Rapid City Police Department 2012 Annual Report

Rapid City Police DepartmentAnnual Report 2012

CONTENTS

03051113141718

Chief’s Message

Year in Review

About RCPD

Chain of Command

New Hires

21222427313238

Awards

By the Numbers

Budget

Calls for Service

Major Crimes

4142454648

Arrests

Use of Force

Sector Summaries

Street Crimes

RCPD Annual Report 2012 1

Traffic Enforcement

Criminal Investigations

School Liaisons

Evidence

QA Survey

hat has not changed is our commitment to the community, our mission and our belief that even though there is risk...it’s worth it. Our officers know of the risks firsthand; they see it every day with their eyes, they feel it every day with their minds, and they overcome it every day with their hearts. They strap on their

equipment and show up, ready to carry out their duties. Why? Because it’s worth it and we owe it to you.

W

2 RCPD Annual Report 2012

-Chief Allender chiefsview.com

CHIEF’S MESSAGE

I am pleased to present the Rapid City Police Department’s 2012 annual report. In our line of work, there are many activities that occur throughout a normal year, but that’s normal for us, not necessarily normal our citizens.

As you read the following pages, I hope you will come to be as proud of the men and women of our department as I am. I believe you will get a feel for the many hours of hard work, the difficult and sometimes thankless job to be done, and most of all the pride and enthusi-asm shared by our employees as they serve the citizens of this great community day after day.

Providing law enforcement services can be a challenging endeavor, especially as com-munity priorities fluctuate and new problems arise. We find ourselves planning and working in a changing environment. We constantly ad-just our priorities, strategies and resources to meet the needs of the community. One thing


that doesn’t change is our core beliefs, which state:

Service: above and beyond the callWe will utilize our resources in an effective, efficient manner to achieve a safe environ-ment for residents and visitors.

Community: personal and professional com-mitmentWe will commit to the community and work to-gether to achieve a safe and healthy quality of life.

Integrity: begins at homeWe will prepare and equip our members through training, education, and both person-al and professional development to safeguard themselves, to be accountable to the citizens they serve and to make sound, ethical deci-sions.

2012 was the second consecutive year for an increase in violent crime in our City. A great

deal of time, en-ergy and resourc-es will go into the efforts to com-bat this problem and we will only be successful with the help of our community members.

Having a support-ive community is a force-multiplier in our business. Police and community work-ing hand-in-hand is something I value greatly, and frankly something that only a portion of Police Chiefs get to experience. There are many things going right in Rapid City, and I am proud to enjoy them with you.

Thank you for your continued support. I look forward to working with you in 2013.

Steve AllenderChief of Police

Lt. Hedrick and otherRCPD officers eat

lunch with studentsat Horace Mann

Elementary.

YEAR IN REVIEW

Jan. 10: A traffic stop on East Saint Patrick Street leads to a high-speed pursuit through town. Police deploy road spikes, causing the slow deflation of one of the suspect’s tires. He eventually comes to a stop on the I-90 on-ramp at LaCrosse Street. The suspect emerges from the vehicle with a handgun, and fires at the officers. Two RCPD officers and a SD Highway Patrol trooper return fire, striking the suspect twice. No officers are injured in the shooting, and the suspect is later arrested and sen-tenced to 70 years in prison.

Feb. 21: Eight new officers join the RCPD.

March 5: Police arrest five men following an overnight crime spree that includes a beer theft, armed robbery of a convenience store, residential burglary and a police pursuit with shots fired. The suspects are located in a vehicle on Catron Boulevard, and the pursuit reaches high speeds. At one point, the suspect vehicle swerves into an oncoming lane, driving head-on at an approaching ambulance carry-ing a patient. The suspects fire a handgun at the officers during the pursuit. Officers return

fire, and no one is hit. When the suspect ve-hicle finally stops, four men flee on foot. All are located and arrested on various charges. The suspects’ handgun is recovered, and is discov-ered to be a CO2-powered weapon.

