by Cheryl long respected. I can recall we had
numerous news conferences on the air. It was af Tab,
it was Cheryl and and it was long and also Thiji.
(14:47):
The three of them stood up there. Questions were asked
of the mayor, for example, are you satisfied with the
chief of police? Every time it was yes, Yes, her
evaluations were exceptional or above exceptional, whatever the that is,
and that this was up to the moment she was
put on administrative leave. Was there a triggering event that
went from exceptional to your gone? Because normally in normal life,
(15:10):
you if you have a bad employee, you give them
bad reviews. You know you got to improve this, got
to do that. I've seen the reviews. They're off the charts.
Teresa Tiji was at the top. All of a sudden,
she's gone. What happened in those two or three days
that caused that to transpire? When the mayor says she's
better in sliced bread, now she's going to be sliced,
what happened?
Speaker 2 (15:30):
It's the question for the mayor to answer. It's a question.
He's not a question for the mayor answer. It's a
question for the manager.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
She's not talking.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
You're correct, and we don't know what it is that
caused this to happen.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Bill, yesterday, you're looking at the mayor. You were sitting
at that table. You've been in public service in Cincinnati
for more than thirty years, a captain well known, the
family and Neville family is well known. You look at
the mayor and you said, we need a strongly or
a week leader. What did you say to the mayor
and he did not respond to you? Man to man
(16:04):
Eyeball to eyeball, what did you say to Aftab?
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Basically, I basically shared that the city is under week leadership,
whether it be him or the manager. I said that,
I think people who are going out to vote need
to make a decision on what's most important to them.
Is it going forward, is it improvement or is it
maintaining a loyalty or commitment to whatever thought process you
have that have placed him in there. And I offered
(16:28):
to people not to vote for the coward.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
So you're calling Aftab pure of all, a coward.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
I called him a coward.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
What about Cheryl Long?
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Cheryl Long wasn't there. She's out there, she skipped, She
wasn't there. She did arrive. I think as we were
leaving chambers, I did not see her go in. I
was told she came in after we had left chambers.
So that's where we are.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
She did a great job in North College Hill. Now
she's doing it for the people of Cincinnati.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Yeah, it's the decision making of those that are in charge. Now,
Bill that has us where we are. That mayor has
no he generates no benefit to the city of Cincinnati.
He does not, truly, truly, in his gut, in his heart,
care about the people of Cincinnati, the constituents. He's wasting money,
(17:20):
he's wasting resources. He treated a thirty five year veteran
of this department like the trash to be thrown out.
And I think the voters please please understand that literally
crime if things hadn't happened in the downtown business district,
I don't know that this happens. The American answer that
(17:41):
litigation may answer that I don't know, but I will
offer you have crime plateaus, you have an ebb and
flow of crime throughout the other fifty one neighborhoods. Mayor
has never shown this type of response and benefit or
support of those neighborhoods. And I think I think it's
I'm not thinking. I'm certain this is a political decision.
It's a scapegoat situation. I think he's weak. I think
(18:04):
he's a coward, and I think he's bad for this city.
And I wish people would come out, get out of
their comfort zone, vote for new leadership. And I really
believe this. If you want to go down to council
and vote for four or five of the current council members,
do it. Do it, get some new council representative. And
(18:26):
there's Smitherman, Keating Curry, I think still Scottie Johnson actually
on there now, some mixture, some new and some old blood,
and let's see what can be done. But regarding the mayor,
do not do not cast a vote for the marriage
just because you're down there voting for the council representatives.
(18:48):
Vote for new leadership. People know what that means. Vote
for new leadership in that mayor seat. If you want
to see economic improvement, if you want to see first
responder management improvement, if you want to see humane treatment.
I highly recommend people come out and those that haven't
voted in ten years or so, Billy, check the website,
(19:09):
see if their registration is still valid. Come out, come out.
We're still sitting at twenty five twenty eight percent right now. Low.
If we get that to say thirty five forty forty
five fifty, specifically on the west side, Hyde Park, Mount
look Out, Mount Washington, we can have new leadership. Yeah,
people have to vote to get off. Vote off your
duff and go do something. If you care, I mean
(19:30):
if you don't care.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
If you don't care, don't vote, don't care. If you
like the status quo, want to continue with this, you
know what to do. Don't vote or vote for AFTAB
you call him the coward of Cincinnati. You have to
have puivault.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Well, I think he's a bad manager. I think he's disloyal,
I think he lies. I think he's a coward the
way he's handled this. And you know what, a week
and a half prior to this, he says to my
brother that there's no light between he and the chief.
While all this is brewing, apparently, I mean yesterday, my
brother Mike has approached by Iris Rowley at council chambers
(20:02):
to show support for Terry and how much she believes
she's being mistreated and this is being let me finish
this being mistreated, and how much she treats, appreciates and
respects her and wishes things work out well. Whether Iris
believes that or not, I don't know. But people who
say those things, if you truly believe them, get out
(20:23):
from behind closed doors and share it. It's not about Terry.
It's about future seats for this chief position, the fire
chief position. It's about the future of the city. Right.
If we want to use Terry as a process of
explaining it and have any opportunity to share it, okay,
we'll do that. She shouldn't be going through it. But
with that said, there's council members reach out and they say,
(20:44):
how hey, we don't like the way this is being done.
They sit there and they they toe the line, as
you say, they tow the line, Bill, And that is
that leadership, is that character. It's neither we.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Got to run, Captain Russ Noville, good luck, get out
and vote. We get the government we deserve. And at
times that concerns me. Thank you, sir, captain, thank you
very much. Than Bill Cunningham News Radio seven hundred WO
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