PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Portsmouth is swearing in a new police chief on Tuesday.
Stephen Jenkins will officially take over after a violent 2022 in the city. FBI data shows Portsmouth had a record 42 homicides last year.
Jenkins has been with the Portsmouth Police Department for 20 years and has led the city for six months as interim chief, after former Police Chief Renado Prince was ousted by the then-City Manager Tonya Chapman.
Before that, he was named interim assistant chief in December of 2021.
Chief Jenkins will be sworn in during Tuesday night's city council meeting. City leaders said they believe he is the right person for the job.
"He has my support 100%," Portsmouth Mayor Shannon Glover previously told 13News Now. "He has done an exemplary job of leading the effort in his department thus far."