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Police commission, chief at odds with manager’s cuts; staffing study flagged dispatch and records needs
Summary
A consultant staffing assessment, police commissioners and the police chief said Portsmouth’s department is understaffed in key areas and should not face the reductions the city manager proposed; councilors requested more data on overtime and staffing trends before finalizing the budget.
A recently completed staffing assessment and testimony from the police commission led commissioners and public speakers to press the council on May 28 not to accept cuts to patrol and dispatch proposed in the city manager’s budget.
Kate Coyle, police commission chair, told the council the consultant’s matrix study concluded the department is not overstaffed and identified “dispatch … [as a] critical need.” Coyle urged the council to meet the budget goal previously set for departments (2.9%) rather than accept the city manager’s lower increase that would eliminate sworn positions and one dispatcher.
Police Chief Newport responded to detailed questions about vacancies and overtime, saying the department is funded for 70 sworn officers and that it is short six officers at the time of the work session but has several hires in progress. “To meet those minimum staffing levels, almost on a daily basis, we are putting at least one overtime shift in,” Newport said, adding that some overtime results from mandatory coverage when open positions and absences coincide.
Why it matters: councilors expressed concern that cutting sworn positions or dispatch staffing could increase overtime costs, reduce retention and affect coverage as the city’s population and large‑event demands grow. Several public commenters, including Franchesca Marconi Furnall, a police commissioner, framed police staffing as essential: “Police are a necessity, not a want,” she said.
Data and next steps: councilors asked staff for current year overtime totals and the breakdown of overtime between sworn officers and other positions; staff agreed to provide the figures. The staffing study was paid for with consultant funds; commissioners noted that foregoing study recommendations would be counter to the report’s findings.
Outcome: no formal reductions were approved at the work session. Councilors and department leaders acknowledged they would revisit police staffing and budget figures at the June 9 meeting.
