A top official with the state’s Department of Public Safety provided Mitchell Rotary Club members on Thursday with a deeper look at the operations inside the department.
Department of Public Safety Secretary Craig Price delved into the functions that the department performs, highlighting the work that law enforcement officers and officials have been doing to ensure public safety in the midst of COVID-19 and ongoing political unrest. The Rotary Club members also had an opportunity to ask questions in relation to public safety and the current climate of criminal justice.
The Department of Public Safety includes roughly 450 employees, with a total of nine divisions. Among the divisions Price spoke on was the state’s Victim Services division, which was formed roughly two years ago.
“There are a lot of things that go on in our communities across South Dakota that some might not know about, but our statewide victims service agency helps some of these victims navigate the complex process after they become the victim of a crime,” Price said.
With the number of local organizations that are tailored to helping victims of crime such as the Mitchell Area Safehouse and Abbott House, Price said the state’s crime victims department has the ability to bring in some funding for those types of groups.
Read the full story on the Mitchell Republic.