5 things we learned from 2018's South Dakota crime report

Katie Nelson
Argus Leader
Police on scene after a fatal shooting was reported in the area of 14th Street and Fourth Avenue in central Sioux Falls.

In 2018, South Dakota crime generally followed patterns set by previous years, according to new data released by the South Dakota Attorney General's Office. Murder numbers are down, but rape, kidnapping and other violent crimes are on the rise. Others, like drug arrests, have remained steady.

Here are the biggest takeaways from last year's report:

1. The total number of arrests have increased.

The total number of arrests crept slightly higher in 2018, topping out at 45,142 arrests, compared to 2017's 44,265. Most likely, this is partially due to the state's climbing population, which increased by 7,735 between 2017 and 2018.

2. Murders and murder arrests have decreased statewide.

The Attorney General's office recorded 12 homicides in 2018, down 40% from 20 the previous year. Arrests made in murder cases kept in step with that trend, going from 19 in 2017 to 11 in 2018.

Murders have steadily declined since 2015's record spike of 27, which was also the year the state saw a quintuple homicide.

More:2018 Sioux Falls homicides: Eight total, four drug-related

3. Rape arrests are down, but reported rapes have increased and children are the most victimized.

While the total number of arrests for rape has decreased from 57 in 2017 to 41 the next year, the same cannot be said for the number of reported rapes, which increased slightly from 467 to 490.

The age group with the highest number of victims were children under age 18, of which there were 194, while the age group with the second-highest numbers were adults between ages 20 and 24, of which there were 76.

4. Kidnapping arrests have increased.

Kidnapping arrests are at their highest in nearly 10 years, gradually trending upward from 13 in 2009 to 56 in 2018. While Native Americans only represent 15% of the total victims of crime in South Dakota, they represent 33% of kidnapping victims, second only to white people, who made up 49% of kidnapping victims.

5. Drug arrests have remained relatively the same from last year.

While cracking down on drug use and trade has been a primary focus of law enforcement for several years now, 2018's numbers show drug arrests have held steady since last year. A total of 8,205 drug-related arrests were made in 2018, negligibly fewer than 2017's 8,224 arrests. This is a marked departure from the previous six years, in which drug arrests rose by 49%, the Attorney General's Office notes.

More:Crime data: Police focus on meth, heroin busts over marijuana