There’s been enough discussion in this city, and in this newspaper, about the state of public safety in Selma that most of us have grown tired of the news.

That’s an understandable sentiment for many in this community. At the same time, there are groups of people who have taken the safety issue and focused on government and blame.

For the most part, citizens and media have directed attention about the Selma Police Department at Mayor James Perkins Jr. and Police Chief Robert Green.

As news of burglaries, robberies and thefts continues, there’s something the people of this community need to realize.

Before we begin forming social groups and holding weekly meetings trying to discover why so many problems exist in our public safety department, maybe we should begin looking at the community and how we can become a safer city on our own.

A Selma man recently said that protection isn’t just the police department’s job. He’s right. Protection is aided by the police department. However, we should have enough sense to protect ourselves many times.

If there are citizens who are worried about having items stolen from your garage, lock the items up. If you are concerned about alleged criminals walking to the front door with guns, don’t open the front door. If there are risks with walking outside of a business at midnight, walk with someone else.

Yes, we ask our police department to help protect us. However, we should begin using common sense and protect ourselves.

Police will give you the normal list when you ask them how to do that. Many times, we ignore their suggestions.

When you go home for the night, lock your doors. When you walk at night, walk with a friend. When you work in a business, have safety measures installed that will protect you if a burglar comes knocking.

These seem like such simple suggestions, yet many people still do not follow them.

Selma, like any other community, has its share of criminals. We are not alone in the fight against crime, and we cannot feel as though this city is any less safe than another.

We must use common sense. If we do, we’ll find crime reports that grow smaller.