March 13: The RCPD and RCFD are featured on an episode of “When Vacations Attack” on the Travel Channel about an August 2011 car-diac arrest call. The three responding officers use a defibrillator and CPR to save the man’s life. The officers are later awarded the depart-ment’s life-saving medal for their actions.

March 21: Police investigate the death of a man found near the railroad tracks on East North Street. The cause of death is determined to be blunt force trauma to the head. Despite a reward offered for information leading to an arrest, the case remains unsolved.

April 17: Police arrest a SDSMT student after he leaves a threatening letter at the college. After discovering the letter, school officials im-mediately contact police to conduct a threat assessment. Together, police and school offi-

cials find the suspect and work to ensure the continued safety of all students at the school.

April: K9 Xander joins the department, part-nering with K9 Officer Jason LaHaie. Xander is a Dutch Shepherd, and is certified as a dual-purpose canine. His arrival brings the depart-ment back to three K9s.

April 26: Police investigate a stabbing in the Walmart parking lot. The first responding of-ficer finds a 30-year-old female with multiple stab wounds. The officer chases the attacker north to a hotel, where he locks himself in a bathroom with a knife. When police make en-try, they find the suspect with self-inflicted stab wounds. The pregnant female victim dies at the hospital. The suspect, later determined to be the victim’s boyfriend, is arrested for mur-der and fetal homicide.

April 28: Police investigate a shooting on Sig-nal Drive. The suspect had asked the male vic-tim for a cigarette before shooting the victim in the head and fleeing on foot. Police set up a

(continued)


January February March April

perimeter and find the suspect hiding in thick brush. He refuses to come out, and police de-ploy a K9. Even after he’s bitten, the suspect refuses to comply. Police then shoot the sus-pect with three less-lethal bean bag rounds, and he finally complies. The suspect is arrest-ed for attempted murder.

May 9: Law enforcement from across the state attend the annual Law Enforcement Memorial Service in Pierre. Members of the RCPD Honor Guard assist in laying a wreath at the state law enforcement memorial at Capitol Lake, where the names of Officer Ryan McCandless and Of-ficer Nick Armstrong are added.

May 15: RCPD officers and other law enforce-ment officers participate in the Law Enforce-ment Torch Run for Special Olympics, bringing the Flame of Hope to the site of the state sum-mer games.

May 14-18: RCPD representatives attend Po-lice Memorial Week in Washington D.C., where Officer McCandless and Officer Armstrong are added to the national memorial.

June 26-29: The Police Department and Fire Department face off in the seventh annual Guns ‘n Hoses blood drive. At the end of four days, the drive collects 862 units of life-saving blood for the community. The RCFD wins the competition by a mere four units, taking the trophy home for another year.

July 8: Hundreds of cars and thousands of spectators turn out for the second annual Cruiser Car Show & Street Fair in downtown Rapid City. The event is sponsored by the department and Destination Rapid City, and brings several thousand people out for a day of family entertainment. In addition to live en-tertainment, kids’ activities, vendors, and a K9 demonstration, awards are handed out for the top cars in a variety of classes. Floyd Opp takes home the Chief’s Choice Award, aka the Golden Doughnut, for his ‘68 Dodge Charger.

July: A group of RCPD officers and other law enforcement officers from across the country hike Harney Peak for the 2012 South Dakota Cops on Top hike, in honor of fallen officers na-tionwide.

July 27: The RCPD Police Explorers compete in the annual Cadet Challenge in Pierre, earning top honors. The cadets win the Thomas L. Hen-nies Law Enforcement Explorer Challenge Cup for the second time.

August 2: The community reflects on the one-year anniversary of the shooting that killed Officer McCandless and Officer Armstrong. Honor Guard members stand watch over the memorial at Greenbriar and Anamosa Streets in silence from 4 p.m. until dark. A new memo-rial wall is also installed in the Public Safety Building lobby, to honor all of the department’s officers killed in the line of duty.

August 16: Police investigate the death of a 2-year-old girl. The child had been left in the care of her mother’s boyfriend. The teen is ar-rested for aggravated child abuse and second degree murder.

August 25: Hundreds of community members participate in the first annual Heroes Wear Blue 5k, organized by the Fraternal Order of Police and Fraternal Order of Police Wives’ Club.

