Knock another campaign issue off Kristi Noem’s list… kinda, sorta. Attorney General Marty Jackley says South Dakotans committed fewer violent crimes in 2017:
“The crime statistics reflect that, overall, South Dakota remains a safe place to live as a result of strong community involvement and law enforcement efforts. Many categories of violent crime, including murder, kidnapping, and child pornography were down in 2017. However, the national drug epidemic continues to impact overall crime in South Dakota, with drug offense alone increasing 7.2% in 2017,” reported Attorney General Marty Jackley [Office of the Attorney General, press release, 2018.03.07].
Jackley gets his data from the new 181-page “Crime in South Dakota” report for 2017. The actual data show a little spin in Jackley’s press release.
The decrease in violent crime is pretty meager. We had one less murder—20 instead of 21, 6.9% fewer aggravated assaults, but 0.4% more simple assaults. We had a couple more arsons, a baker’s dozen more intimidations, and two more (up from 10 to 12) instances of animal cruelty.
The A.G. notes in his press release that sex offenses and forcible rapes in 2017 were below the ten-year average. However, his own notes in the full report state that forcible rape rose 13.9%, from 410 reported cases in 2016 to 467 reported cases in 2017.
Drug crimes are up, but plain old driving under the influence, a clear threat to all of us, also rose, from 6,427 in 2015 and 6,606 in 2016 to 6,671 in 2017.
The A.G. also breaks the data down by town. Here in Aberdeen, total reported offenses increased 7.0%, from 3,072 in 2016 to 3,286 in 2017. Rape was up in Aberdeen, but sodomy was down. Following the state trend, aggravated assault went down in the Hub City, but simple assault went up. Drug, DUI, and liquor law offenses went up, as did “other offenses.” Shoplifting jumped and theft from buildings went up, but theft from cars went down.
Expect Kristi Noem to keep talking about a ten-year trend showing an increase in violent crime in South Dakota. Expect Jackley to keep pointing out that all but five of South Dakota’s sheriffs have endorsed him for Governor.
There is a sodomy law in SD? Ohferpetessake.