After spending 25 years working the streets, Selma Police Department Lieutenant Tommy Weber knows he’s a lucky guy. Weber retires Friday from the Selma PD, and by all accounts he’s had a stellar career, but he came within inches of becoming a tragic statistic. 

“We had answered a call at Jim Minor Homes,” Weber recounted. “It was a fight call that we cleared up. We got called back out there and I was standing next to the security guard while we were waiting for another security guard to get there and stay with him. Shots were fired. One minute he was there and the next minute he wasn’t. He died on the scene.”

Although he regrets not being able to do more for the critically injured man, the close call didn’t deter Weber. Law enforcement was what he was born to do.

His father was in law enforcement and his brother retired from the Selma PD. When he was old enough, he joined up. Weber rose through the ranks to lieutenant by doing whatever was necessary to get the job done and by excelling at anything he was assigned.

“One thing that I admired about Lt. Weber was he was one of a couple that said ‘chief, there’s a lot of things we could have done better as supervisors,’” said current Selma Chief of Police William Riley, who was hired in 2008. “That impressed me because that is what a true leader is all about. He always brought solutions with issues. He believed in holding people accountable and that’s something that’s rare. I wish I had a couple more like him.”

During his time on the force, Weber held a variety of positions and was instrumental in starting several policing initiatives including bike patrols, park patrols with electronic vehicles, a citizens police academy and had the city’s first canine unit.

He also worked in the narcotics unit; something he said put a terrible strain on his family, and especially on his wife Lisa.

“Working drugs you never know when you’re going to be working or how long you’re going to be working,” Weber said. “It took me a long time to grasp it, but you leave what happens at home at home and what happens at work at work. You don’t let them intertwine because when you do it doesn’t work. I think that’s why there is such a high rate of divorce in law enforcement. It’s hard to make a marriage work in law enforcement. If it hadn’t been for her and the Christian faith we both have — you have to really work at it.”

Weber’s fellow lieutenants use words such as “professional,” “dependable,” and “loyal,” to describe him.

“He’s been a professional police officer, treated people the way he wanted to be treated,” said Lt. Johnny King, who helped train Weber and who Weber credits with training him right. “He’s going to be missed and I wish him well.

Lt. Michael Harris, who was hired the same time Weber was, said it’s tough to see his friend leave the force.

“He’s dedicated, always came to work and did what was asked and more,” Harris said. “You always knew if a tough situation arose he had your back and would get the job done.”

Lt. John Brock, who’s been on the police force for 30 years and worked narcotics with Weber, said he’s a quality officer.

“Me and him worked 10 years together in narcotics and he was one of my investigators,” Brock said. “I always depended on him. He never was out sick, was always on time. If I needed something done he was the one I called. He’s a good friend, and I’m going to miss him.”

With a successful law enforcement career behind him, Weber is now embarking on another career — one in the fitness industry working for 910 Fitness, which recently was accepted as an affiliate Crossfit facility and will be known as Selma Crossfit.

“Luckily I’ll get to do two things in a lifetime I wanted to do — law enforcement and the fitness industry,” Weber said.