In a time when it’s hard to see any glimmer of light around the dark cloud that seemingly has hung over the Selma Police Department, two instances in the last two days come to mind.

Selma’s police department has had its share of hard times recently. The first came after a revelation that three cars taken as evidence nearly three years ago went missing without the department following the proper chain to declare the vehicles as condemned property.

The second came recently when the public discovered that former police chief Jimmy Martin, now a sergeant on the force, wrecked a cruiser while off duty and either coming or going to his home in Bibb County.

But just when the public is ready to shake its head, comes the fine work of detectives and officers in capturing suspects in a murder of a Southside High School senior just minutes after the youth died in the parking lot of the Selma Fire Department on Broad Street.

Then, the following day, three individuals joined the ranks of the Selma Police Department, and two of these graduates of the police academy earned top honors.

While the past has come home to roost at the police department, the public should not forget that chief William Riley III has worked diligently to put strict policies in place regarding property and evidence. Additionally, Riley has promised to bring the best qualified officers to Selma.

The quality of officers certainly is personified in the quick detainment of suspects late Thursday night and arrests early Friday morning. And the public has much to look forward to in the potential that Friday’s graduates from the academy seem to possess.