A prayer kicked off a call for more accountability when it comes to fighting crime in Portsmouth.
Pastor Barry Randall-Jenkins led a gathering on the steps of Portsmouth City Hall to send a message to Police Chief Stephen Jenkins.
“We are looking to our police department for help, Randall-Jenkins said. “We keep trying to reinvent the wheel, when what’s needed in Portsmouth is plain, old fashioned police [and asking people] ‘Why are you not in school today, young man? I need y’all to get off this corner’.”
Watch: Portsmouth PD chief addresses recent crime; says he needs 90 more officers
Portsmouth PD chief addresses recent crime; says he needs 90 more officers
The small rally comes just days after a forum where Chief Jenkins said violent crimes, like rape and homicides, are down 15 percent from Jan. 1, 2024 to Sept. 30, 2024, when compared to the statement time period in 2023.
But Randall-Jenkins said the police department needs to be more proactive.
“It hasn’t been minimized to us, because we’re still getting the same things that people are calling and saying, ‘hey, nothing is being done’.”