The Portsmouth BMV is installing lights and cameras around its building, but employees say the people defecating on the property keep moving to whichever corner is still dark.
Portsmouth police were called to the 11th Street office after an employee reported continuing problems with homeless individuals using the property as a bathroom.
According to the police report, the BMV has already installed additional lighting and security cameras in an attempt to discourage the behavior and identify those responsible.
So far, it has turned into an unpleasant game of whack-a-mole.
Employees told officers that people simply move to another part of the building where lights and cameras have not yet been installed.
The BMV now plans to cover the entire perimeter of the building and has asked police to provide additional patrols in the area.
Officers contacted Portsmouth Code Enforcement, which responded to the scene. Police also documented the continuing complaints in a report.
The BMV incident was one of several recent calls involving panhandling, homeless activity, and people setting up near local businesses and churches.
Woman Barred From McDonald’s
Police were called to the McDonald’s on Gallia Street after a woman reportedly went inside and began asking customers for money and trying to get them to buy her food.
The caller described her as wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt.
When officers arrived, they issued the woman a no-trespass order barring her from the restaurant.
She signed the form acknowledging that she understood she was not allowed to return.
Hillside “Cookout” Near Church
Officers were also called to Christ’s Community Church on 25th Street after someone reported a man panhandling and tending an open fire on the hillside near the church.
When police spoke with him, the man said he had built a small, contained fire for a “cookout.”
Officers told him to put out the fire and clean up the area.
No arrests were reported in any of the three incidents.
The calls are the latest examples of local businesses, churches, police, and code enforcement dealing with the everyday effects of Portsmouth’s continuing homelessness problem—from panhandling and outdoor fires to increasingly serious sanitation complaints.
