Selma City Council appoints city’s first female police chief

The city of Selma has its first female police chief.

The Selma City Council Thursday named Ettice Brickus as the next police chief in a 5-3 vote. Brickus is deputy chief and chief of staff for the Montgomery Police Department and a retired deputy chief from Baltimore.

Brickus was one of four finalists who interviewed with the city council in a public meeting on Aug. 28. At her interview, she said her vision centers on “service, integrity and trust.”

Brickus took the job with five affirmative votes. Councilwomen Christie Young and Jannie Thomas said they preferred candidate Theophilus Smith. Councilman Clay Carmichael also voted no, but he declined to reveal who his preferred candidate was.

“This was a tough decision to make, but the people pay us to make tough decisions,” Council President Kennard Randolph said.

Council President Pro Tem Michael Johnson, who entered Brickus’ name into nomination, agreed.

“These candidates were neck-to-neck with each other,” Johnson said. “We’re not going to be able to satisfy everybody. It’s a tough decision.”

Before the council went into executive session to discuss the candidates, Randolph said the significance of the decision “cannot be overstated.”

“(The chief) is not only responsible for leading the department, but also for setting the standards of professionalism, strengthening accountability, supporting the men and women who serve, building trust and ensuring the safety and security of every citizen in every neighborhood in our community,” Randolph said.

Brickus is taking on a tough assignment. The previous interim chief, Michael Perry, was removed after outlining troubles with the department in front of the city council.

“Selma is hungry for a great leader,” Young said. “There’s no need to sit and talk about the issues Selma has had. We need somebody that can come in and be a great a leader and cut down on crime.”

Carmichael noted that the police building needs lots of work and the department needs equipment.

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“We will not be able to recruit and retain officers unless we have all those things straightened out,” Carmichael said.

Thomas said the city is looking for a leader who can “rebuild our trust in our police department in our community.”

The other finalists were Smith, a 28-year veteran of the Birmingham Police Department and former chief in Harpersville in Shelby County; Robbie Autery, a longtime drug interdiction officer with the 17th Judicial Circuit and former chief in Maplesville; and Kenny Harden, former sheriff of Butler County and longtime Dallas County investigator.

The four finalists were first vetted 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. 

In her interview, Brickus said, “My top priority is to stabilize the department. 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.