SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) -- Growing Sioux Falls has a organized gang problem, but police spokesman Sam Clemens says the notorious MS-13 has only a small footprint.
"Maybe a handful of people that identify as being part of the MS-13 gang, but the people we see here don't have any of that direct connection to what we're seeing on the east coast."
Clemens tells KELO Radio's Jon Michaels Forum that there are up to 40 or 50 gangs operating in Sioux Falls with a total of about 350 members.
Clemens says the city has a problem with so-called hybrid gangs, with people using the colors and logos of the Crips or the Bloods, but they don't have a direct tie-in to the main organization.
A study by the 24/7 Wall Street website found that the five-year violent crime rate in Sioux Falls has gone up by over 80 percent.
Jon Michaels Forum runs every Sunday morning on KELO-AM at 7:30.
(KELO Radio's Jon Michaels contributed to this story)