That's a higher rate than 21% of US Police Departments.
We obtained data on 105 South Dakota police departments.
Scorecard at a Glance
Average for 4 Sections: 43%
Scores range from 0-100% comparing cities with 100-250k population. Cities with higher scores spend less on policing, use less force, are more likely to hold officers accountable and make fewer arrests for low-level offenses.
Police Funding: 60% | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Police Budget Cost per Person | ||||
Misconduct Settlements | ||||
Fines/Forfeitures | ||||
Police Presence/Over-Policing (Officers per Population) |
Police Violence: 63% | ||||
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Force Used per Arrest | ||||
Deadly Force per Arrest | ||||
Unarmed Victims of Deadly Force per Arrest | ||||
Racial Disparities in Deadly Force |
Police Accountability: 15% | ||||
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Misconduct Complaints Upheld | ||||
Excessive Force Complaints Upheld | ||||
Discrimination Complaints Upheld | ||||
Criminal Misconduct Complaints Upheld |
Approach to Law Enforcement: 34% | ||||
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Arrest Rate for Low Level Offenses | ||||
Homicides Solved | ||||
Racial Disparities in Drug Arrests |
Key Findings
4 Killings by Police
340 civilian complaints of police misconduct
10% were ruled in favor of civilians from 2013-21.
79,846 arrests made
65% of all arrests were for low-level, non-violent offenses from 2013-21.
Police Funding By Year
$36.79M | 156,915 Residents | $246 per Resident
More Police Funding per Capita than 23% of Depts
Source: US Census Bureau
Number of officers per 1k population
271 Officers | 17.3 per 10k Residents
More Officers per Population than 64% of Depts
Source: Federal LEOKA Database
Less-Lethal Force
Used More Force per Arrest than 28% of Depts
457 Incidents | 57 every 10k arrests | ▶+59%
Source: Police Department
Deadly Force
4 Killings by Police from 2013-21 | 0.5 every 10k arrests
^ More Killings by Police per Arrest than 21% of Depts
Source: Mapping Police Violence
Deadly Force by Armed Status
25% Unarmed | 50% Did Not Allegedly Have a Gun
^ More Unarmed People Killed per Arrest than N/A of Depts
Police Violence by Race
Population of Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls Police Dept Demographics
People Arrested
People Killed
Source: Uniform Crime Report, Mapping Police Violence, LEMAS
Total civilian complaints
340 from 2013-21 | 10% Ruled in Favor of Civilians
Use of Force Complaints
2 Reported | 0% Ruled in Favor of Civilians
Complaints of Police Discrimination
1 Reported | 0% Ruled in Favor of Civilians
Alleged Crimes Committed by Police
2 Reported | 0% Ruled in Favor of Civilians
Arrests By Year
79,846 Arrests Reported from 2013-2021
Arrests for Low Level Offenses
52,132 Arrests | 42 per 1k residents
^ Higher Arrest Rate for Low Level Offenses than 94% of Depts
Disparities in Arrests for Low Level Offenses by Race/Ethnicity
Black people were 5.8x more likely and Latinx people were 2.2x more likely to be arrested for low level, non-violent offenses than a white person.
Percent of total arrests by type
All Arrests for Low Level Offenses ( 65% )
Drug Possession ( 15% )
Violent Crime ( 4% )
Homicides Unsolved
44 Homicides from 2013-21 | 10 Unsolved
^ Solved Fewer Homicides than 59% of Depts
South Dakota Police Department Scores
Rankings are based upon a 0 to 100 percentage scale. Departments with higher scores use less force, make fewer arrests for low level offenses, solve murder cases more often, hold officers more accountable and spend less on policing overall.
Overall Scores for Depts where We Have Obtained the Most Data.
Tap "show more" to see extended list
Police Department | Score | 5YR |
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2. Rapid City 41% | ▶-16% | |
1. Sioux Falls 43% | ||
* Deadwood 36% | ▶-2% | |
* North Sioux City 40% | ▶+2% | |
* Mobridge 41% | ||
* Flandreau 41% | ▶+1% | |
* Sisseton 42% | ▶+5% | |
* Sturgis 43% | ▶-3% | |
▶+3% | ||
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Police Department | Score | 5YR |
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* Bonesteel 48% | ||
* Hot Springs 49% | ▶-2% | |
* Miller 49% | ▶-4% | |
* Martin 49% | ▶-5% | |
* Whitewood 49% | ▶-3% | |
* Estelline 49% | ▶-2% | |
* Lead 49% | ▶-8% | |
* Woonsocket 50% | ▶+2% | |
▶-6% | ||
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▶-13% | ||
▶-13% | ||
▶+6% | ||
▶-2% | ||
▶-1% |
* An asterisk indicates this location did not publish enough data to evaluate. Click below to add data to the Scorecard.
About This Scorecard
This is the first nationwide evaluation of policing in the United States. It was built using data from state and federal databases, public records requests to local police departments, and media reports. While police data is never perfect, and there are additional indicators that still need to be tracked, the Police Scorecard is designed to provide insight into many important issues in policing.
Police Scorecard is an independent 501(c)(3) organization, learn more about our team here. If you have feedback, questions about the project, or need support with an advocacy campaign, contact our Founder, Samuel Sinyangwe.
Use this Scorecard to identify issues within police departments that require the most urgent interventions and hold officials accountable for implementing solutions. For example, cities with higher rates of low level arrests could benefit most from solutions that create alternatives to policing and arrest for these offenses. In cities where police make fewer arrests overall but use more force when making arrests, communities could benefit significantly from policies designed to hold police accountable for excessive force. And cities where complaints of police misconduct are rarely ruled in favor of civilians could benefit from creating an oversight structure to independently investigate these complaints.
Here's how to start pushing for change
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Contact your Mayor and Police Chief, share your scorecard with them and urge them to enact policies to address the issues you've identified:
Advocacy Tip: We've identified problematic language in this city's police union contract that could make it harder to hold officers accountable. Learn more about this contract and how to change it at Nixthe6.org.
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Look up your state and federal representatives below, then tell them to take action to hold police accountable in your community.
Join a team of researchers, students, data scientists, activists and organizers working to collect, analyze and use data for justice and accountability.
Create data visualizations and content that raises awareness about solutions to the issues identified by the data.
What's Next
Step 1: COMPLETED
Obtain data on 100 California cities. Refine methodology in response to feedback from communities, researchers and local officials.
Step 2: COMPLETED
Expand to every major law enforcement agency in America and include additional indicators such as police budgets and jail incarceration.
Step 3: IN PROGRESS
Inform data-driven solutions nationwide. Update as new federal, state and local data are collected. Track progress and hold cities accountable to results.