PORTSMOUTH, Va. — This week's recent shootings reinforced the necessity of Wednesday night's crime forum at the Portsmouth Welcome Center, allowing for residents to hear from and speak to Police Chief Stephen Jenkins about the rise in crime within their community.
Some residents are particularly fired up about the worrying trend. They spoke out at a city council meeting on Tuesday night calling for action, such as introducing higher pay for police officers to keep them in Portsmouth, or even requesting the National Guard or Virginia State Police step in.
Today, local pastor Barry Randall-Jenkins called for Portsmouth Police Chief Stephen Jenkins to stop the rise in crime or to step down.
"What I'm asking Chief Jenkins to do is, do your job, sir, or retire, because we are tired of these excuses that you are giving us here in the city of Portsmouth," Randall-Jenkins said to 13News Now. "At this point, if he can't lead, he needs to leave. The community doesn't need you after someone's son, grandson or family is killed. They need you beforehand."
The chief, in response to the call to resign, said improving police officer response time is one of his main focuses in combating crime, and he made it clear that he doesn't intend to step down from the fight.
"Here's the thing. I'm not about going into a back and forth with anybody. As a police chief, I'm pouring my heart and soul into this community, and those who want to be realistic about what we're doing recognize that," said Jenkins.
The chief spoke to the community Wednesday evening at his quarterly chief's forum to discuss the current crime rates and what can be done to decrease violence in the area.
"The forum wasn't intended to be informative, but to have some realistic dialogue and to provide some realistic expectations to the citizens of Portsmouth," said Jenkins. "It's easy for folks to sit back and point the finger and always point out the problems, but a part of this is that this is a major issue, that everybody has a part to play."
Jenkins explained the Portsmouth Police Department is doing the best it can with the resources it has at its disposal.
"You're asking me right now to play a championship football game against Tom Brady in his prime with six players, and you're expecting me to win," said Jenkins.
He also said that, in order to properly combat crime in Portsmouth, the community itself has to be willing to speak up and speak out against violence in their neighborhoods. Community activist Darrell Redmond said he agrees.
"We are the gatekeepers of our own community. It'll actually help the police because a lot of times, issues can be resolved by standing up and uniting. There's strength in numbers. So if the numbers in strength come in and say we are not going to tolerate this inside our communities, then it's not going to happen," said Redmond.
Portsmouth Mayor Shannon Glover also spoke at the forum tonight. He said his priority is safety, and that it's important for the community to support the police department and work together to reduce crime.