Viewpoint: Child Death Team does good - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Viewpoint: Child Death Team does good

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  • Wednesday, June 19 2013 10:56 AM EDT2013-06-19 14:56:42 GMT
    Ravi Mikel Givens was arrested Tuesday and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. He is being held in the Dougherty County jail. Givens, who played ball at Westover and Stetson
    Ravi Mikel Givens was arrested Tuesday and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
  • Wednesday, June 19 2013 10:16 AM EDT2013-06-19 14:16:37 GMT
    Demetria Porter, charged with causing the death of Ja' Kavion Davis, appeared before a judge at the Dougherty County jail this morning to hear the charges against her. She is charged with cruelty to a
    Demetria Porter, charged with causing the death of Ja' Kavion Davis, appeared before a judge at the Dougherty County jail this morning to hear the charges against her.
  • Wednesday, June 19 2013 9:45 AM EDT2013-06-19 13:45:09 GMT
    COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) - About 100 soldiers are scheduled to return to Fort Benning in Georgia after a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan. The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reports (http://bit.ly/17WfBX4) that
    About 100 soldiers are scheduled to return to Fort Benning in Georgia after a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan. The unit is made up of soldiers assigned at Fort Benning and medical personnel from throughout the Army.

Every death of a child is tragic, and every parent who goes through that tragedy deserves answers about what happened.  In Dougherty County, they get those answers from the Child Death Investigation Team.

Two weeks ago, a baby didn't wake up from a nap at daycare at Byne Memorial Child Development Center.  The next day a 14-year old boy was shot and killed in a home in southeast Albany.  In each case, that team that works out of the District Attorneys office immediately stepped in.

In the baby's case, they quickly determined the child had not been abused and there were no problems at the daycare.  A terribly unfortunate medical problem likely is to blame.

In the shooting death, the team worked with Albany police and quickly helped apprehend a suspect who is now charged with murder.

When a child dies, everything that can be done should be done to understand the circumstances, to determine if a crime was committed, and to hold anyone responsible accountable.  We're lucky that we have specially trained, dedicated professionals who make sure that happens.