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Task force approves minutes and agenda, sets committee work; police goal for crime reduction noted
Summary
The Scribe and Gun Violence Prevention Task Force approved prior minutes and adopted the meeting agenda, heard committee updates and was told by city management that the police have set crime‑reduction goals of 20% overall and 10% for violent crimes and homicides.
Portsmouth — At its meeting, the Scribe and Gun Violence Prevention Task Force approved the minutes of the Feb. 3 meeting, adopted the agenda and adjourned by motion after presentations and committee updates.
After a roll call, a motion to approve the Feb. 3 minutes was made and seconded; the chair called for the question and members responded “Aye.” The task force then adopted the night’s agenda by motion and second. At the meeting’s close, the group moved and seconded to adjourn; the chair again called for the question and members replied “Aye.” The minutes and agenda motions passed by recorded assent; commissioners present at roll call were James Swinson, Keith Rice, Sharay Patillo, Jalen Drury, Leticia Sessoms, James Cullen and Sarah Ray.
Beyond procedural votes, members received committee updates. The data and metrics committee said it is recruiting members and identifying measurable indicators drawn from the Bloomberg Harvard study and city sources; the community engagement committee reported work using an adapted Haddon matrix and noted cooperation with analytics volunteers; resource allocation and intervention committees reported recruiting members and beginning outreach to PRHA, health department and Portsmouth Public Schools.
City management told the task force the police department has set a goal of a 20% reduction in overall crime with a 10% reduction target for violent crimes and homicides; managers encouraged committees to align metrics and community pilots to those reduction targets and suggested using local university partners (Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University) for data analysis support.
Councilman Hugo, the city council liaison, reiterated that the Bloomberg Harvard team has stood down after producing its report and encouraged the task force to use the report’s recommendations as a template, to update its findings for 2025 and to identify overlaps and gaps with existing local efforts (including Portsmouth United). Several commissioners underscored the need for committee work outside the monthly meeting to advance pilots and coordination between city departments and community organizations.
No ordinances, grants or contracts were voted on at the meeting.
