Sioux Falls speeding crackdown, tougher penalties target high-speed drivers, racers

It’s “by far the bigger complaint” law enforcement receives, officers said.

“Without a doubt, the single biggest complaint we hear on a very regular basis in town references speeding and reckless driving,” said Lt. Andrew Siebenborn of the Sioux Falls Police Department.

“We knew we needed to try to figure out what we could do to increase our enforcement or better enforce those laws over the course of the last several years.”

Mayor Paul TenHaken called out the issue in a semiannual city public safety briefing this fall, calling it a “big win,” with the city “doubling and tripling down on the number of saturation patrols.”

With the help of grant funding, seven larger saturation efforts focused specifically on speeding were done from May through September, two more than last year.

Those patrols resulted in 1,413 citations, compared with 775 for the same time last year — things like exhibition driving, including speeding and noise-related issues, TenHaken said, specifically mentioning along Veterans Parkway. There were 153 arrests during the saturation events, compared with 60 last year.

While the speed limit is 50 mph, “without a doubt, there’s people traveling on that roadway well over 100 miles per hour,” Siebenborn said. “Oftentimes, there’s unnecessary engine noises, and … they’re racing, they’re zipping through traffic and going from one lane to the other.”

In reality, though, “it’s citywide,” Siebenborn said. “Veterans gets a lot of attention, but really there’s high-speed driving and racing on any of the major thoroughfares.”

Other problem areas include 41st, 57th and 69th streets, Louise Avenue and Ellis Road.

“We want them to know we’re out there, and we’re going to stop you and cite you, and it’s going to be a really expensive mistake for you and most importantly keep our community safe,” Siebenborn said. “Speed is one of the singular biggest causations of all our very serious and fatal crashes, along with impaired driving, so we’ll have very limited tolerance for this.”

Citing a driver is just one step in the process, though. To better inform prosecutions, the city has started inviting representatives of the Minnehaha and Lincoln county state’s attorney offices to ride along during speeding enforcement.

“They can see in person what we’re dealing with and what a car or motorcycle really looks like doing 90 miles per hour down 57th Street in a 40 mile-per-hour zone,” Siebenborn said. “I think they’ve appreciated that partnership.”

It has been eye-opening, said Rob Bolger, deputy state’s attorney in Minnehaha County.

“It gives you a very different perspective,” he said. “We have the luxury of reading the report on a black and white piece of paper … and seeing the things that go with the report gives us a much better total impression. I think no matter where you live in Sioux Falls, you can hear racing going on any time of day.”

With the help of the city’s real-time information center, police also are able to monitor the roads during a saturation — both to track driving behavior and help officers find drivers to cite once they’ve fled.

“I think a lot of people in Sioux Falls still have the impression it’s a small town and this isn’t happening, but it’s becoming a bigger issue,” Bolger said.

State law has been changed to enhance the punishment for street racing, making it punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine. If it’s an organized race, that goes up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine. Organizers of such events can face a felony punishable by up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

“The definition of street racing is pretty broad under state statute and can involve exhibition driving,” Minnehaha County State’s Attorney Daniel Haggar said.

“Our offers have reflected the severity of the problem. People are coming in and being offered maximum fines, which historically doesn’t happen. We’re asking for jail time, and we’re seeing success in court with those.”

State law also provides a way to place a civil lien on the vehicle of someone who is not caught, he said.

“If you have a motorcycle that takes off and we can identity a license plate number, we can try and attach a civil lien to that vehicle, and a lot of times that will lead to a successful investigation,” Haggar said.

The plan going into 2026 “is to continue a large amount of these (saturation patrols) along with our continued enforcement as well,” Siebenborn said. “As weather changes, at least as it relates to motorcycles, we see less and less, so to get the best return on investment, we focus from May through September. Each year, they’ve gotten better and better, and this year, quite frankly, I think we knocked it out of the park with our ability to continue good relationships with area partners.”

Officers dedicated to enforcing speeding and reckless driving laws are still out patrolling daily.

Ideally, the public would play a role too, Siebenborn said.

“I don’t think it’s a secret most people know who these folks are — who the habitual offenders are who are racing and driving fast,” he said. “We need to let them know. Lean on that person, and tell them to stop that behavior because we’ve seen very tragic consequences and we don’t want anyone to get hurt. The injuries that result because of this are 100 percent preventable.”