Portsmouth Police found themselves racing across the city Tuesday night responding to calls that, on the surface, looked like property crimes—but dig a little deeper, and it’s clear they’re part of a larger crisis involving homelessness, mental health struggles, and a growing number of condemned and unlivable properties.
🚲 Window-Smashing Biker Busted
At 8 p.m., officers were called to Center Street after reports that a shirtless man on a bicycle was trying to break windows and force entry into a building. Police caught up with the man at the Summit Street Apartments and took him into custody.
He wasn’t carrying much—just a bike and a few bags—so officers, at his request, dropped his belongings off at a Franklin Avenue address before booking him into the Scioto County Jail.
🔨 Condemned Property Targeted with Metal Bar
Just 30 minutes later, another call came in from 7th Street, where a man was seen smashing out the windows of a condemned home using a metal bar. Witnesses said he then ran to a camper parked behind the property.
When officers searched the vacant building, the man was gone—but a tip led them to believe he might be hiding at a homeless camp near Harmon Street. That’s when they learned he had an active warrant through the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office.
At 9 p.m., they caught up with him near 7th and Thomas Streets. The Sheriff’s Office responded to take custody—but rather than head to jail, they transported him to the hospital for medical evaluation.
🧠 The Bigger Problem: Not Just Crime—It’s a Crisis
These aren’t just vandals or trespassers—they’re people living in survival mode, turning to abandoned buildings, campers, and street corners because they have nowhere else to go.
Portsmouth is grappling with:
- A surging homeless population, many struggling with mental illness or addiction
- An increasing number of condemned homes, which become shelters of last resort
- A patchwork of under-resourced services that can’t keep up with demand
🚓 What Police Can—and Can’t—Do
Officers are doing their jobs. They’re chasing down suspects, making arrests, and even driving property back to relatives. But they’re also not mental health workers, and they’re not housing specialists. Most nights, they’re the only ones responding to a crisis with no real solution.
And without a coordinated, community-wide plan, they’ll keep playing whack-a-mole with a problem that’s bigger than a broken window.
🏘️ The Way Forward?
Community leaders, service providers, and residents agree: It’s time to stop putting band-aids on bullet holes. Portsmouth needs:
- More shelter beds and transitional housing
- Mental health crisis teams that respond instead of, or alongside, law enforcement
- A plan for dealing with condemned homes that doesn’t just fence them off and hope for the best
- Support for addiction treatment and job training programs
Until then, the next “vandal” might just be another person looking for a place to sleep, the next abandoned house a temporary refuge, and the next police call—one more night in a never-ending crisis.
