Selma police chief: Department needs more cars, better police station

Selma police have made 34 felony arrests in the last two months, but Interim Police Chief Michael Perry told the Selma City Council his department needs more to do their jobs.

Perry said that his officers need more vehicles, and the building they work in needs to be improved.

The city’s police cars run 24 hours a day, and the wear is taking a toll on the vehicles, Perry said at the June 9 city council meeting. The engines in some cars are knocking, and some cars don’t have spare tires, he said.

So many cars have been taken out of service that the lot behind the police station “looks like a police graveyard,” Perry said. “This has been going for a while.”

“Our officers need this stuff,” Perry said. “When people need the police, they need the police.”

Perry said the police station needs major work. There is no air conditioning on the third floor where the detectives work, and the supervisor’s office where officers get their assignments needs to be updated.

Despite the needs, Perry said the department is working with other agencies to address crime. Officers made 34 felony arrests, including 11 weapons-related arrests. Fourteen illegal firearms were recovered from stopped vehicles, according to Perry.

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Councilwoman Jannie Thomas agreed that the police department’s building “sucks right now,” and she praised the police department’s efforts to crack down on crime.

“We’ve been living this way a long time.” Thomas said. “It’s good you’re doing some of these things because we’ve been living the 80 rounds (shots fired). We deal with ducking on the floor.”

Mayor Johnny Moss III presented a proposal to add five additional cameras to the city’s surveillance system. The motion-sensitive cameras provided by Alabama Power Company would cost almost $1,700 a month for five years, plus the energy use.

The council asked the city attorney to research a curfew for juveniles, and Moss asked the council to consider an ordinance outlawing the release of balloons.

Moss asked the council to let the Selma Fire Department file for a FEMA grant to replace $300,000 worth of personal protective equipment for 45 firefighters. The present equipment no longer meets national safety standards. The grant would require a $60,000 match that could be covered by delaying hiring two firefighters for a calendar year, according to a memo from Fire Chief Walter Dailey.

Citizen Nancy Spencer told the council in their work session that the city has not responded to public records requests she and her husband Thayer Spencer have made. Alabama law requires a response within 15 days, but she said they have not received records they requested concerning expenditures with Visionary Business Solutions for marketing of the Metroplex.

Councilman Clay Carmichael asked the council to make a record of dead or dying trees in the city so that a plan can be made to remove them.