The magic number is 70, says Selma Assistant Police Chief Robert Jacobs. But as of now, the number continues to hover somewhere around 55.

The Selma Police Department is currently experiencing a shortage of police officers, something which Jacobs says the department is

trying to change.

“We are doing everything we can right now to make sure that we increase the numbers on our force,” Jacobs said. “Right now, we’ve got a lot of applications. We’re just trying to make sure that the ones we have will be able to handle the job.”

Jacobs said both during the day and night, there are usually five officers patrolling the streets on a regular basis.

According to several members of the police department, patrol officers usually work 12 hour shifts, “working 15 days on” and “then taking 15 days off.”

Jacobs said there were three reasons why five officers, on average, usually patrol Selma’s streets.

“Some officers are taking time off, some officers may be sick, and several of our officers, who are new to the department, are still in school,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs added that during the night, at least three officers man the desks at the Selma Police Department, answering calls and dealing with police communications.

During the day, the office is filled with officers who handle communications, work as detectives, do litter control and work in various other divisions where their services are required.

This month, in response to a number of break-ins at car dealerships in the local area, Selma Police Chief Robert Green asked that many who normally sit behind desks move out into Selma’s streets, increasing the number of patrol officers.

Green, in a recent press release, stated, “The Selma Police Department will require that all officers who work in specialized units to work at least one shift per month. The new initiative will provide the patrol division with twenty five additional officers.”

Despite what appears on the surface to be a general feeling of disillusionment with the Selma Police Department, several officers, who recently left, have said that they were happy with the

department, and left for reasons other than being unhappy with their former jobs.

Former officer Andre Roper and former Sgt. Donald Shepard Jr., who are now working with the Alabama State Troopers, said that during their time spent with the department, they felt happy, and that the reasons for leaving had nothing to do with the police department or the City of Selma.

“I just always wanted to be a State Trooper,” said Roper, who worked for four years on the force. “That was really the only reason why I left. Ever since I could remember when I was growing up, that had always been my dream.”

He added, “I will never forget the experience of working at the Selma Police Department. It really taught me a lot.”

Shepard, who worked seven years with the Selma Police Department, echoed similar feelings.

“When I joined the Selma ‘PD’, I wasn’t even from here,” he said.

“They took me in as family, and what I remember is the close

friendships that I developed while I was working there. It was really a great experience being there. I had no other reason for leaving other than just wanting to be a State Trooper.”

Other officers, who have recenlty left the department, refused to be interviewed about problems in the police department.