SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - There was an over 7% increase in Sioux Falls Police calls last year from 2015 and Chief Matt Burns says it's fueled by drug abuse.
Burns says the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force seized almost 38 pounds of methamphetamine last year compared to just 10 pounds a year earlier. 3 pounds of cocaine were seized last year compared to about 3/4's of a pound in 2015.
Burns says the meth that comes to Sioux Falls primarily is from superlabs in Mexico. He says of all the drug cases investigated by the Task Force, 85% involve meth.
Burns says drug addiction has a ripple effect in the community because the abusers will resort to physical and property crimes to support their habit.
He says Sioux Falls Police added a full time investigator to the Task Force bringing the number of detectives to six.
Burns says some crime in Sioux Falls went down last year including simple assaults, burglaries, larcenies and vandalisms.
Burns says there was a huge increase in stolen vehicles last year at 255 more than in 2015. He says the driver in that crime is motorists leaving keys in unlocked, often running, cars.
He says there is no chop shop in the city, most of the cars are recovered and used for short trips. He says only the public can bring that number down by securing their vehicles.