Chief: Selma has a ‘gun violence problem’

Published 6:57 pm Thursday, February 14, 2019

A large crowd filed into the Selma Convention Center Wednesday night to hear reports from first responders in the city during the Public Safety Committee’s meeting.

Most of the Selma City Council was on hand for the meeting, as was Selma Mayor Darrio Melton, who welcomed those in attendance before Selma Fire Department (SFD) Assistant Chief Chris Graham spoke in regard to the difficulties facing the local fire crew.

Graham stated that the department is facing a number of administrative issues, including a delay in approval from the mayor’s office on a request to approve new fire investigators.

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He also noted that the department is waiting on word from the city’s Personnel Department to move ahead with hiring two new applicants that have passed the agility test, as well as up to nine part-time employees, and that purchase orders are not being turned around in a “timely manner.”

Graham added that the fire team has been denied training opportunities and that the department is in need of new firefighters.

“Our firefighters are exhausted from working back-to-back shifts,” Graham said.

Selma Police Chief Spencer Collier also addressed the crowd on the myriad of problems facing the Selma Police Department, first of which is “unsafe” vehicles.

Collier advocated for $50,000 worth of maintenance expenditures be diverted to lease eight new vehicles, all of which will include a maintenance plan. He also floated the idea of diverting insurance payments for salvageable vehicles into a lease program and using the funds from saleable vehicles for the same purpose.

The police chief noted that no new funds would have to be spent as it would come from already allocated money.

Primary among Collier’s concerns for the local police department was the rash of violence currently plaguing the city.

“We do not have the resources to combat the violent crime we are dealing with,” Collier said. “We disproportionately have a gun violence problem in the City of Selma.”

Collier noted the violence that has been seen by officers in local night clubs and advocated for the city to roll back closing times from 2 a.m. to midnight.

Additionally, Collier noted that the majority of weapons being used by violent offenders in the queen city are high-caliber rifles, the likes of which were previously only available to the military.

“They’re shooting at my officers, or shooting my officers, with these guns,” Collier said.

Collier followed that statement up by thanking the community for the recent donation of rifle-rated vests for SPD officers and thanking the media for its part it helping the department apprehend the third and final suspect involved in a recent robbery.

Collier also touted new partnerships being fostered within the department, specifically with Selma City Schools and the Selma Housing Authority.

“We cannot combat major issues unless we have every player at the table,” Collier said.

Collier is slated to begin hosting a weekly radio show on 94.7 FM and a new “Coffee with a Cop” program, which will hopefully take place once a month, will begin Feb. 20 at 8:30 a.m. at the Performing Arts Center.

“We have as good a group of law enforcement officers as any I’ve worked with in my life,” Collier said. “I don’t think they’re recognized enough for what they do. If you see them on the street, a ‘thank you’ goes a long way.”

Dwight Brown, the Resident Agent in Charge for the Mobile Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), talked about the “historic” nature of Selma and the quality of the people who live in the city.

“There’s a lot that’s attractive about Selma,” Brown said.

Brown said the ATF is establishing a task force in Selma that will utilize “proactive approaches” to fighting crime in with the help of local law enforcement, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) and other partners.

Finally, U.S Attorney Richard Moore addressed the crowd regarding his “weed and seed” program, which is in its early stages, and encouraged residents to come together to fight against the dangerous elements now plaguing the streets.

“You do not have the luxury of having petty squabbles with each other,” Moore said. “Everybody has to step up and do what you’ve got to do.”

Moore also blasted criminals in the city that have made police officers into targets.

“You do not shoot a police officer,” Moore said. “If you do, this U.S. Attorney is going to do everything I can to bring the full weight of federal law down on you.”

Moore added that he expects police officers to live up to the “high standards” expected of them and those who don’t can expect to be dealt with in a similar manner.

Moore plans to launch a “Bridge the Gap” program in Selma, which will take ninth graders to a shooting range and show how quickly officers are forced to think and react in real-life situations.