Even the head of the Selma Police Department was spooked when he returned home to his Selma apartment to find someone gained entry and soiled his space. This shows crime does not discriminate.

While two young men have been arrested and charged with unlawful breaking and entering and criminal mischief of Chief Jimmy Martin’s apartment, the case appears to have been overstated.

But has it been? We have to trust our police and their competence. If, in fact, a possible murder plot was discussed by the suspects arrested, the court will have to decide its validity, as it does with all cases.

Until then, we stand by those sworn to protect and serve – from Chief Jimmy Martin to the newest sworn officers.

We are taking the position that we as citizens want our leadership to be willing to pay police officers overtime, if it means more patrols are on the streets in each of the city’s police zones. This is our city and we deserve better protection.

As the voice of the people, we underscore every defenseless woman’s thoughts of having their purses snatched. As the voice of the people we must assert that there is a problem when women are having their purses snatched in broad daylight. Solutions vary from better home training to increased police presence.

While we can encourage raising children in the ways they should go, tax dollars do little to directly ensure that. Tax payers can insist, as we do, on increased police presence in the areas where problems repeatedly occur. One would be hard-pressed to find one resident or business owner to disagree.

Martin budgets every year for increased police presence during the holiday season, but we don’t want it to stop there. A concerted effort needs to be made until this preying on the weak in this community is halted. When a 71-year-old Catholic nun, who has spent her life serving the least of our brothers, is robbed after she has worked all day, there is a problem.

Doubling the patrols and adding walking patrols downtown and in our shopping areas will not stop crime, but it will deter it. Even if someone is robbed, with more officers on duty and about town around the clock, the likelihood of an immediate arrest improves.