On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Richard Moore and local officials held a press conference to announce that the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has awarded the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) a $1 million grant to support the work of law enforcement agencies in Selma and the surrounding area.

The press conference followed a meeting of the local “Weed and Seed” Board – the group responsible for developing plans to remove violent criminals from the street and establish programs to ensure that violent crime is no longer able to maintain a stranglehold on the community – which included an array of local leaders, including Selma City Schools Superintendent Dr. Avis Williams, Dallas County Schools Superintendent Hattie Shelton, Wallace Community College – Selma President Dr. James Mitchell, Selma City Council President Corey Bowie, Selma Police Department (SPD) Chief Spencer Collier, Dallas County Sheriff Mike Granthum and a number of other community and business leaders.

“It’s pretty well known that we have a violent crime problem here in Selma,” Moore said. “Violent crime is starting to go down in the United States after having risen over the last six years.”

Moore said his office has made great strides in removing “trigger pullers” from Selma’s streets, noting that there are currently 19 violent criminals under indictment and set to go on trial in Mobile in October.

“There’s really not that many of them in Selma,” Moore said. “This is a game changer for Selma, Alabama. We will take back our streets. We will make Selma safe again.”

Specifically, the grant is designed to provide additional equipment for local law enforcement and cover overtime expenses for saturation patrols, but Moore stated that portions of the money could possibly be used to bolster the planned School Resource Officer (SRO) program, which is a “critical need” in the city.

Judge Maggie Drake-Peterson, who serves as Director of the “Weed and Seed” Steering Committee, lauded the funding as a “much needed” boon for local law enforcement and Williams celebrated the collaborative spirit the initiative has spurred across the community.

“This is a great day for Selma and the Dallas County community,” Williams said. “What excites me about this grant is that we’re working together as a community.”

Mitchell said the funding has the potential to “lift up all sectors of [the] community” and called on people to begin solving Selma’s problems rather than simply talking about them.

“There’s no room to fail,” Mitchell said.

“I believe Selma’s best days are still ahead of us,” said Owen Peak, a board member and Vice President of Peak Insurance. “We’ve already seen a major reduction in crime.”

Moore touched on this topic repeatedly during the press conference, stating that crime has already started to fall and people are beginning to feel safer in the community.

The grant is being administered locally by Dallas County Probate Judge Jimmy Nunn, who thanked Moore and board members for their commitment to ending violent crime in the Queen City.

“This is really going to be a spin-off to help our community,” Nunn said. “It’s going to help on an educational level. It’s going to help with economic development. We’re hoping everyone will benefit from the opportunity we have.”

“We have a problem in Selma, but we have the right people at the table to solve it,” Collier said. “We are committed to improving the quality of life in Selma.”

Dallas County District Attorney Michael Jackson applauded the work of Moore and local law enforcement, noting that a lot of “gunslingers” and “drug kingpins” have already been apprehended.

“We’re all working together now,” Jackson said. “It takes resources to complete the process.”

Moore noted that his office will hit the ground running in terms of putting the grant money to work, which covers 18 months.

“The citizens of Selma have to have the will to take their city back,” Moore said. “There’s a way to get Selma back to where the streets are safe. We still have a lot of work to do.”

Later in the day, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-AL, issued a press release celebrating the grant and its potential impact on Selma.

“As a native of Selma, I am deeply concerned about the rising violent crime rates in my hometown, which is why I have been fighting for years to secure additional federal resources for Selma law enforcement to adequately address this crisis,” Sewell said. “My hope is that with these extra funds, local law enforcement will have the tools and resources necessary to ensure that our Selma community becomes a safer place to live, work and raise families. This funding is critical in enabling local Selma law enforcement to fulfill urgent needs, including additional equipment, training and personnel support to address these public safety issues head-on.”