A Look Inside the Latest Sioux Falls Crime Numbers
There is some good news and some bad news in the latest crime statistics for Sioux Falls.
Tuesday (February 18), Mayor Paul TenHaken, along with Police Chief Jon Thum, Minnehaha County State’s Attorney Daniel Haggar, and Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Jeff Gromer, released the 2024 crime numbers for South Dakota's largest city.
Two of the big takeaways from the report: as the population of the city increases (219,588 in 2024, compared to 213,891 in 2023), the number of police calls is also going up. Overall last year, there were 130,246 police service calls, which is an increase of nearly two percent from the previous year.
The most alarming spikes in the 2024 statistics came in two categories: homicides and drug seizures.
2024 was the deadliest on record in Sioux Falls with 16 homicides compared to just two in 2023.
As for drugs, there were significant increases in the amounts of cocaine (up more than 70%), fentanyl (up more than 60%), and heroin (up more than 45%) seized in the city last year compared to 2023.
Methamphetamine seizures were up nearly 20 percent.
There was a massive drop in the amount of marijuana seized in 2024, down more than 300 percent.
Another big drop came in the number of stolen cars reported in Sioux Falls. In 2024, there were 1,366 cars stolen in the city, which is down nearly 20 percent from the all-time high of 1,602 in 2023.
Overall, there were also slight dips in aggravated assaults and burglaries.
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Gallery Credit: Claire Epting