What were people arrested for over the summer in Portsmouth? Here's a look at the numbers

PORTSMOUTH — In Portsmouth this summer, DUI charges topped the list, by a wide margin, as the most frequent charge to come out of that town.

The Daily News sifted through Portsmouth Police Department arrest reports for the summer months to spot policing and crime trends. From June 1 through Aug. 31, there were 78 arrests made by Portsmouth police (one arrest could include, and in many cases did include, multiple charges).

Twenty-seven arrests in that time frame included DUI charges.

“It’s really one of our bread and butter things,” Portsmouth Police Lt. Michael Morse told a group of students in the department’s Citizens Police Academy over the summer, referring to the skill of Portsmouth officers in detecting drunk drivers in their town. “We are preventing some serious tragedies from happening.”

The second most common types of arrests were those that included domestic simple assault or battery charges (11 arrests included these charges) and those that included drug-related charges (11 arrests).

The third most common scenario involved warrant arrests: 10 arrests involved outstanding warrants.

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But even with DUIs topping the list, Portsmouth police saw a wide variety of crime this summer. What some may find surprising is the number of firearm-related charges to come out of the town: three arrests included charges of license or permit required for carrying a pistol; two arrests included charges of carrying a firearm while intoxicated; one arrest included the charge of firearm possession by a person convicted of a crime of violence; and one arrest included the charge of firing in a compact area.

Those arrests occurred in June and July. A 34-year-old Portsmouth man was charged with firing in a compact area; a 31-year-old Boston, Massachusetts, man was charged with license or permit required for carrying a pistol and carrying a firearm while intoxicated; a homeless 19-year-old man was charged with license or permit required for carrying a pistol; and a 30-year-old man, whose town of residence was not available in court or police records, was charged with license or permit required while carrying a pistol, carrying a weapon while intoxicated and possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a crime of violence.

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“It should be noted that since May 3, 2021 the Portsmouth Police have seized four firearms as a result of illegally possessing them in vehicles,” Deputy Chief Michael Arnold said in a prepared statement in July, when the department announced the arrest of two people on gun-related charges.

Here’s a breakdown of arrests that included other charges, from most common to least common:

Categories:

Obstructing an officer: 4

Violation of a no-contact order: 4

Domestic disorderly conduct: 3

Prohibited weapons other than firearms: 3

Disorderly Conduct: 3

Simple assault or battery: 3

Resisting arrest: 3

Reckless driving: 3

Driving with a suspended license, third or subsequent offense: 2

Trespassing: 2

Conspiracy: 2

Possession of false identification: 2

Felony assault: 2

Possession of counterfeit bills or notes: 1

Domestic vandalism: 1

2nd degree sexual assault: 1

Domestic felony assault: 1

Forgery and counterfeiting: 1

Breaking and entering: 1

Attempted larceny: 1

Forgery and counterfeiting of registration plates: 1

Vandalism: 1