NEPBA Sounds Alarm Over Portsmouth Police Staffing Crisis, Calls on City Leadership to Take Immediate Action

The New England Police Benevolent Association (NEPBA) stands firmly alongside the dedicated men and women of NEPBA Local 11, the Portsmouth Patrolmen's Union, as they confront a worsening crisis involving staffing shortages, officer retention, compensation, and deteriorating morale within the Portsmouth Police Department.

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For far too long, Portsmouth's patrol officers have been expected to shoulder increasing responsibilities with diminishing resources, while the City has failed to adequately address the very conditions driving experienced law enforcement professionals away.

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The situation has reached a breaking point, and the City of Portsmouth can no longer afford to treat these concerns as business as usual.

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According to Local 11, fourteen members have departed the Portsmouth Police Department in just the past 18 months. The patrol division entered its fall rotation with only 25 of its 37 authorized positions filled, leaving nearly one-third of its patrol staffing vacant. Already this year, officers have experienced 410 mandatory order-ins, with forced overtime and extended shifts becoming a routine necessity rather than an occasional exception.

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These are not simply statistics on a staffing report. They represent officers repeatedly sacrificing time with their families, compromising their personal well-being, and carrying an increasingly unsustainable workload to ensure the residents of Portsmouth continue receiving the public safety services they deserve.

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Mandatory overtime is not a recruitment strategy. Exhaustion is not a retention plan. And the continued departure of experienced police officers is not a problem that will resolve itself.

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Compensation remains a significant contributing factor. Local 11 reports that the wages currently being offered fail to adequately reflect the risks, training, responsibilities, and demands associated with modern policing. Meanwhile, neighboring departments are offering more competitive compensation, creating opportunities for Portsmouth officers to earn substantially more elsewhere while performing comparable duties.

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Every experienced officer who leaves Portsmouth takes with them years of institutional knowledge, professional experience, mentorship, and relationships built within the community. These losses cannot simply be replaced by posting another job opening.

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Local 11 has also raised concerns regarding a previously discussed increase in police detail compensation that has yet to be implemented, along with a widening compensation disparity between patrol officers and their supervisors. These issues only deepen frustration among the very officers tasked with serving as the backbone of the department.

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Beyond staffing and compensation, officers have reported troubling conditions within the facility where they report for duty, including mold, cleanliness concerns, and ongoing electrical, HVAC, and plumbing problems.

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The men and women entrusted with protecting Portsmouth deserve a workplace that reflects the same standards of safety, professionalism, and accountability that the City expects them to uphold.

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At the same time, Portsmouth officials have devoted considerable public attention to the use and oversight of Flock automated license plate reader technology. NEPBA recognizes the importance of meaningful discussions surrounding technology, privacy, and accountability. However, we question why the growing crisis affecting the department's most valuable public safety resource — its officers — has not received that same level of urgency.

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Technology does not answer a 911 call. Cameras do not fill vacant patrol shifts. And no amount of technological investment can replace the experience, judgment, and dedication of a police officer who has been driven to seek employment elsewhere.

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If Portsmouth's leadership can dedicate significant time and attention to debating policing technology, it should demonstrate an equal, if not greater, commitment to addressing the staffing shortages and working conditions affecting the officers who serve this community every day.

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The City cannot continue to expect its police officers to absorb the consequences of inadequate staffing and uncompetitive compensation while simultaneously expecting the same level of service, availability, and operational readiness.

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The responsibility for addressing this crisis rests with those entrusted to lead. It is time for that leadership to produce meaningful results.

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NEPBA is calling on the City of Portsmouth, its elected officials, the Police Commission, and department leadership to immediately engage in substantive discussions with Local 11 and establish a credible, actionable plan to address staffing deficiencies, officer retention, competitive compensation, mandatory overtime, facility conditions, and recruitment.

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Our members are not asking for preferential treatment. They are asking for fair compensation, safe working conditions, adequate staffing, and the institutional support necessary to perform an increasingly demanding and dangerous profession.

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These officers have demonstrated their commitment to Portsmouth time and time again. They have continued reporting for duty, answering calls for service, and protecting their community despite the growing challenges surrounding them.

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Now it is time for the City of Portsmouth to demonstrate that same level of commitment to its police officers.

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The members of Local 11 want to serve Portsmouth. They want to build careers, raise families, and remain part of the community they have sworn to protect. But their dedication should never be mistaken for an unlimited willingness to endure deteriorating working conditions.

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NEPBA stands unequivocally with Local 11 and its membership. We remain prepared to work constructively with City officials and department leadership, but meaningful collaboration must be accompanied by meaningful action.

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Portsmouth's police officers have upheld their responsibility to this community. It is time for City leadership to uphold its responsibility to them.

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