Is South Dakota More Violent Now, Then Ever Before?

I love living in Sioux Falls. I have really enjoyed traveling all around South Dakota.  And in my many excursions throughout the state, I have felt relatively safe.

After reading a recent article in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader I get a feeling that maybe we should be a bit more concerned about our safety. The piece pointed to a combination of guns, drugs, and addiction issues as being large contributing factors for the spike in historical violence.

Today's violence per capita in the state is higher than we saw in the days of Old West Deadwood and illegal booze running and gangsters of the 1930's.

Some things pointed out in the Argus Leader article:

South Dakota's violent crime rate doubled in the last decade to 383 per 100,000 residents in 2015, according to FBI statistics.

Deadwood during the gold rush was dangerous but not as violent as its lore, historians said, and illicit alcohol sales during prohibition did not produce the kind of violence the methamphetamine trade has.

The violent crime rate in the Sioux Falls metro area is now higher than rates in Fargo, Omaha, Lincoln and other similar cities in the region.

It does seem like we hear about some shooting, stabbing, or robbery in the local news almost every day.

So do you feel less safe in Sioux Falls and the surrounding area today than you did even a few years ago?

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