YEAR IN REVIEW


May June July August

YEAR IN REVIEW


September October November December

Sept 6: A large group of RCPD employees par-ticipate in the United Way Day of Caring, form-ing two teams to help four homeowners. They spend the day trimming trees, clearing debris, mowing, cutting shrubs, cleaning gutters, and painting.

Sept. 7: The department conducts its first virtual ridealong on Twitter (coining the term ‘Tweetalong’) allowing the public to follow along with a patrol shift in real time.

Sept. 25: Police respond to a shooting on Riley Court, finding a 21-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds. Investigation reveals the man forced entry to the home and beat the homeowner severely with a blunt object before the homeowner shot and killed him. The death is determined to be justifiable homicide, and no charges are filed.

Oct. 1: After two years of success in the down-town area, the Street Crimes Unit doubles in size and spreads to North Rapid. The unit is tasked with using proactive policing methods to address problems in residential neighbor-

hoods in North Rapid. The North SCU focuses on strengthening the community and support-ing owner-occupied housing, in addition to tackling crime and disorder.

Oct. 15: Five new officers join the RCPD.

Oct. 22: Police respond to a robbery in the Best Buy parking lot. A man with a handgun threat-ened a subject in the parking lot and stole his car, leading police on a high-speed chase on Interstate 90. The South Dakota Highway Pa-trol and Meade County Sheriff’s Office assist in the pursuit, which ends when the suspect rolls his vehicle. The suspect is later arrested for robbery, aggravated assault, grand theft, and eluding law enforcement.

Nov. 7: Police are called to an apartment for a possible shooting. A male inside the apart-ment told police he killed his girlfriend, and refused to cooperate further. The Rapid City/Pennington County Special Response Team makes entry to the home and finds both the man and his girlfriend inside with gunshot

wounds. Both died at the scene.

Dec. 8: Police and Fire face off in the sixth an-nual broomball game to raise donations for Toys for Tots. After a close game, the RCPD wins 1-0 to reclaim the Golden Broom.

Dec. 19: Police arrest two men following a string of armed robberies. The men attempted to rob a convenience store, payday loan cen-ter, and a restaurant before they were located and arrested, though they were unable to se-cure any cash from their targets.

Dec. 20: RCPD and Tribal law enforcement pair up to provide security at the Lakota Na-tion Invitational. The RCPD and Oglala Sioux Tribe Public Safety have been building a rela-tionship for several years, and take it a step further this year by encouraging OST officers to ride along with the RCPD on shift. Greater cooperation benefits both departments.

K9 Officer Sean Doyle and K9 Magnum perform

a narcotic detection demonstration at Main

Street Square.

ABOUT RCPD

Members of the Rapid City Police Depart-ment are committed to excellence in public safety and are dedicated to the people, tradi-tions and diversity of our city. We will provide community-enhancing services, foster a positive relationship with the community and develop our agency and officers with an em-phasis on professionalism, integrity and ser-vice.

OUR CORE VALUESService: Above and Beyond the CallWe will utilize our resources in an effective, efficient manner to achieve a safe environment for residents and visitors.

Community: Personal and Professional CommitmentWe will commit to the community and work together to achieve a safe and healthy quality of life.

Integrity: Begins at HomeWe will prepare and equip our members through training, education, and both personal and professional development, to be accountable to the citizens they serve and to make sound, ethical decisions.

OUR MISSION OUR RESPONSIBILITIES

• Respond to calls for service by citizens of the City.

• Resolve problems, concerns, and issues of the citizens of the City as they relate to matters of law enforcement and qual-ity of life.

• Prevent crime and delinquency through comprehensive 24-hour police patrol.

• Respond to requests for assistance by County and State agencies.

• Maintain public order and safety through the arrest of violators of the law.

• Maintain orderly traffic flow and resolve traffic violations.

• Educate the public in prevention and the requirements of and conformance with the law.

• Maintain records and reports of all activities of the agency.• Cooperate with other agencies in the

analysis of data to plan and coordinate future crime prevention and public safety activities.

