What do South Dakota’s gun laws look like?

South Dakota, known for its pheasant hunting, has a population with one of the highest gun ownership rates per capita. A number of organizations rank South Dakota as being a state friendly to gun owners or a state without strong gun laws.

Guns & Ammo ranked South Dakota No. 7 in its annual “Best states for gun owners” ranking in 2022. Guns & Ammo said South Dakota’s score got a boost in 2021 from enacting a “model stand-your-ground bill and lowering carry permit fees to $0.”

Continue reading “What to know about South Dakota’s firearm laws” →

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, criminal defendants have been the subject of a national experiment. As schools and businesses moved online to protect people from the virus, court systems also instituted a host of emergency measures to conduct court proceedings remotely. Three years later, significant questions about what this virtual transition means for the state constitutional rights of defendants remain unanswered.

While courts had previously experimented with remote technology in narrow contexts, such as immigration proceedings and bail hearings, the pandemic forced them to embrace virtual proceedings at nearly every juncture of the criminal justice system. Suddenly, the arraignments, detention hearings, suppression hearings, plea hearings, jury selections, sentencings, and witness testimony that once took place inside the four walls of a courtroom were relocated to the four sides of a computer screen or a smartphone.

Continue reading “Remote Court Three Years Later” →

Continue reading “How ‘swatting’ calls spread as schools face real threats” →

The right to counsel was established 60 years ago last month in the landmark Supreme Court case Gideon v. Wainwright. The persistent failure to honor that right calls into question the legitimacy of our entire criminal justice system.

In the years since the decision, states have created indigent defense delivery systems staffed by public defenders — attorneys who work full time defending poor people accused of crimes — and by assigned counsel — private attorneys who agree to accept criminal cases assigned to them by the court. With its Gideon decision, the Supreme Court found that counsel is a necessity, not a luxury, but state legislatures have spent as little as possible on the defense of individuals accused of a crime.

Continue reading “Without the right to adequate counsel, is our criminal justice system legitimate?” →

All U.S. citizens have a right to an attorney when charged with a crime, even if they can’t afford one. Only 11 states, including South Dakota, use local rather than state dollars to pay for the vast majority of public defense.

Just one state relies more heavily on counties to pay the cost than South Dakota, and that state – Pennsylvania – is now considering a five-year, $50 million investment in public defense.

Continue reading “South Dakota one of few states to saddle counties with public defense costs” →

Television crime dramas are compelling to audiences because they deal not just with crimes themselves but also with issues of justice and equality and with fascinating characters. Traditionally, these shows follow those who try to solve the crimes, though in recent years, fans have also liked shows that center on the perpetrators. (These are the most evil TV villains of all time.)

Continue reading “Best Crime Shows of All Time, According to Data” →

Recently, law enforcement officials within South Dakota have said violent crimes are continually being committed by repeat offenders who have lengthy criminal records or are out on parole.

This issue is something the Sioux Falls Police Department is dedicated to combatting through a new unit of detectives.

Making the decision to report a violent crime that happened to you isn’t always easy.

“Many victims, their motivation for following through on prosecuting or reporting a crime is to prevent this from happening to someone else,” Michelle Trent, executive director of the Compass Center, said.

Continue reading “Violent crime unit added to Sioux Falls Police Department” →

It’s clear that cybercrime is one of the world’s most lucrative illicit industries – possibly taking the top spot. Threat actors are getting more meticulous and inventive in their ploys, even reviving outdated and long-forgotten techniques, thanks to their own brand of Key Performance Indicators linked to return on investment. After all, if a successful remake of an old classic can generate new revenue, producers will embrace it.

Many of the most successful cybercriminals are shrewd; they want good ROI, but they don’t want to have to reinvent the wheel to get it. That’s one reason they are leveraging existing infrastructure and older threats to maximize opportunity. As a security professional, you need to know what attackers are up to so you can focus your resources appropriately.

Continue reading “Malware Trends: What’s Old Is Still New” →

A new South Dakota law makes it harder to file a nuisance complaint or lawsuit against an agricultural operation and limits the amount of money that can be awarded.

Gov. Kristi Noem signed the bill Wednesday at a farm implement dealership in Mitchell, after legislators approved it earlier this winter. The law will go into effect July 1.

Noem said it’s about protecting farmers from frivolous lawsuits.

Continue reading “New SD law makes it harder to file a complaint or lawsuit against ag operations” →

St. Patrick’s Day brings people out to party, but when out celebrating law enforcement wants you to be safe.

Overall, in the U.S. every 45 minutes someone loses their life to a drunk driving crash which is about 32 people per day, according to the CDC. According to AWJ law, there are on average 300 car crashes on St. Patrick’s Day alone.

If you do decide to go out, there should be a game plan on who stays sober.

Continue reading “Forbes ranks South Dakota fifth with the drunkest drivers” →