Bob Smythe has been chief of police in Darby Borough a long time. He’s seen and heard just about it all.

But it’s what he’s seen – and what he’s not hearing – this week that has given him pause.

Earlier this week Smythe took a suspect into custody in connection with a vicious attack on a cat. It’s one of those cases that leaves you shaking your head. The little tabby was brutally beaten and then set on fire. Despite the efforts of vets, it could not be saved.

Then comes the real gut-punch. The suspect is 9 years old. Smythe didn’t even file charges against the kid. He turned him over to the county Children and Youth Services in hopes that he will get the help he needs.

Smythe then moved on to the next crisis in his tough little town.

A group of kids on bikes rode up to 17-year-old Ollie Cloyd Wednesday and night and opened fire. Cloyd, going into his senior year at Penn Wood High, was killed. He would have turned 18 next week.

It’s a shocking crime, leaving a family and a town in mourning.

But what’s happening now is equally as stunning.

Smythe believes there was no shortage of people who saw what happened or know something about the incident.

Cloyd had just walked his girlfriend home and was walking his dog. He was less than a block from his home when he was confronted by a group of teens on bikes.

Those gunshots spoke volumes about the problems in the borough. Now, so is the silence. Smythe has heard it before, both the gunshots and the silence. No one wants to get involved. No one is willing to come forward to talk to police.

A meeting has been set for next week at Borough Hall to talk about violence in the town. Residents shouldn’t wait that long. If they saw something, or know something, they should call Smythe today.

Ollie Cloyd deserves that.