RCPD says North Rapid crime rates are decreasing, despite not seeming so

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - You visit social media sites, even your local news, you can be left with the feeling that crime is rampant in Rapid City. That feeling can be reinforced by websites that track crime data.

Neighborhoodscout.com is designed to help realtors explain their communities. One of the things they track is crime statistics. While Rapid City may feel like a small town, neighborhoodscout.com says it has big city crime.

Scott Nicholas came to Rapid City for a fishing trip years ago, and fell in love with the area. What he didn’t realize was the crime. According to neighborhoodscout.com Rapid City is safer than only 6 percent of other U.S. cities. The site claims a violent crime rate of 6.73 incidents per 1,000 people in Rapid City.That is much higher than the national rate of 2. 84 per 1,000 people.R

“I’m a Colorado native. And my concern is ‘What I have moved from?’ The culture there is now kind of spreading. I’ve experienced more crime than I’ve probably witnessed my entire life. I’m 35 years old,” Nicholas said.

Nicholas says that since moving to his North Rapid home, he’s seen high speed chases and drug activity. He says recent shootings are another cause for concern. He claims he’s reached out to law enforcement. After talking with city officials, Nicholas believes there is miscommunication, between the police, the states attorneys office and the federal government. He says people need to recognize the outside influences that have an impact on the town.

“The community needs to start getting active and taking responsibility for the overall culture that’s presided since I’ve moved here. But generally I just want to get the word out that there’s a bigger complex problem here,” said Nicholas.

Nicholas believes more communication between law enforcement and the community would help. Rapid City Police Captain Scott Sitts stated there have been conversations with the local government as well as increased patrols in the North Rapid area.

“Our proactive work in the area has increased, obviously when we have people dedicated there. We’ve also seen a decrease in the amount of violence there with our proactive work. There’s still work that needs to be done,. We still need cooperation from the apartment managers and owners, think there’s a lot of work on their end that they need to do, and were gonna continue our presence,” Sitts said.

Sitts said they still need the community’s help and that people should report anything suspicious.

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