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Resident alleges force, requests independent probe into July 2025 encounter with Portsmouth officers
Summary
At the May Portsmouth Police Commission meeting, resident Vicki Haskell described injuries she says resulted from a July 1, 2025, encounter with officers and asked the commission for accountability, transparency and an independent investigation; the commission heard the comment during public comment and did not announce a formal inquiry.
Vicki Haskell, a Portsmouth resident, told the commission in a public comment that an interaction with Portsmouth officers on July 1, 2025, left her with multiple injuries and that officers failed to accommodate her neurological and connective‑tissue disabilities. "I was thrown to the ground and I was dragged," Haskell said, adding that she later discovered a vascular injury and other conditions she said require surgery.
Haskell said she repeatedly informed officers of brain injuries, PTSD and a connective‑tissue disorder, and asked them to explain their actions. She said officers refused to meaningfully communicate or accommodate her and that she was placed in an SUV with the windows closed while the dashboard showed 99°F. She told the commission she has two videos and filed a right‑to‑know request and asked for an apology and an independent investigation.
A witness who identified himself as Haskell’s father spoke in support, describing officers entering the family’s yard and removing Haskell, and said he had been a lifelong city resident. Commissioners thanked Haskell for speaking; the public comment period closed without a formal motion or direction recorded on the record to launch an independent investigation during the meeting.
The commission’s public materials and remarks at the session did not include an on‑the‑record response committing the body to an independent investigation or to a timeline for staff follow‑up. The commission’s meeting packet and subsequent minutes will indicate whether members refer the matter to the city manager, legal counsel, or an internal or external investigative process.
Haskell named Mark Newport as the official she contacted about the incident; she said he responded, in her account, with dismissive language. The meeting record includes Haskell’s assertions as public comment; they were presented as allegations and were not examined or contested during the session. The commission did not announce any evidentiary review or investigative step by the end of the meeting.
