Selma police officers write fewer citations for violations of the city noise ordinance these days because they have focused on keeping down violent crime, says Chief William T. Riley III.

“We have to balance noise with someone getting shot and these boys on the corner selling drugs,” Riley told the council Tuesday night.

The question came up during a discussion of police activity for the month.

Most of the calls answered since the beginning of the year have not been in Selma but in the police jurisdiction.

Council member Dr. Monica Newton of Ward 3 said the figures that showed her ward had one of the highest incidences in the city called the statistics “depressing.”

“I guess we’re losing ground,” she said.

Newton suggested annexation or working with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office to reduce the time Selma police officers spend outside the city limits.

Mayor George Evans quickly nixed the idea of annexation. “When you talk about annexation you need to be very careful. I try to avoid that word,” he said.

Evans said he and Riley had met with the county about calls in the police jurisdiction three or four months ago.

The mayor reminded the council if the city gives up patrolling the police jurisdiction outside the city limits, the city also gives up two percent of taxes from the area.