PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Mimi Terry still remembers the rules after sundown, growing up as a young girl in Portsmouth.
“One of the things we had to do was be in the house before the street lights came on," said Terry, who is now the Chief Financial Officer for the city. “When the street lights came on, you were on the porch or under that light where you could be seen.”
Now, the city is bringing brighter and better lights to neighborhoods throughout the city.
“The areas that are being addressed by police more and more," Terry said.
With the help of Portsmouth Police, the city identified nine areas of increased criminal or police activity:
- Cradock
- Olde Towne
- Prentis Place
- Prentis Park
- Century Homes
Also parts of:
- Simonsdale
- Southside
- Westbury
- Parkview
“Those are the areas where the lights are dim, or had no lighting, or hadn’t been updated or upgraded through Dominion [Energy]," Terry said.
As one of the crime prevention methods listed in the City Manager's Comprehensive Crime Strategy, the city is currently working with Dominion Energy to change and improve the lighting in these neighborhoods by swapping old or dim lights with LED lighting.
The idea is to deter crime away from these areas that may have previously been too dim or dark by increasing visibility.
The neighborhoods were identified based on different crime factors, according to Terry.
“Combination of everything: 911 calls, responses, drivebys, sheriff deputies on the streets, police on the street that tell us 'I’m parked here but I can’t see anything, what’s going on?'" she said.
On Tuesday, Terry presented the latest update in the Crime Strategy to City Council, briefing the city on a number of ongoing and potential crime reduction strategies, with improved lighting just one of the current initiatives underway.
It came a day before Portsmouth announced it hired Renado Prince as its new Police Chief.
Terry said there isn’t an exact timetable yet for when the conversion process will be complete.