We know the forever-mentioned noise ordinance in Selma is an important piece of legislation. We completely understand there is a need for this law and there are those in Selma who need to realize just how unpleasant they make their neighbors — or their neighborhood — when they infringe upon the eardrums of those around them.

Recently, the Selma City Council urged the city’s police department to step up efforts enforcing the noise ordinance and Selma Chief of Police William T. Riley was able to state the strategy he and his department would use in attacking this public nuisance.

But what we have not heard in recent council meetings is a full discussion of the city’s crime statistics. What we see and hear is a passing report and passing comments, briefly detailing the number of violations and types of violations reported and responded to in each ward.

What we have also failed to hear — since the budget discussion — is what can be done, or rather, what is being done to provide the funding resources to the department for it to reach its targeted number of officers.

What we have not heard are ideas on revenue streams, expense cuts — or a combination of the two — that can get our department to the level where cracking down on noise ordinance violations is a part of the daily routine, rather than something that a strategy has to be developed for.

There are more serious problems in Selma than the current level of someone’s car stereo and one of those is that the department tasked with our safety and security is stretched far too thin with far too few staff.

If we are to address our major problems, let’s get our priorities straight.