We published a story Jan. 3 documenting the murders in Selma and Dallas County during 2015. The story ended by pointing out that there hadn’t been a murder in Selma since July 22, 2015, and that the city entered 2016 without a homicide in nearly six months.

Even with nine murders in 2015, the encouraging end to the year was something for Selma to be optimistic about heading into the new year.

Unfortunately, the day the story published we were informed of a shooting that took place on New Year’s Eve that resulted in the death of 44-year-old Mary Whatley.  The shooting brought the total number of murders in 2015 to 10, which equaled 2014’s total.

Just like that, we were reminded just how much work still needs to be done in Selma.

A shooting on New Year’s Eve is a terrible way to begin a new year, but we’re hoping it doesn’t set the tone for 2016.  Maybe this is the year where the murder rate and crime rate drop significantly, but if that’s going to be the case there’s work that must be done.

The Selma Police Department still has less officers than is recommended and budgeted for a city this size. The department budgets for 60 officers but only had 47 on staff in October.

The officers who do work for the department are underpaid and badly in need of a raise to be competitive with pay in nearby cities.

Due in part to the low pay scale, officer retention isn’t high.

The best way to combat crime is to get more police officers patrolling the streets. Nothing going on in Selma is more important than reducing the crime rate, which impacts how potential businesses and moving families view our city from the outside.

Another trend we’d like to see end this year is the number of unsolved murders in Selma and Dallas County.

We encourage anyone with information on any of the recent unsolved cases, including Whatley’s, to contact the Selma Police Department or Dallas County Sheriff’s Department.