SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO-AM) Sioux Falls Police Chief Matt Burns says crime grows as the city grows, but he thinks the 24-hour news cycle and social media on certain crimes may give an inexact impression.
"Those garner a lot of media attention and they should. I think because of many of those we have, perhaps, in some way an outsized sense of what the problem is," Chief Burns told KELO Radio's Greg Belfrage Show on Thursday.
Despite some of the nasty headlines, Chief Burns believes that Sioux Falls is still a safe community.
South Dakota's largest city is growing by 3,000 to 4,000 new souls each year. The drug epidemic, especially meth, is also driving crime numbers in the city.
Sioux Falls is hiring additional officers. Burns says applications are down, but that's a challenge police departments face nationwide.