Police chief candidates interview before the public for the job in Selma

The four finalists for Selma’s next police chief laid out sharply different approaches to rebuilding the department, reducing violent crime and restoring public trust during a special called Selma City Council meeting on Aug. 28.

The public packed the Carl Morgan Convention Center as each candidate sat for a 30-minute interview and answered questions submitted by residents.

Council President Kennard Randolph reminded the audience that all four candidates were selected by a panel of veteran law enforcement leaders after reviewing dozens of applications. That panel included Dallas County Sheriff Mike Granthum, Chief Deputy John Hatfield, retired ALEA Capt. Keith Jackson and Wilcox County Sheriff Larry Colston. 

The first to interview was Theophilus Smith, a 28-year veteran of the Birmingham Police Department and former chief in Harpersville in Shelby County.

Smith said his first priority would be stabilizing the department from within.

“I have to immerse myself into the environment here in Selma,” he said. “I have to learn the culture, listen to people internally and externally and let personnel know I have their back.”

Smith said morale begins with structure, communication and accountability.

“You must not have an environment where there are chaos and dysfunction,” he said. “You must have trust. You must have commitment.”

On crime, Smith said Selma must confront repeat violent offenders.

“A small percentage of your community is wreaking the havoc,” Smith said. “The criminal element has become far too comfortable. Officers must engage those individuals so they’re no longer comfortable functioning the way they have.”

Smith said community trust would come from visibility and engagement.

“Leadership has to be present,” he said. “We have to educate the public on what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.”

He also pledged to strengthen relationships with outside agencies through monthly meetings. “We must all be on the same page,” he said.

Next up was Ettice Brickus, deputy chief and chief of staff for the Montgomery Police Department and a retired deputy chief from Baltimore. She said her vision centers on “service, integrity and trust.”

“My top priority is to stabilize the department,” Brickus said. “You can’t stabilize the city until you stabilize the department.”

Brickus said morale improves when officers feel respected and heard. “How you treat your people matters,” she said. “Dignity and respect matter. You have to listen.”

She emphasized that crime reduction depends on public cooperation.

“You’ll never have as many police as you have citizens,” Brickus said. “Who knows who the bad actors are? The people. Community is police, and police is community.”

Brickus said she would focus on “quality arrests, not petty crimes” and would avoid alienating residents with unnecessary fines. She also pledged transparency, including public dashboards showing complaints and outcomes.

On trust, Brickus said engagement must be intentional.

“Engagement is answering the phone. Engagement is returning calls. Engagement is showing up when you’re supposed to show up,” she said.

Robbie Autery, a longtime drug interdiction officer with the 17th Judicial Circuit and former chief in Maplesville, said Selma’s violent crime problem is inseparable from narcotics.

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“Seventy percent of all crimes revolve around one thing, and that one thing is drugs,” he said. “If you don’t go after those selling the drugs, you’re not accomplishing anything.”

Autery said his first priority would be reorganizing the department.

“You have to see if you’ve got qualified people in the right positions,” Autery said. “You have to give them the tools, then you hold them accountable.”

He said morale improves when officers know leadership will fight for them.

“I might be the chief, but I work for you,” he said. “It’s my job to ask for better benefits, better pay, better equipment.”

Autery said rebuilding trust requires visibility and personal connection.

“A chief needs to be approachable,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with a chief sitting on a five‑gallon bucket under a shade tree talking to folks.”

He also stressed youth outreach.

“We’re losing too many youth to violent crime,” Autery said. “If we can save two or three out of ten, we’ve done something.”

On crime reduction, Autery said the Selma Police Department must make its presence felt.

“If you don’t have the resources, you call the agencies you already have a relationship with,” Autery said.

The final interview was Kenny Harden, former sheriff of Butler County and longtime Dallas County investigator, who said his vision is to make Selma “one of the best departments in the state.”

“The citizens have to be able to trust the police department,” he said. “My goal is to make sure they do.”

Harden said officers need to know leadership will work beside them.

“I wouldn’t ask an officer to do something I wouldn’t do myself,” he said.

He said violent crime must be addressed through proactive policing.

“If an officer sees something, act on it,” he said. “Work drugs hard, and you cut down on crime.”

Harden said he would strengthen trust through direct communication.

“If something happens in your district, I’m going to be calling you,” he told council members. “I want town hall meetings in each district so people can ask questions.”

He also pledged strong oversight. “If a law enforcement officer breaks the law, you address that,” he said.

Randolph said the city council has not set a date for selecting the next chief but hopes to move quickly. Former Selma Police Chief John Brock is acting as interim chief.

 “We want the right person for Selma,” Randolph said.