FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, April 7, 2020
PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg released today the Crime in South Dakota 2019 report. This report is compiled annually by the Attorney General’s Criminal Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) and is the most accurate and comprehensive compilation of criminal statistics in the state as it reflects the actual arrest and reporting information by South Dakota law enforcement. Criminal statistics are an indispensable asset to aid in identifying trends in criminal activity which, in turn, assists in crime prevention and enforcement efforts across South Dakota.
“I am pleased to present the results of another year of hard work performed by our brave men and women of law enforcement,” said Ravnsborg. “Our state continues to be a safe place to live thanks to the strong work ethic of our law enforcement professionals. While these numbers illustrate that we can always work harder to strengthen our prevention, enforcement, and rehabilitative efforts in the areas of drug and alcohol addiction, overall, our partners in law enforcement are working hard to KEEP SOUTH DAKOTA SAFE.”
South Dakota law enforcement agencies reported a total of 45,770 arrests involving 78,082 offenses in 2019. More serious offenses accounted for a total of 20,767 arrests and include the following: murder (1st and 2nd degree)-15, sex offenses-96, assault-5,884, larceny/theft-2,143, fraud-767, drug/narcotic-8,139, prostitution-13, kidnapping-77, robbery-59, arson-15, burglary-302, motor vehicle theft-291, counterfeiting-174, embezzlement-27, stolen property-186, destruction of property-580, pornography/obscene material-31, and weapon law violations-281. Less serious offenses included the following, DUI-5,846 (6,087 in 2018), liquor law violations-1,917 and disorderly conduct-2,649.
Some of the statistics which can be found in the report include an 11% drop in larceny/theft arrests from 2018 numbers, while still accounting for more than $28 million worth of property crime loss. At the same time South Dakota has seen drug offense numbers staying relatively consistent from 2018 figures, affirming once again that while our law enforcement remains vigilant in the fight against illegal drugs within the state there is still work to be done to combat this issue.
For comparison purposes please note that some statistics reflect arrest numbers while others identify incident reports.
You can read the full report here.
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The Office of the Attorney General is the chief legal office for the State of South Dakota and provides legal advice to agencies, boards, and commissions of the State as well as representing the State in state and federal court. The Office of Attorney General also handles prosecutions, felony criminal appeals, civil matters, consumer protection issues, and issues formal opinions interpreting statutes for agencies of the state. Visit www.atg.sd.gov to learn more.
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CONTACT: Tim Bormann, Chief of Staff, Tim.Bormann@state.sd.us, (605) 773-3215
