Dear editor,

Almost everywhere Selmians go, they talk about the crime in Selma. Selma is a small city with a lot of problems. The economy has almost dried up, the population has dropped and the crime rate has risen to an unprecedented level in the last few years. Fortunately, Selma’s new police chief seems intent on changing things in Selma for the better.

As someone who came up through the ranks, Chief John Brock understands the issues facing Selma.

Thus, he is already making a difference.

I read the Selma Times-Journal regularly, and I have read about the apprehensions and the good things he is doing with the police force. When Chief Brock took over, I believe that confidence in the Selma Police Department was almost nil. Chief Brock is working diligently to restore the trust in Selma’s police force.

I believe that Chief Brock has realized that they cannot police Selma alone. That’s when you get the community involved. I would like to see Chief Brock and the Selma Police Department create some kind of police community Partnership Program that also involves the business community. This program should be a win-win situation for Selma and the police department.

Additionally Selma is lucky to have an exceptional district attorney in Michael Jackson. Attorney Jackson is good at his job because he never forgets his purpose. His job is to do “justice.”

My dad (attorney J.L. Chestnut Jr.), always said that a District attorney’s job is not to get convictions, not to send people to prison, not to push to an extreme limit on sentencing whenever he/she can but, to do justice.

Michael Jackson is a great listener and a great talker. He listens to the victims and discerns what will make them whole. Maybe it is prison, maybe it is not. Maybe it is restitution. He knows he cannot win every trial, treat every drug addict and restore every victim to his former self. However, he never forgets that he too is human and he always gives his best.

Every dollar we spend to restore trust and make our streets safer is a dollar well spent. Working with the community, Chief Brock and the police department is a partnership that will make Selma whole again.

 

Gerald Chestnut Riberio

Selma