The RCPD has been continuously accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) since 1990.

Our department was the 150th police organi-zation in the nation to receive accreditation, and we are still the only accredited agency in South Dakota.

Accredited status represents a significant achievement, recognizing that an institution meets or exceeds general expectations of quality in the field. Accreditation acknowledg-es the use of policies that are both conceptu-ally sound and operationally effective.

The department last completed an on-site assessment in 2010, earning our sixth re-accreditation award and the designation as a Flagship Agency. The next on-site accredi-tation assessment will take place in March 2013.

ACCREDITATION


K9 Officer Jason LaHaieasks a student actor

to perform fieldsobriety tests at

Freshman Impact.

CHAIN OF COMMAND

• Police Records• Professional Standards• Accreditation• Crime Analysis• Training• Special Operations• Parking Enforcement• Community Relations• Accounting & Purchasing

Doug ThrashCaptainInvestigations

Dan RudCaptainField Services

• Property Crimes• Crimes Against Persons• Evidence• School Liaisons• Internet Crimes Against Children• Unified Narcotics Enforcement

• Patrol• Street Crimes Unit• K9 Unit• Accident Investigations


Steve AllenderChief of Police

Karl JegerisAssistant ChiefSupport Services

NEW HIRES

(1) Officer Ryan Gebhard(2) Officer Nick Davis(3) Officer John Arneson(4) Officer John Peebles(5) Officer Dale Ackland(6) Officer Jerrell Lewellen(7) Officer Chris Wendt


(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)

(8) Officer Philip Koch(9) Officer William Hullopeter(10) Officer Kerry Engel(11) Officer Nicholas Strampe(12) Evidence Director Dr. Richard Bleil(13) Police Support Technician Megan Alfson(14) K9 Xander

(8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14)

Chief Allender and Assistant Chief Jegerisdoing yardwork for the

United Way DayOf Caring.

AWARDS

RETIREMENTS


(1) Captain Dan Rud: ESGR Patriotic Employer Award (2) Dr. Richard Bleil: ESGR Patriotic Employer Award(3) Officer Ryan Phillips: Exceptional Duty Medal(4) Officer Mark Weyer: MADD Award(5) Police Cadets: Thomas Hennies Law Enforcement Explorer Cup

(1) (2) (3) (4)

(1) (2) (3)

(1) Captain Deb Cady(2) Lieutenant Dave Stratton(3) Lieutenant Tom Vlieger

THE YEAR IN NUMBERS


11,277Total arrests

237Stolen vehicles

745Car burglaries

632Pounds of prescription drugs collected

981Crosswalk citations

878DUI arrests

522Arrests and citations for consuming in public

27Police pursuits

13Police pursuits with intoxicated suspect behind the wheel


1.Disturbance2. 911 Hang-Up3. Accident

Top calls for service (citizen-initiated)

4TH OF JULYSingle day with most calls for service

FRIDAYDay of the week with most calls for service

150Full-time employees

13New hires

1,480Hours each new officer spends in training before working alone

32Most years of service by a single RCPD employee

26Citizens’ Police Academy grads

3K9s

TWO DOZENDonuts consumed in celebration of National Donut Day


2012 BUDGET

$11,139,453Total 2012 RCPD Budget:

$138,542,296Total 2012 City Budget:

8%RCPD Share of Total City Budget:


CALLS FOR SERVICE

Calls for Service 2011 2012911 Hang up 4,013 4,026Accident 4,034 3,818Alarm 3,175 1,866Assault 2,344 2,461Burglary 1,772 2,134Child Abuse/Neglect 742 816Disturbance 5,451 5,414Destruction of Private Property 1,510 1,616Request for Extra Patrol 412 389Fight 726 702Injury Accident 644 461Intoxicated Driver 1,318 1,290Intoxicated Subject 2,135 2,327Noise Disturbance 954 999Robbery 54 59Shoplifting 642 687Stabbing 49 29Suspicious Activity 3,395 3,380Theft 3,106 3,087

Common Call Types (Citizen-Initiated)

86,89986,209

52,90856,109

139,807142,318

Officer-Initiated Calls

Citizen-Initiated Calls

Total Calls for Service

20122011


Lt. Hedrick, Lt. Olson and community volunteers

spend a Saturdaymorning cleaning

up the creek.


