Portsmouth Police Chief Brad Russ said he anticipates the department shrinking the zone because of increased demands placed on officers by the rapid expansion of Pease and the increase in the number of people visiting the city. It may mean a change in hours, how many officers are assigned during specific peak hours. It may also mean a shifting of the beat boundaries so that we are staffed according to the demand instead of the way it has always been done. In July, at the beginning of the next fiscal year, Russ said the department will complete the third phase of its three-year plan to introduce six new officers to the streets through matching grant funds. At that time, a geographic examination of calls for service will be conducted to determine where the greatest number of calls originate.
Portsmouth police maintain a minimum of four police cruisers on city streets and one supervisor.
In the future, the number may increase to six or seven officers in the overnight hours of 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., Russ said. Click here for more news Click here to send this article to a friend Seacoast Online is owned and operated by Seacoast Newspapers. Copyright 2001 Seacoast Online. All rights reserved. Please read our Copyright Notice and Terms of Use.