The problem was it was Greg Jamison ONLY vs. Huether and his entire administration, including a police chief who was in denial, then the governor appoints him to the legislature, go figure;
Sioux Falls Police Chief Doug Barthel says the same things that help the city attract positive attention, and a growing population, also attract crime.
“Over that time period we’ve seen our city grow by almost 20,000 people. We just know there’s a certain number of people who are going to want to commit crimes,†Barthel said.
It actually surprises me we are talking about this again 4 years later. But with excuses like ‘population growth’ over the past 4 years, what do you expect?
And without getting to deep into the current mayor ignoring many social issues over the past 8 years, I find it a little ironic that certain candidates are talking about ‘CRIME’ now?
The first issue that must be addressed is the proliferation of drugs and the resulting violent crime in our community.
Last year, I listened to Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead address a group of businesspeople about this issue. I started taking notes because what I heard caught me off guard.
“I have never been more concerned about the safety of our community than I am today,†he said in June. “The drugs coming in can change our community. People are breaking into your homes and businesses to feed their addiction.â€
A little off guard? I love Jodi’s writing and talent, and her extensive resume in journalism. But I guess I’m taken a little off guard that she has just recently become aware of the issue.
There are many candidates talking about crime in the mayor’s race. Like I said, Jamison made it his #1 issue 4 years ago and has been monitoring it since, essentially seeing it deteriorate into what it is today.
So I ask the question of the other candidates (besides Jamison and Loetscher*) what have you done over the past 4 years to help fight crime in our community and state? Run right wing internet companies? Selling motorcycles? Or is this just another campaign issue that we will be talking about in 4 years again? Or will it be too late?
*As we know, Jolene has an outstanding record of fighting domestic abuse, sexual abuse and human trafficking and she did it without holding an elected position.
#150 from the previous post. Democratic “post-enlightenment” resulting in the decay of moral values.
The current police chief has been nothing more than another My Man Mike sounding board. Only trying to sell great things about the city with a complete failure to acknowledge and deal with the crime related issues in town. The new mayor should get of any department head appointed by the current mayor and give the citizens leaders who will be honest even if that mean not painting our community in a great light!
I don’t think any the candidates, if elected, will do anything about crime because they don’t want to commit the money to it, that it would take.
Although, crime has obviously rose in this town over the last couple of years rather significantly, my guess is that our crime rate is now only at a national level expected of most towns of our size; and because of that our political leadership will talk the talk but not walk the walk on this issue.
I am afraid our political leaders see the rise of crime in this town to be a reality within the norm, or their norm, where the past luxury of past crime rates was merely a blessing but not a realistic longterm reality and that political capital could be expended in that area just as they have tried with issues like plowing snow, sweeping streets, and cutting the grass at our parks to cut costs and divert City monies to other areas like development.
All of this is too bad, but it speaks to political leaders accepting a level of tolerance to issues that are less than our past standards, but unfortunately acceptable to our political leadership in this town as they tend to divert their energies and interests to development and working with the special interest in this town over the quality of life or standards that the average citizen remembers from the not too distant past, but are no longer being given or allowed to once again experience….
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