We live in an impatient society. We ask for entertainment, and we get it. We want to make money, and there are a thousand ways to make it overnight.

In many regards, society has lost the virtue of patience. That, in a way, explains the often-discussed infatuation we in Selma have about our police force and its work to make our community safer.

Our attitude of impatience leads us to create solutions before we clearly understand problems. Lacking patience often breeds a lack of understanding.

Tuesday afternoon, citizens of Selma got a good lesson in why patience is so important — and why many proclaim the character quality a “virtue.”

On Tuesday, Selma police got a call about a “home invasion,” as the department has dubbed it. Immediately, units from our police force responded.

At first, the suspect in the burglary appeared to have escaped. Law enforcement didn’t stop in their search, though. After police surrounded the area where they believed the suspect to be, they finally found him. A chase ensued.

Eventually, members of our police force worked together and nabbed the suspect.

When we openly discuss the problems facing security in Selma, we often point out all the problems. Rarely do we sit around coffee tables and discuss the successes.

The capture of a man police believe may have been involved in numerous Selma thefts means a lot more than people may know. That arrest, though it may seem minor, shows that progress has been made in our police department. Is shows law enforcement better understands how to work together.

More importantly, though, it proves the idea that patience is important. We’ve watched burglars rip our town apart. Now we’re watching the police department — and local leaders — piece our town back together.

As police begin cracking cases such as the one on Tuesday, more leads will become apparent, and more crimes will be solved. That’s not a task that can be solved overnight. We can’t expect law enforcement to snuff out every crime before it is committed.

However, the continued work of our police force — and the cooperation of our citizens — will help dissolve the security issue facing Selma.

As always, officers and deputies deserve a ton of credit for the life-threatening work they do every day. And as always, we must be patient as they instill and carry out a plan to make our streets safer.