Portsmouth police chief reports year-to-date drops in crime, outlines enforcement and outreach focus

Police Chief Michael Jenkins reported to the Portsmouth Gun Violence Prevention Task Force on Feb. 20 that several neighborhoods have shown year-to-date reductions in crime and outlined steps the department is taking to pair enforcement with community outreach. Jenkins said the citywide year-to-date reduction in crime is 31% compared with the same time last year and that the city has recorded one homicide this year compared with four at the same point last year.

Jenkins said the department divides the city into three policing districts. He said District 2 showed a 35% overall reduction in crime, including a 43% reduction in violent crime and a 33% reduction in property crime. He described District 3 as having a 44% reduction overall, with violent crime down 14% and property crime down 50%. For District 1 Jenkins gave two figures in the presentation, saying at one point an 11% reduction in overall crime for a particular area and later referring to a 20% overall reduction year to date; both statements were presented to the task force in the chief’s slides and remarks.

“By the time it makes it to the surface of where it's known to police … there are a lot of things that have happened well before it has gotten to that point,” Jenkins said, summarizing the department’s view that root causes precede incidents reported to police.

Jenkins described the department’s mix of tactics: targeted patrols in identified problem streets, community engagement events such as “coffee with a cop” and “reset walks,” and partnerships with community-based organizations and other city departments. On highway enforcement he said state partners are enforcing Interstate 264 but that the department maintains visibility on Route 164 because of heavy local traffic and a pattern of high speeds. “It's important to be able to be visible on 164 … to decrease the speeds so that folks can get to their destination safely,” Jenkins said.

On homelessness and encampments Jenkins said it is not illegal to be homeless and described the department’s “catch-22” position when balancing enforcement and outreach: “If we do nothing, the problem only gets larger. … If you do any type of enforcement, you're seen as being insensitive to the plight of the folks that are dealing with that issue.” He said the department is working with partners — including a city-run shelter, healthcare and social-service providers, and the sheriff’s office — to offer shelter options, connect people to services and to explore alternatives such as drug court for eligible arrestees.

Jenkins encouraged task force members to participate in ride-alongs to see police work firsthand and said the department handles a heavy volume of service calls relative to the city’s population. He also noted the department spends considerable time transporting people under emergency custody or detention orders for lack of local beds.

Task force members asked Jenkins to address social media reports alleging a patrol car was running radar on Route 164 and to clarify the police role related to a specific encampment. Jenkins answered both questions in the meeting and reiterated the department’s combined enforcement-and-referral approach.

The task force’s chair closed the discussion and moved on to the next agenda item.