Four former officers from the Cincinnati Police Department have filed a lawsuit against Police Chief Teresa Theetge and the City of Cincinnati, alleging a pattern of workplace discrimination against white male officers.
The complaint, filed on May 19, claims that both the city and its police leadership engaged in “intentional and discriminatory practices” in promotion and assignment decisions based on race and gender.
The plaintiffs in the case—Captain Robert Wilson and Lieutenants Patrick Caton, Gerald Hodges and Andrew Mitchell—allege that the department gave preferential treatment to women and racial minorities, resulting in career setbacks and emotional distress for white male officers.
The lawsuit was first reported by The Cincinnati Enquirer.
According to the complaint, “The city and Chief Theetge have actively and systemically undertaken efforts to promote, advance, and make promotion and assignment decisions that are preferable to women and minorities, and to the exclusion of White men.”
The officers say they were denied access to preferred assignments that come with greater benefits, visibility, and opportunities for advancement.
The plaintiffs allege that since Chief Theetge assumed leadership, a race-based quota system has been used to determine who is promoted to the rank of lieutenant.
They argue that these practices have directly harmed their professional reputations and caused long-term damage to their careers.
The lawsuit is seeking a jury trial and compensatory damages for alleged losses, including lost wages, missed benefits and emotional suffering.
The officers are also asking the court to issue an order prohibiting the department from continuing any discriminatory practices in hiring, promotion, or assignments.
Zack Gottesman, the attorney representing the four officers, told Cincinnati’s WXIX News that the case is not an isolated incident.
He said the lawsuit reflects broader systemic issues within the department and the city’s overall employment practices.
“These cases collectively demonstrate a pattern of systemic discrimination by the City of Cincinnati against white individuals, particularly white male officers, in promotions, assignments, and workplace treatment,” Gottesman said in an interview.
“The City’s continued reliance on race- and sex-based policies, despite judicial rulings and evidence of remedied past discrimination, perpetuates an environment of unfair treatment and violates constitutional protections.”
In 2021, a federal judge ruled that the Cincinnati Police Department could not use quotas based on race or gender in their hiring or promotional practices.
Despite that ruling, the officers allege that discriminatory systems remain in place under the current leadership.
The Daily Caller highlighted that further adding to the context, the city of Cincinnati paid a $95,000 settlement in early 2025 to a white female officer who filed a separate complaint after allegedly being targeted by coworkers and supervisors for her race.
The officer claimed she experienced a hostile work environment due to comments made about white people.
The current case is part of a growing list of legal actions alleging reverse discrimination, where white employees claim they were treated unfairly due to their race or gender as departments and municipalities implement diversity and inclusion programs.
Chief Teresa Theetge recently became a national figure following a violent street brawl in Cincinnati that was captured on video and widely shared across social media.
Resist the Mainstream reported earlier this week that the footage showed a group of individuals attacking a man, followed by another person knocking a female bystander unconscious.
In a press conference held the Monday after the incident, Theetge pushed back against media coverage and social media commentary, stating that the footage lacked context and had made it more difficult for the police to conduct their investigation.
“Social media, the posts that we’ve seen, does not depict the entire incident. That is one version of what occurred. At times, social media and mainstream media and their commentaries are misrepresentations of the circumstances surrounding any given event,” Theetge said.
“What that does, that causes us some difficulty in thoroughly investigating the activity and enforcing the law. Because what happens, that social media post and your coverage of it distorts the content of what actually happened and it makes our job more difficult.”
Theetge confirmed that five suspects had been charged in connection with the incident, with more arrests expected in the coming days.
The post White Officers File Discrimination Lawsuit Against Cincinnati Police Chief Who Scolded People for Sharing Video of Black Mob, Claim Bias in Promotions and Assignments appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
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Author: Jordyn M.
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