MAJOR CRIMES

*2012 numbers are preliminary, awaiting verification from the FBI.All numbers above are based on actual crime reports filed, not calls for service.

Murder

Rape

Robbery

AggAssault

Burglary

Theft

StolenVehicles

Arson

2012*20112010

53

2

10299

91

5657

59

207278

252

567

560518

2,8852,244

2,178

237156

127

159

8


ADULT ARRESTS

Common Arrest Charges 2011 2012Robbery (First, Second Degree) 18 16Aggravated Assault Against Law Enforcement 3 2Aggravated Assault - Domestic Violence 45 51Aggravated Assault 51 44Simple Assault Against Law Enforcement 36 34Simple Assault - Domestic Violence 467 399Simple Assault 156 128Threatening Law Enforcement 60 80Burglary (First, Second, Third Degree) 85 68Shoplifting 563 581Car Burglary 30 25Vandalism 98 96Resisting Arrest 56 42Obstructing Police 77 84Disorderly Conduct 177 191DUI 827 859Consuming in Public 686 406Liquor - Minor - Purchase/Possession/Consumption 503 346

9,752Total adult arrests in 2011:

9,101Total adult arrests in 2012:


JUVENILE ARRESTS

Common Arrest Charges 2011 2012Robbery (First, Second Degree) 1 3Aggravated Assault - Domestic Violence 4 2Aggravated Assault 4 2Simple Assault Against Law Enforcement 7 3Simple Assault - Domestic Violence 28 34Simple Assault 36 37Threatening Law Enforcement 8 10Burglary (First, Second, Third Degree) 5 7Shoplifting 263 196Car Burglary 7 13Vandalism 11 15Resisting Arrest 13 10Obstructing Police 15 17Disorderly Conduct 28 29DUI 18 17Disturbance of School 27 25Liquor - Minor - Purchase/Possession/Consumption 308 240

1,997Total juvenile arrests in 2011:

2,176Total juvenile arrests in 2012:


USE OF FORCE

RCPD officers are tasked with enforcing the law and protecting the citizens of Rapid City. Occasionally, when a subject is non-compli-ant, an officer will have to use force to ensure the safety of the subject, the officer, or the public.

According to RCPD policy, officers shall use only the force that is reasonably necessary to overcome resistance from a person being taken into custody, to stop an assault of a third person, in self-defense, or as reasonable and necessary to perform their police func-tions.

The officer’s level of force is dependent upon the level of resistance from the subject. In 2012, police used force (anything greater than verbal direction) in 484 separate inci-dents.

80%of the subjects involved

were male.


were between the ages of 18-26.

Total Use of Force incidents in 2012:

484129

Incidents where officers displayed a Taser:

21Incidents where officers

fired a Taser:

122Incidents where officers displayed a duty pistol:

1Incidents where officers

fired a duty pistol:

43Incidents with

K9 display:

2Incidents with

K9 bite:


were under theinfluence.


SECTOR SUMMARY - NORTH

Lt. Don Hedrick

on Willsie Avenue. This residence was donat-ed to NeighborWorks and we assisted with the tear-down process. The recovered lumber was utilized at the Lemmon Avenue Garden.

NeighborWorks also hosted their annual “Re-vive 5/ Paint the Town” event and we helped paint two owner-occupied residences where the residents were unable to paint. Sgt. De-Groote and Sr. Officer Terviel also donated their time to repair the steps of an elderly woman on Lemmon Avenue. Her previous stairway was in rough shape and nearly unusable. Community involvement in all of these projects was crucial for success.

Substandard Housing

North Sector Officers continued to work with Building Inspectors, Code Enforcement Offi-cers, and the City Attorney’s Office to hold the owners of substandard rental properties ac-countable. We identified several residences with unsafe or unhealthy living conditions and the City of Rapid City is involved in court pro-ceedings to ensure these residences are fixed properly. Many of these problem residences were discovered by RCPD officers during rou-tine calls for service. It is a relief to know resi-dences like these are currently unoccupied.

