Jenkins says the department is short 88 officers and 19 civilians – and he says it’s difficult to recruit when other cities can offer more money – and Portsmouth’s facilities and equipment don’t measure up:
“It’s hard to attract a person to come and want to be a part of something when they see your facilities are less than adequate, when the vehicles that you drive don’t match, and when you pull up to a location, you look like you’re from five different police departments - those things matter.”
The city reported 42 homicides all last year – 16 this year, not yet through the first quarter.
Jenkins says he’s hoping more use of technology – license plate readers, shot spotting equipment, and better citizen reporting systems can help.