Tension is growing once again among Portsmouth city leaders. This time, it's between Sheriff Michael Moore and Mimi Terry, who took over as interim city manager in January 2023, after several back-and-forth changes with former city managers.
13News Now obtained several recent emails between Sheriff Moore and Terry.
In an email to Terry and city council members, Sheriff Moore expressed deep concern regarding information that he "received regarding the city's request that the Sheriff's Office only perform core (Civil processing, Jail, Courts) functions."
Sheriff Moore explained, as the Portsmouth Police Department grapples with a staffing shortage, he assigned deputies to perform saturation patrols in high-crime areas. He said in light of gun violence and other forms of crime in the city, he felt the presence of his deputies was necessary.
"I am not trying to bash the police department; I understand their staffing challenges," Sheriff Moore wrote in a July 31 email. "But if you think I am going to set back and let incidents like the 16-year-old that was killed on Saturday or the three-year-old that was shot several weeks ago and not show a proactive presence in this city you are wrong! I will be taking these concerns to the citizens and the Attorney General’s Office."
A couple of hours later, Terry responded, including Portsmouth Police Department Chief Stephen Jenkins in the email. Jenkins responded, saying in part, "Our city faces far too many issues to engage in unnecessary and unproductive infighting. As the Chief of Police, I am tasked with trying to ensure that we provide the best services possible to our citizens and from my limited purview, our city deserves more from its leadership."
On August 16, shortly after the meeting between the Hampton Roads Regional Jail board members, which includes Terry, Sheriff Moore sent another email, expressing concern about what was discussed in the meeting.
In his email, Sheriff Moore said he asked to have a "serious conversation" with Portsmouth City Council, but no one has fulfilled his request. He said at Wednesday's HRRJ board meeting that he heard Terry attempted to negotiate a deal with the Newport News Sheriff’s Office and the Hampton Sheriff’s Office to keep inmates from those two cities at the regional jail after it potentially closes.
"Ms. Terry made it clear to my attorney today that she will not have any type of discussion with me," Sheriff Moore wrote in the email. "What you all and especially Ms. Terry need to realize is the city cannot tell me where to send inmates as previously ruled on by the courts. If that facility would become the Portsmouth City Jail, it would house Portsmouth inmates. That entire idea sounds just as shady as the deal Portsmouth entered over 20 years ago with the regional."
Sheriff Moore's attorney attended the meeting instead of himself. He said Terry made it clear to his attorney that she was not going to have discussions with Moore regarding the jail.
"It is very difficult to work with someone who spends more time in a revenge mode than working together for the benefit of the citizens of Portsmouth," Moore wrote.
In the same email, Moore said he advocated for Portsmouth city leaders to end the contract with the Hampton Roads Regional Jail, saying he has very few inmates currently in the facility. He said if the city officials cut the contract, they could save millions of dollars.
"We only had a few over there, like 13 or 14, when I came into office, but we were paying for 250 spots. So, I told them it would be something worth to get with the Jail Authority," Sheriff Moore told 13News Now over the phone. "I said, can we renegotiate this contract?"
Sheriff Moore also indicated the HRRJ board members are discussing the option of closing down the entire jail altogether. Multiple sources confirmed Thursday that it is currently an option on the table and we may hear about an official decision in September.
Moore said the board members are considering this decision because there are simply not enough inmates taking up the beds inside the jail. He added staffing shortages have also become a big problem.
However, that's not the only issue we've seen with this jail.
Over the past few years, a state review board recommended officials close down the jail due to poor safety conditions.
HRRJ lost accreditation from the American Correctional Association in March 2021 after four inmates died in separate incidents the month prior.
13News Now reached out to Terry about this debate over what to do with the contract and the possibility of the closure of HRRJ. She sent us the following statement:
"The Sheriff has decided not to send Portsmouth inmates to the regional jail. The city is obligated to continue to pay for unutilized beds/spaces, which is the Sheriff’s decision," Terry wrote. "The City of Portsmouth is in need of a facility to house our inmates due to the current condition of our Portsmouth City Jail. Currently, there is not a vote to close the HRRJ (Hampton Roads Regional Jail). If the Hampton Roads Regional Jail is an option, the City of Portsmouth wants to be at the table to engage in negotiations that will be in the best interest of our city."
Moore said he wanted to discuss with Terry and city council members the possibility of making the HRRJ building the new Portsmouth City Jail, since the current location of the city's facility is in poor condition and needs renovations. However, Moore says his attempts to get in touch with Terry have failed for the most part.
"I cannot get the city manager to respond to phone calls. It's been a month since I've been in touch with her directly," Moore said. "I sent those emails because it was the one way I was able to gain a response. So, it's not really to call anyone out. It's been the only avenue I've been awarded to have conversation."
However, these concerns aren't the only ones on the list for Moore. He told 13News Now over the phone the constant turnover in city leadership is getting in the way of his job as sheriff.
"It is hard to get anything done that's productive," Moore said. "It's just such a vicious cycle of new people coming and going, coming and going."
Sheriff Moore said over the past couple of years, he's also pushed for better pay for his deputies but received very little response from city leaders.
Terry said city council recently directed her to provide options for supplemental pay for the sheriff's office by this November.