People in Selma talk, a lot, about how many citizens have moved away from the city. While census numbers do reflect an out-migration of residents, the city of Selma hasn’t seen anything yet if it doesn’t curb a disturbing trend.

Last week, a business in Selma hosted a convention in the downtown area. During that convention, a number of cars were broken into while patrons of the convention sat inside helpless.

Selma Police said its department has a manpower shortage, and that could be part of the reason for an increase in break-ins recently. Our city leaders must do everything they can to change that excuse – immediately.

In Selma, we have certain areas of the city where business is better than other places. Our downtown revitalization has helped Broad Street, and other streets in the vicinity, become a hub for business in our community. But if police manpower is down, how many patrons will leave their cars at night to spend an hour inside one of those businesses?

The answer to this problem, obviously, would be to have more police patrol the downtown area. But when the Selma Police Department can’t recruit new officers, and when money is being cut, rather than added, we know that is a difficult assignment.

Our city government must consider the ramifications if we continue to operate with a bare-bone police force.

We want to be a city that grows, not diminishes. We want to be a city that brings jobs, not loses them. How, we beg, is that supposed to happen when the businesses we currently have, and the people who live here, can’t feel safe to attend a function in downtown?

Over the past two years, tax collections in the city have declined. When that happens, money is hard to come by for city departments. For that matter, the city’s budget for the coming year is already complete and there won’t be much room for additions in revenue.

Selma’s city government must make a decision, though. Do we allow people who live here and who visit here to feel threatened every time they park a car in downtown? Or do we change some priorities, take a close look at police funding, and protect what we already have in place?

We think the city must look carefully at our policing issue. We pay a lot of tax money to feel safe. And normally – as with any investment – if the return is poor, we search for another means (or city) where we will feel safe.