Clean-Up Projects

North Sector officers partnered with the Roo-sevelt Park Neighborhood Watch Group for the Annual Rapid Creek Clean-Up. This year the clean-up team focused on the area of the creek west of E. Blvd. It was great to see the community take ownership of Rapid Creek; volunteers from all walks of life came out to pick up garbage and cut down weeds.

Later in the year we also teamed up with the community to tackle the drainage ditch in be-tween E. Philadelphia and Spruce St. Clean-up of this area was long overdue, as we removed a full dumpster of garbage from the ditch. Dur-ing the clean-up we noticed an unintentional side effect; neighbors in the area also decided to clean-up their yards, trees, and streets!

Community Partnerships

The North Sector Team stayed busy this year keeping the College Park area well maintained. We partnered with NeighborWorks America to accomplish several big projects that directly affected the quality of life of those living in the area.

We assisted with the demolition of a residence

Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Due to the new construction of a large apartment building just west of the campus called Rocker Square, additional enforcement became nec-essary. Although it was somewhat of a danger-ous intersection to cross initially, crosswalk ed-ucation and enforcement has created a much safer environment for pedestrians.

School Safety

Parents and staff at several area schools have voiced concerns about traffic safety near the schools. Robbinsdale Elementary and Valley View Elementary were each given special at-tention from the sector officers. The officers met with school staff and employees from the Public Works Division to formulate a plan to manage traffic safety. The combination of en-forcement and high visibility before and after school has contributed to a safer environment for the students.


SECTOR SUMMARY - SOUTH

Lt. Mark Eisenbraun

SDSMT Partnership

The Rapid City Police Department maintains a positive relationship with the staff and stu-dents at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Over the last year officers from the police department have participated in various events at the school. Officer Carl-son attended a celebration called “Diwali.” This is a popular holiday in India, where some of the students are from. Officer Carlson en-joyed traditional Indian food and got to share a table with a number of international students. In addition to this, several officers have given presentations to the students on drugs, alco-hol, and safety.

Pedestrian Safety

The department’s Crosswalk Campaign be-gan in 2011 and is still going strong. One new area of focus was the campus at South

http://www.facebook.com/LtEisenbraun


SECTOR SUMMARY - CENTRAL

Lt. Peter Ragnone

Pedestrian Safety

Our department initiated a pedestrian safety campaign in 2011, and we have continued our efforts to increase pedestrian safety and awareness particularly in the downtown sec-tor. This sector has the highest volume of foot traffic in Rapid City as it serves as a business and entertainment district for citizens. In 2011, city wide there was a total of 27 car/pe-destrian accidents. Last year the number de-creased to 17. The enforcement of crosswalks in the downtown area yielded 1,070 citations and warnings.

Summer Nights

Attendance at Summer Nights events has in-creased by an estimated 20-25%. Although we saw a greater number of attendees at events, arrests and disturbances did not increase and the most significant problem reported by sec-tor officers were unsupervised juveniles and skateboarding. As a result of demand for the popular event, Main Street Square hosted “Au-

tumn Nights” on Thursday evenings through the month of September after Summer Nights had concluded for the season. Autumn Nights had thousands in attendance over the four nights of the event with no arrests, disturbanc-es, or injuries reported.

Main Street Square

The Square had a busy year with more than 150 events and about a half a million visitors. There were no arrests at the events and the most significant issue occurred when the park-ing ramp was “full.” Without a ramp atten-dant, motorists didn’t know whether the ramp was full until they reached the top level and become gridlocked with other vehicles. Un-til a permanent solution is found, the Square requests the assistance of the Police Cadets to monitor parking and close the ramp as ap-propriate. This problem surfaces on Thursday nights during the summer and only a few times otherwise over the year at major events (pa-rade of lights, fireworks, etc).

http://www.facebook.com/LtRagnone


STREET CRIMES UNIT

The Street Crimes Unit was introduced in April 2010 to reduce crime in downtown Rapid City. SCU officers focused on proactive policing and finding creative so-lutions to issues rang-ing from panhandling to aggravated assaults.

