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Portsmouth police report declines in several crime metrics, seek immediate retention and recruitment actions
Summary
Chief Jenkins outlined crime trends showing reductions in violent crime and property crime, reviewed public‑safety programs and requested council backing to prepare retention incentives and a recruitment plan. Council signaled consensus to prepare a retention bonus resolution and asked staff for costing and implementation details.
Portsmouth’s chief of police told the City Council that several violent‑crime and property‑crime measures are trending down, outlined new and expanded public‑safety programs and urged near‑term action on recruitment and retention incentives to prevent experienced officers from leaving.
Chief Jenkins said the city is “averaging about $867” in per‑incident or per‑capita crime cost measures discussed during the presentation and that the city’s recent homicide — the fourth of the year — produced an arrest over the weekend. Jenkins told council the department’s homicide clearance rate is about 70% and that nonfatal shootings fell from 128 to 89 in the most recent comparison cited in the presentation.
Why it matters: Jenkins and council members described staffing and retention as the immediate operational risk. Jenkins said the department aims for a 30% reduction in the officer shortfall through a combination of retention and recruitment steps and proposed a package of incentives, training and recruitment outreach; council members asked staff to prepare a retention/bonus proposal…
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