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Police chief seeks staffing study review and separate work session as city manager’s budget unfunds four positions
Summary
Police Chief Mark Newport told the council the department has rolled out tasers, is preparing to deploy body cameras in June and asked for a dedicated work session after the staffing study is released; he also said the city manager’s budget unfunds four positions the police commission had sought to phase in.
Police Chief Mark Newport told the Portsmouth City Council on Monday that the department has completed training and rollout of new tasers, is preparing to put body cameras into service starting in June, and is continuing training on a new records management system ahead of a hoped‑for fall go‑live.
“We just finished putting together a comprehensive policy, and we will be rolling out the body cam starting in June,” Newport said. He added that the department had completed training on recent taser purchases and that the device itself has already de‑escalated encounters in the street on at least two occasions.
Staffing and budget differences
Chief Newport thanked the council for past investments — the new dispatch and records system, body cameras and tasers — and said the department’s principal remaining challenge is staffing. He said the police commission recommended a budget roughly $99,081 higher than the city manager’s proposal by including four prorated delayed‑hire positions. The city manager’s proposed budget restores some delayed hires but fully unfunds four positions (three patrol, one dispatch) according to the presentation.
“We are also anticipating the results of the matrix study very soon which we think will have a further impact on our requested budget,” Newport said, and he asked for a separate work session between the council, the police commission and department staff to discuss differences between the department’s requested budget and the city manager’s proposal.
Technology and social work support
Newport highlighted the department’s social worker, added in FY25, as a success that has reduced social‑service calls for officers and connected residents to services. The presentation to council also noted the recurring budget costs for police body cameras and tasers after an initial grant period (approximately $295,000 annually according to budget staff).
Public comment on staffing
Public speakers and councilors urged waiting for the staffing study to complete before finalizing any reductions. Local resident and former councilor Buzz Sherrer specifically asked the council to see the staffing study before voting to reduce police staffing below the department’s requested level.
Next steps
Councilors and the chief agreed to a follow‑up work session to review the staffing study and reconcile the differences between the police commission’s recommendation and the manager’s proposed budget before final decisions are made.
