It’s been a busy start to 2019 for law enforcement in the Greater Valley Area. We’re not even two weeks into the new year, but several serious crimes have already been reported in Chambers County.

Last week, Valley had its first murder of 2019. According to police, Patrick Shannon Templeton, 50, allegedly shot Justin Meadows following an altercation at Templeton’s home. Templeton has subsequently been charged with murder. In addition, three men were arrested in separate sexual assault incidents this week in Chambers County.

Just over the state line in Troup County, the sheriff’s office is investigating a horrific case — one where a newborn baby was found deceased in a portable cooler bag earlier this week on Boy Scout Road. The cause of death is still unknown, but an autopsy determined the child was a full-term, white female with no apparent signs of trauma or injury. The baby could have been anywhere from a few days to a few weeks old, according to Troup County Sheriff’s Sgt. Stewart Smith.

Throw in a couple of crimes around Christmas — a robbery at Capital City Bank in West Point and an unrelated robbery at Metro PCS — and the number of violent crimes that have taken place in a short timeframe can begin to feel overwhelming.

With that said, it’s important to remember that every community deals with crime. This isn’t something unique to Chambers County or Troup County, nor will it ever be.

But this feels like a good time to remind everyone that law enforcement relies heavily on the communities it serves. In just about every crime, someone knows what happened and who is responsible, and law enforcement needs those people to come forward consistently to apprehend those individuals.

The West Point Police Department is still looking for the man who robbed Capital City Bank. The sheriff’s office is still looking for answers in the case of the newborn baby. If you know what happened in either case, we urge you to come forward.

The police are our greatest resource against those who wish to do anybody harm. It’s an old saying, but it’s true. If you see something, say something. That ‘something’ should be in the form of a call to your local law enforcement agency.