Violent crime up but overall crime down as Portsmouth police earn national accreditation
PORTSMOUTH — Overall crime is down by 18% so far this year in Portsmouth, though violent crime has increased by 12%, according to Police Chief Stephen Jenkins.
Homicides, however, are significantly down compared to this same time last year.
Jenkins provided the update to City Council Tuesday, highlighting several new and ongoing initiatives to reduce crime, boost public safety, and improve the perception of crime in Portsmouth.
According to this year's data through Tuesday, property crime dropped the most, by 22%, and violent crime is up by 12%. However, homicides are down by nearly 70% compared to this same time last year. Jenkins said the overall number of crime victims is down 19%.
Portsmouth police reported 1,264 property crimes and 270 violent crimes as of Tuesday. Jenkins also said the city has had seven homicide victims this year compared to 23 this same time last year.
The chief said several initiatives are underway to address the biggest drivers of violent crime, which include aggravated assaults, brandishing firearms and shooting into occupied dwellings.
One is the launch of a weekly social media campaign featuring camera footage of criminal activity, like theft and larceny, with an ask for the public's help in finding suspects.
Portsmouth police now have an online crime and gun violence dashboard that allows the public to view real-time daily crime statistics. Some of that data, he said, has shown Sundays are the most violent.
'What you'll notice here is how many days that those particular areas have gone without a shooting incident,' Jenkins said as he pointed to a snapshot of the online dashboard. 'Why is this important? Often we hear people are getting shot every single day, right? The reality of it is, people are not getting shot every single day.'
To help bring down aggravated assault, Jenkins said a new initiative called the 'SAVE unit,' or Strategic Anti-Violence Enforcement, will improve police follow-up and scrutiny of gun-related crimes that 'may seem small at first glance.' Jenkins said officers have already reviewed 40 police reports that led to charges being filed.
'Every single shooting has to have some level of scrutiny on it,' he said.
Jenkins is also requiring officers take on a monthly community project where they work to proactively address an issue uniquely affecting a neighborhood, such as illegally parked cars.
Staffing shortages persist and recruitment remains a challenge, but Jenkins said retention and sign-on bonuses and pay raises included in the fiscal budget help. Jenkins reports about 85 vacancies as of this week, though some are undergoing training at the academy.
Among the news Jenkins shared Tuesday: Portsmouth will for the first time join the rest of the region as a nationally accredited police department. Portsmouth received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, which worked with the department to review its policies and best practices. It also helps reduce a department's insurance liability and risk by ensuring nationally recognized standards and practices are in place, and Jenkins said the perception of being nationally accredited could boost recruitment.
'As a department, for the first time in history, we will be a nationally accredited police department,' Jenkins said. 'Something that we can celebrate as we continue to improve.'
Jenkins is taking it a step further and pursuing advanced national accreditation — a designation he said only 22 police departments have across the commonwealth.
Last year, the department launched Portsmouth United, a coalition of law enforcement, community leaders and faith-based organizations working to help identify and address the root causes that lead to crime, such as poverty, education, employment and health care access. A $2.85 million Safer Communities Program state grant has aided those efforts, which includes the hiring of a coordinator and several more violence interrupters.
Through Portsmouth United, Jenkins said the department has been able to better connect people, especially youth, with resources through partnerships like with YMCA and Brikhouse Boxing. Jenkins said the coalition's collaboration has allowed for intervention like putting a crime victim in a hotel for a couple nights to prevent escalation.
'All the decreases that we have really is about a testament to Portsmouth gathering together, making the phone calls, showing up to court, prosecuting crime,' he said.
City leadership launched a similar coalition last year that parallels Portsmouth United, called the Portsmouth Crime and Gun Violence Prevention Commission. That task force also examines root causes of crime.
The task force met Monday with council members to share its first annual report. One of the task force's requests is to hire a consultant to help guide efforts.
Some of the task force's work has included a mapping where resources are most concentrated and where gaps exist; better connecting with civic league leaders; reviewing crime statistics and data from the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice; and reviewing the city's current programs to improve services for residents, especially youth.
Both Portsmouth United and the task force are leaning on guidance from the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, which the city was part of in 2022, where a Harvard fellow spent months assessing Portsmouth's youth violence trends before making recommendations. Among those suggestions was to combine efforts across community organizations working toward combatting violence and develop an app that could serve as an all-in-one resource hub for youth. The app is in the works.
Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133, natalie.anderson@virginiamedia.com
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