By Nancy West, InDepthNH.org
Portsmouth Mayor Deaglan McEachern said he and the city council have authority over the Portsmouth Police Department budget’s bottom line as they do most departments but no say on how it is spent or who is hired or fired.
McEachern said he received no special reports on the Feb. 25 crash involving multiple vehicles and a utility pole struck by Jackie Burnett, Portsmouth Police Chief Mark Newport’s executive assistant, outside of what was reported in the news. And nothing about it has been brought to the city council.
“This is certainly a difficult situation,” McEachern said, adding he understands some people could look at what has been made public and suspect Burnett was treated differently because she worked for the chief. But he was pleased that the department asked State Police to investigate to avoid any potential conflict of interest.
“I am happy nobody was injured. This could have ended up differently…,” McEachern said.
See InDepthNH.org’s previous reporting on the crash here. https://indepthnh.org/?s=jacki+burnett
Burnett, 35, of Hampton was charged at first with DUI, but that was reduced to reckless driving in a plea deal.
The three member Portsmouth Police Commission is the policy making body of the Portsmouth Police Department and provides civilian oversight, according to its website.
The commissioners are charged with ensuring the safety and security of citizens and guests of Portsmouth, that the Police Department operates in an ethical manner, the goals and objectives of the department are accomplished, and the department is responsible to the taxpayer and all department employees are accountable to the citizens of Portsmouth, according to its website.
The next commission meeting is April 18. Commissioners Stefany Shaheen, chairman, Buzz Scherr and Kate Coyle did not immediately respond to questions from InDepthNH.org Monday or other times since the crash.
What Mayor McEachern hopes people take away from the story is that no one should drive drunk and there is no reason to. Portsmouth has Uber now and one taxi and the parking meters downtown don’t start until 9 a.m.
If someone does get a parking ticket to avoid driving home drunk the night before, “I’d be happy to clear it if the reason was to avoid driving under the influence.”
That being said, getting a ticket because of an afterthought and hangover isn’t going to cut it, he said.
McEachern said he’d rather see someone leave a parked car downtown and find an alternative way home than drive under the influence.
“I don’t want to comment on the State Police investigation,” McEachern said. He supported the department for asking State Police to investigate to avoid any potential conflict.
From an employment standpoint, McEachern said, there are laws to protect Burnett’s privacy.