After two years, calls for service in Rapid City’s central sector decreased significantly.

The RCPD hoped to continue that success by expanding the SCU. Thanks to a federal COPS hiring grant, we boosted the unit to nine of-ficers. The expanded SCU launched in Octo-ber, splitting into two separate units. One unit continued work in downtown Rapid City, while the second unit branched off into residential neighborhoods in North Rapid City.

Under the command of a dedicated sergeant, the North Rapid SCU focused on strengthen-ing the community and supporting owner-oc-cupied housing, in addition to tackling crime and disorder.

Light the Night

When the Street Crimes Unit started focusing on the bike path in 2010, one of their main objectives was cleaning up the area along the path. Officers aimed to make the area cleaner and brighter, to improve safety and discourage criminal activity. The SCU proposed adding solar lights along the bike path, from Memo-rial Park to Roosevelt Park. After several years of planning and coordinating with community sponsors, the project became a reality. Thanks to donations from the City, Rapid City Rush Foundation, Black Hills Power, and other com-munity partners, 58 solar lights were installed along the path in summer 2012.

SCU officers hope the lights will improve public safety, build a bridge between the bike path and the downtown area, make the path more appealing for recreation, and increase park use. Response from the community so far has been overwhelmingly positive.

Building Relationships

The SCU has developed relationships with sev-eral groups to focus on cleaning up problem areas. Officers worked with DM&E railroad to clean up several miles of railroad track that run through the bike path area, including trim-ming grass and removing trees to prevent foot traffic along the tracks and eliminate hiding areas. Officers are also working with business owners to address problem subjects and tres-passing issues.

Community Clean-Up

SCU officers worked with City Building Inspec-tion to address substandard housing issues at several properties. Addressing these issues helps improve the quality of life for residents, sparks improvements for the property, and betters the surrounding environment for other residents in the area.

New solar lights line the bike path from

Memorial Parkto Roosevelt Park.


TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS & ENFORCEMENT

Reportable Accidents 1,316Injury Accidents 476Non-Reportable Accidents 1,715Total 3,507

2011 2012Total 11,272 9,224

Traffic Accidents

Traffic Violation Citations & Warnings 34,197Parking tickets issued in 2011

35,506Parking tickets issued 2012

Failure to yield 688Following too close 243Driving too fast for road conditions 91Disregarding traffic signals or signs 112Distracted driving 130Improper lane change 53Intoxicated driving 70Failure to keep proper lane 37Improper backing 35Using mobile phone 17Exceeding posted speed limit 43

Top Contributing Factors in Reportable Accidents


CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS

2011 2012Property Crimes Cases 1,144 1,559Crimes Against Persons 788 751Total Cases Assigned to Investigators 1,932 2,310

2011 2012Businesses Checked 143 161Businesses Failed 5 11

2012Drug-related investigations 218Drug-related search warrants executed 72Currency & Property seized $856,300Pounds marijuana seized 1,735Pounds methamphetamine seized 42Grams cocaine seized 111Pharmaceuticals seized 1,157Firearms seized 76Drug arrests 827

It was a busy year for the Criminal Investigations Di-vision. The total caseload for the division increased 20%, due in part to an influx of stolen vehicles and car burglaries.

Detectives partnered with the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office to investigate 5 homicide cases, only one of which remains open. In addition, CID partners with other agencies on task forces aimed at specific high-priority crimes:

• Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, led by the South Dakota Division of Criminal

Investigation• Domestic Violence Team, partnering with the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office• Sexual Assault Team, partnering with the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office• Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, led by the

South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation

CID staff also maintains the Sex Offender Registry, conduct license compliance checks, and provide fingerprinting services.

Criminal Investigations Cases

Alcohol Compliance Checks

Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team

Law enforcementand Special Olympicsathletes complete the

Law EnforcementTorch Run.


