City officials: Recent data shows ‘crime is very manageable’

Despite a rise in homicides, violent crime per capita in Sioux Falls is at its lowest level since before the pandemic, according to city crime data reported today.

“Crime is very manageable in this city,” Mayor Paul TenHaken said.

“And the work of our partners, the Sioux Falls PD and our partner agencies we work with is extremely effective.”

The statistic he watches most closely is violent crime per capita, he said, “because as we’re growing by 5,000, 6,000, 7,000 people a year, we are going to have more crime. You just will as you have more people.”

Violent crime, at 5.88 per 1,000 people, is down from 6.21 last year and at its lowest level since 2019 when it was 4.98.

“The data is telling us it’s still a very safe and livable community,” TenHaken said.

Property crime steadily has ticked up per capita since 2017.

Calls for service have risen above 89,000 so far this year through August, after holding steady at about 86,000.

There are some proactive reasons for that, though, TenHaken said.

“We’re doing a lot more with traffic, with nuisance driving and we’re encouraging more people to report things – see something, say something, so we know what’s going on, and that’s been successful so we’ve had more calls for service,” he said.

There have been eight homicides in Sioux Falls through September, versus two last year and six in 2022. The last time the city hit eight was 2020, when there were a total of 13 for the year.

“I hate to say we’re average of where we should be for the city of Sioux Falls,” assistant police chief Nick Cook said. “We would love to see that number lower — no bar — but with a city our size, it’s just kind of what we have been dealing with.”

While police are still working through some open homicide cases, they each “have their own set of circumstances,” Cook added.

As those cases move through the justice system, “I have a tremendous amount of confidence in the investigation that our law enforcement does,” Minnehaha County state’s attorney Daniel Haggar said.

“It feels like a big deal when you have a lot of homicide in a short period of time … but know that we have good law enforcement, they’re investigating those cases well, and they’re presenting my office with the best case we can get to prosecute.”

Through August, the city had 377 aggravated assaults versus 429 last year and 375 two years ago.

“We’re kind of in the middle,” Cook said. “There’s really no great explanation.”

Domestic assaults totaled 308 through August versus 276 last year and 313 two years ago. Cook credited relationships with nonprofits for helping keep assault numbers down and supporting victims.

There were 56 reported rape cases through August compared with 49 last year and 58 two years ago.

Robberies are trending down, at 84 versus 95 last year and 115 two years ago.

“We had the spike two years ago, which had a lot of victim-on-victim crime, transient-on-transient crime,” Cook said. “Gratefully we’re seeing a slight decline in that.”

Lowering violent crime requires a community effort, Haggar said.

“Please cooperate with law enforcement. Tell them what you saw. That’s how we can, as a community, really combat that violent crime. If you say ‘I’m not going to tolerate that in my neighborhood,’ they will quickly run out of a place to commit that crime.”

The city has focused attention in recent years on stolen vehicles, including a recent marketing campaign reminding people to lock their vehicles.

Stolen vehicle reports are down nearly 10 percent, which is key because stolen vehicles often are used in other crimes or provide thieves with weapons left inside them.

“I would like to think the community is doing their part to help lower this,” Cook said. “Is 950 stolen cars in nine months a lot? Absolutely. We can do better, but I think we’re doing a great job with a great start the last couple months.”

TenHaken also called attention to the number of completed suicides, which is at 19 through August versus 27 for the same time last year.

“We’re back down to a more normal level,” he said. “Is that still too many? Absolutely.”

Call 988 with mental health challenges and don’t be afraid to ask others if they’re having suicidal thoughts, TenHaken said.