Everyone in Selma must immediately realize something about our police department and those charged with its operations. Everyone involved, from the dispatchers to the chief to the mayor, cares first and foremost about the safety of the citizens.

Our police officers, shorthanded as they may be, rush through city streets intent on stopping as many crimes and criminals as possible. Obviously, we don’t have enough officers on the street to curb every crime. However, if you asked any city in any state, most police forces would tell you they also feel they don’t have enough officers on the street.

No matter where you work, there will always be questions about the abundance (or lack thereof) of employees in a company, much less a police department. At the same time, that doesn’t mean a company or police department is excused from operating at the most efficient level possible.

We do not feel our police department is operating in a wise manner right now, and our reasons point straight to the top. Both Mayor James Perkins Jr. and Police Chief Robert Green have fundamental problems that must be dealt with immediately. The Selma City Council is not excused from this suggestion, either.

By nearly 60 percent, Perkins was elected mayor of this city. That means an overwhelming majority of citizens here placed their full confidence in his ability to lead the progression of Selma. Right now, Perkins has no say-so in the affairs of our police department. In a sense, that’s like saying Bill Gates has no say-so in the decision making process about the production of Microsoft Windows.

A majority of the city council, elected to represent the citizens of Selma, appointed Green as chief of police. Right now, Green walks through the halls of the public safety building concerned about directives and orders the mayor may dictate over his head.

All along, we have men and women on the street who face bullets and murderers every day, and those officers are forced to watch an immature display of department operations — both from the mayor and the chief.

This evening, when a 65-year-old lady walks from her car to her home, do you think it will matter who sent what directive where when two masked men come and snatch her purse away? Will it matter if the mayor or chief is right when Tim Wood opens his business and finds three crooks hidden in an air-conditioning vent? Will it matter if the city council has an agenda when Russell Hardy walks into his car lot and finds three vehicles stolen?

The state of safety in Selma is in serious jeopardy. Any business considering a move into our city limits would be crazy to open its doors to the potential theft here.

In other words, the question isn’t about who’s right and who’s wrong. Rather, we should all ask, “What are we going to do to fix the problem?” Enough with the back-and-forth bickering about feelings getting hurt and directives not being followed. We, as citizens, simply don’t care.

Mayor Perkins, Chief Green and members of the Selma City Council: Assure us that our children, our homes, our welfare mean something to you. We don’t care how you do it, and we don’t care if some feelings get hurt along the way. Those of us who love Selma need you to do your job.