SCHOOL LIAISON OFFICERS

2012-2013 School Year

The department continues to share school liaison duties with the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. School liaisons provide assis-tance to school administrators and parents, instruction to students, investigate criminal activity, and deal with other police issues con-cerning schools and students.

In December 2012, school liaisons played a large role in calming parent concerns about school safety, following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newton, Connecti-cut. Liaison officers and patrol officers from the RCPD and PCSO worked together to pro-vide additional security at all of the city’s el-ementary, middle, and high schools.

All of the RCPD school liaisons can be contact-ed via their RCPD Facebook pages.

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

(1) Central Liaison Officer Matt Hower www.facebook.com/OfficerHower

(2) Central Liaison Officer Tim Doyle www.facebook.com/OfficerDoyle

(3) Jefferson Academy Liaison Officer Jeff Thayer www.facebook.com/OfficerThayer

(4) North Middle School Liaison Officer Trevor Tollman www.facebook.com/OfficerTollman

(5) West Middle School Liaison Officer Dan Anderson www.facebook.com/OfcAnderson

(6) South Middle School Liaison Officer Ryan Phillips www.facebook.com/OfficerRPhillips

http://www.facebook.com/OfficerHower

http://www.facebook.com/OfficerDoyle

http://www.facebook.com/OfficerThayer

http://www.facebook.com/OfficerTollman

http://www.facebook.com/OfcAnderson

http://www.facebook.com/OfficerRPhillips


EVIDENCE

2011 2012Blood alcohol analyses conducted 2,651 2,801Drug lab analyses conducted 1,562 2,605Latent fingerprints analyzed 495 525Forensic videos analyzed 180 172Pounds of prescription drugs collected for destruction 465 632Photos downloaded to evidence 82,582 102,793

In 2012, the Evidence Section welcomed Dr. Richard Bliel as the Evidence Lab Director. Much of the year was spent preparing for the move to the new Evidence Building, which will be part of the larger Pennington County Cam-pus Expansion project on the 100 block of St. Joseph Street.

The Evidence Section provides management of evidentiary property, laboratory services, response to major crime scenes, and foren-sic services to other local, state, and federal agencies in Western South Dakota. The Evi-dence Section employs nine staff, including the only IACA-certified latent print analyst in the state, and the only blood alcohol analyst in South Dakota that utilizes split injection technology, running the initial and verification BAC analyses simultaneously.20,000

Pieces of property stored in the Evidence Building:


QA SURVEY RESULTSEvery three years the RCPD asks for public feedback in an anonymous quality assurance survey. The information serves as a customer service report card for the department, and includes questions about overall agency per-formance, department services, interactions with officers, community safety concerns, and suggestions for improvement.

94%would report a crime to police

if they saw it happening.

92%would assist a victim needing help.

89%would assist an officer needing help.

92%feel the RCPD’s performance remained steady or improved over the last year.

71%have seen a reduction in crime

downtown since the introduction of the Street Crimes Unit.

67%have seen improvement in pedestrian safety and crosswalk enforcement in the last year.

56%are happy with the department’s traffic enforcement efforts, and don’t wish to

see a change.

39%would like to see increased

traffic enforcement.

6%think police should spend less time

on traffic enforcement.

If respondents observed a crime:


The majority of respondents rated the RCPD above average in:

Courtesy80%

Understanding74%

Concern74%

Competence76%

Problem-Solving70%

Of respondents who reported having contact with RCPD in the last year

77%were satisfied or very satisfied with

the officer’s response.

The majority of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the RCPD is:

Effective84%

Fair to Citizens75%

Honest79%

Unprejudiced68%

44%think Rapid City has about the same

amount of crime as other similar-sized cities in the United States.

32%think there is more crime in Rapid City.

24%think there is less crime in Rapid City.

Officer Walker eats lunch with students at

Horace Mann Elementary.

Rapid City Police Department300 Kansas City StreetRapid City, SD 57701www.rapidcitypolice.org

http://www.rapidcitypolice.org

http://www.facebook.com/rapidcitypd

http://www.twitter.com/rapidcitypd

http://www.youtube.com/rapidcitypd

Documents

Rapid City Police Department 2012 Annual Report