Pennington County sheriff releases 2022 report

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office released its 2022 annual report, highlighting crime statistics, and trends.

You can review the annual report at this link.

“Our goal is public safety for all. That is priority number one!” said Sheriff Brian Mueller, in a release. “We provide critical services to this region, always striving to be the best stewards of your tax dollars. We publish this annual report to promote transparency and encourage community participation in our efforts.”

Here are some of the takeaways from the report:

Overall, arrests are also down. Last year Pennington County deputies made 3,323 arrests. In 2021, they made 4,439 arrests.
The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office handled one murder last year. But when you combine Rapid City and Box Elder, there were nine murders in 2022. That was down from 16 in 2021 and 14 in 2020.
Other violent crimes, such as sexual and aggravated assaults, were up last year. There were also 1,854 domestic violence cases in 2022.
Methamphetamine continues to be the biggest drug problem in the county; but according to the report, 2022 saw a “dramatic increase of fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills.” Drug overdoses, fatal and non-fatal, were also up.
DUI arrests – 232 (down from 2021′s 309)
Fatal traffic crashes – 17 (down from 27 the year before; but car/pedestrian deaths were five, compared to just two in 2021)