Gov. Tim Walz joined other state and local officials in Mankato Monday to break ground on a new regional headquarters and crime lab for the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

The facility will be located near the Blue Earth County Justice Center, and it will serve much of southern Minnesota, improving forensic testing and evidence analysis response times. It will also serve as a regional training hub for the state and local police departments. It’s expected to be operational by early 2027.

Continue reading “Walz breaks ground on new $67 million regional BCA headquarters and crime lab in Mankato” →

South Dakota’s hate crime law states that it is illegal to harass or harm someone based on their race, ethnicity, religion, ancestry or national origin. It is a class 6 felony, with a maximum punishment of two years behind bars. But crimes against people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity are not included.

“I think we’ve seen, probably over the last decade, there’s been kind of a rise of political rhetoric, you know, targeting the queer community in South Dakota, specifically the transgender and gender diverse community,” said Anna Brenden, president of Sioux Falls Pride.

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When Patrick Scullark was arrested, he was not wearing his fanny pack. He had taken it off and handed it to a friend before being handcuffed and placed in the back of a patrol car. But police nevertheless conducted a thorough search of the bag without a warrant. Scullark argued that the warrantless search violated his Fourth Amendment rights, but on appeal, the Iowa Supreme Court upheld the police’s examination as a valid search incident to arrest.

Continue reading “Scullark v. Iowa Brief: Limit Searches Incident to Arrest to Protect Homeless Americans’ Rights” →

Data from the South Dakota Unified Judicial System (UJS) released during a Drug Court Advisory Council meeting on Oct. 14, 2025, highlights the success of the state’s treatment courts since their beginning in 2008: 73% of all participants in treatments courts did not commit another felony offense within five years following their involvement in the program–breaking the cycle of addiction and incarceration for thousands of participants since the courts’ inception.

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The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is requiring law enforcement agencies statewide to verify the accuracy of their breathalyzer instruments after discovering calibration errors that rendered hundreds of DWI breath tests inadmissible in court.

The issue first came to light in Aitkin County, where defense attorney Chuck Ramsay found that an officer failed to properly calibrate a DataMaster machine despite documentation claiming otherwise. That discovery led to the dismissal of several DWI cases and the invalidation of 73 breath tests.

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A longtime South Dakota state employee from Spearfish was indicted this week in Lawrence County for allegedly falsifying child abuse reports.

Attorney General Marty Jackley, who announced the charges against 56-year-old Nova J. Collins in a Wednesday press release, said the charges were the first to be filed under a new state law that requires all state employees to disclose suspected “improper conduct” by their coworkers.

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Members of the advisory board that oversees state prison operations want to meet more often, tour facilities and keep a closer eye on inmate work and rehabilitation programs.

The Corrections Commission met virtually a week and a day after lawmakers voted during a special legislative session to build a $650 million, 1,500-bed men’s prison in northeast Sioux Falls.

Continue reading “New Corrections Commission leadership pledges closer oversight of prison operations” →

President Donald Trump has nominated the head of South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation to lead the U.S. Marshals Service in the state.

Dan Satterlee was recommended for the job by his boss, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, according to a Tuesday news release from Jackley’s office. Satterlee’s nomination had the support of all three members of the state’s congressional delegation, the release says.

Continue reading “State detective agency boss nominated to lead U.S. Marshals Service in South Dakota” →

Gov. Larry Rhoden has issued 65 pardons and one commutation since taking office in January, according to records on file with the South Dakota Secretary of State.

As of Sept. 29, Rhoden had also denied four pardon requests, and denied one request for a commutation.

Continue reading “South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden issues 65 pardons, one commutation since taking office” →

State Rep. Mike Derby says South Dakota should be looking to its northern counterpart for ideas on the state’s prison system.

Last week, lawmakers in South Dakota approved the construction of a $650 million prison in Sioux Falls. Governor Rhoden, who gave the new prison his final approval, also created a task force to determine how to expand rehabilitation services.

Continue reading “State Rep. Derby says South Dakota should look to North Dakota for ideas on criminal justice system” →