Portsmouth interim police chief delivers first-ever State of the Department briefing
Portsmouth Interim Police Chief Scott Burke called for unity in Portsmouth. He also addressed the rise in homicides last year. Author: Adriana De Alba Updated: 6:24 PM EST January 29, 2021
PORTSMOUTH, Va. It’s a harsh reality in Portsmouth: homicides are on the rise.
During a live-streamed press conference Friday, Scott Burke, the interim chief of the Portsmouth Police Department, delivered the department’s first-ever State of the Department briefing.
The department received submitted questions ahead of the press conference.
Overall, violent crime in Portsmouth declined by four percent in 2020.
However, the number of homicides in the city last year rose 133%, a massive increase. Many of those homicides involved guns.