Sheriff David Thoroughman publicly criticized Portsmouth Police Chief Brewer’s plans to extend police coverage to Clay Township in a thorough statement issued by the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office. He cited serious financial concerns and the possibility of less local law enforcement for Portsmouth residents.
Thoroughman analyzed Brewer’s proposal, which is based on the claim that two more police officers could give the township reliable, round-the-clock coverage. However, as the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office and the laws of basic math point out, in order to achieve nonstop coverage, a minimum of five officers are needed for each “beat”—not just two—so the numbers don’t seem to add up. Chief Brewer, however, is adamant that her model will work. According to the sheriff, the money for this expansion—which is projected to cost an extra $80,000 to $100,000 per year for the two officers alone, not to mention the total cost, which rises to about $387,207.62 per year—will eventually fall on Portsmouth’s taxpayers, which he believes is unacceptable, particularly at a time when the city is trying to escape its fiscal watch status.
In his in-depth and critical analysis, Thoroughman detailed the discrepancy between the police services provided to Portsmouth residents and those promised to Clay Township, a coverage that seemed unduly ambitious given Portsmouth’s present personnel and financial difficulties. Should Chief Brewer decide to reassign current Portsmouth officers to oversee this new “Beat,” it would unintentionally lead to a reduction in the local police presence and place an excessive burden on municipal resources, which he believed would be a disservice to the people who pay their taxes expecting full and undiverted local policing.
With prior positions as a Captain and Acting Chief of Police in the agency he examines, the Sheriff’s extensive expertise forms the basis of his study. His assertions that this proposal is expensive and likely to jeopardize police coverage for Portsmouth residents are given more weight by these revelations. He contends that, regardless of the rationale offered by smoke and mirrors, withdrawing officers from the city for duties in the county unquestionably results in a reduction in the local police force. Thoroughman’s speech ends with a call to action, asking Portsmouth locals and others to speak out against a proposal that he believes is both ill-conceived and harmful to their interests in actuality.
How the city council will react to the sheriff’s worries and how public opinion will influence the proposed arrangement’s destiny are yet unknown. Chief Brewer has not discussed the implications of the expansion to Clay Township or the Sheriff’s thorough financial estimates in public. This persistent conflict between local law enforcement officials reveals the intricacies of public safety logistics and the precarious equilibrium between the budgetary realities of a city on the brink of financial recovery and municipal aspirations.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!
Leave a Reply