The city of portsmouth, NH has a resident population of 22,138, but a daily service population of approximately 65,000, and event population that can reach over 100,000

The City of Portsmouth, NH was awarded a $196,000 Project Grant by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Body Worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program (CFDA 16.835). The grant funding will support the city's efforts to establish and enhance a comprehensive body-worn camera (BWC) program for its law enforcement agency. Specifically, the grant will be used to acquire BWC equipment, develop BWC policies, and implement the BWC program to promote transparency, accountability, and improved evidence collection in law enforcement operations. The project will span a performance period from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2027.

In 2020, a resident advocacy group, of approximately 100 residents, worked with the police commission to adopt a "proposed set of policy changes...designed to enhance commission and portsmouth police department transparency, accountability, performance, good will, and community confidence". The police commission voted to adopt a slightly modified version of the draft recommendations after through discussions on each point with police staff. One of the recommendations included the review and implementation of body worn cameras (BWC) under the accountability and transparency section.