By Mike Cason
Alabama Media Group
SELMA, Ala. — A Selma police officer wounded in an ambush early Sunday is recovering at home, but Selma Mayor Darrio Melton said the shooting is the latest example of why police need better equipment, including more protective vests.
Officer Micah Hale is expected to make a full recovery, Melton said. Hale was driving through downtown Selma after leaving the scene of a homicide when he was fired on by multiple weapons, police have said. The State Bureau of Investigation is working the case.
Melton called Hale “one of the most humble officers” on the force.
“You never hear any complaints from him,” Melton said. “Even when I visited him yesterday in the hospital. He said, ‘I signed up for hazardous duty and mayor I’m there with you. Whatever it takes to make sure we protect the citizens of Selma, that’s what we’re going to do.’”
Melton and Selma Police Capt. Natasha Fowlkes spoke to reporters and a crowd that gathered for a press conference outside City Hall. They talked about the need to convince the City Council to support additional funding for public safety and about their reliance on citizens to help stop crime.
“On four different occasions over six weeks, we’ve had officers who have been shot at,” Melton said.
Melton said Hale was not wearing a vest. He said the department does not have enough vests to protect all the officers.
“By the grace of God again, he’s still standing with us today,” Melton said.
Fowlkes said the attack on Hale marked a sad day in Selma. There were also two homicides in the city on Sunday, bringing the total to 11 for the year, four more than in all of last year. Fowlkes said the police need help.
“We need your eyes and your ears to help us do our job effectively,” Fowlkes said. “We rely on the citizens of Selma to relay information to us to help us put away these senseless individuals that don’t have a care for life.”
Melton wants the City Council to pass a 1 cent sales tax to support public safety, including a $1 million increase for the police department.
Earlier this month, gunmen fired about six to eight shots at two Selma police investigators called to the George Washington Carver Homes public housing community. The investigators escaped injury. A patrol car was struck.
Selma Police Chief Spencer Collier has called the attacks cowardly and has said his officers aren’t getting the equipment they need.
Melton said Collier was not at today’s press conference because he has been working for four days without sleep.