The South Dakota Department of Social Services (DSS) is advising all Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to immediately change their personal identification numbers (PINs) to protect their benefits from theft. This warning comes after the discovery that more than 350 SNAP beneficiaries in the Sioux Falls area had their benefits stolen.

An investigation revealed that skimming devices were likely placed on point-of-sale terminals at the Walmart Supercenter on East Arrowwood Parkway and at several Dollar General stores in Sioux Falls. These devices illegally captured individuals’ SNAP account numbers and PINs, which were then used to process fraudulent transactions out of state.

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More federal law enforcement officers will be patrolling D.C. streets over the next coming days to combat crime and, in the words of President Donald Trump’s administration, make the city safe again.

District residents can expect to see the increased presence starting Friday at midnight, according to a statement from White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt.

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State, county, and city law enforcement leaders are seeing a surge in activity in Sturgis along with the swelling population due to the motorcycle rally.

At Monday’s news conference, Sturgis Police Chief Geody Vanderwater, Meade County Sheriff Pat West, and South Dakota Highway Patrol Assistant District Three Commander Zac Bader shared the latest crime and safety statistics from the first weekend of the rally.

Continue reading “Sturgis Motorcycle Rally: ‘Overall, people are being well behaved’” →

The South Dakota Commission on Gaming is issuing a public warning about a rise in fraudulent online casinos that are deceptively using the names and logos of legitimate South Dakota gaming establishments. These unauthorized platforms, which operate illegally, are designed to trick consumers and pose significant financial and personal security risks.

According to the Commission, online casino gaming, including slots, table games, and sports wagering, is not legal in South Dakota. Any platform offering these services is operating without authorization. The Commission has received reports of misleading online ads and social media promotions that imitate the branding of well-known Deadwood and Tribal casinos, offer unrealistic bonuses, and redirect users to fake websites or apps.

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The state of South Dakota will spend more time and money in the coming months to police the streets of Sioux Falls, and to help federal agents deport immigrants who lack legal status.

The work will support the state’s fast-growing city, Gov. Larry Rhoden said, and help the state’s seven federal immigration agents add to their current arrest tally of 262 in the state since President Donald Trump took office.

Continue reading “‘Operation Prairie Thunder’ will assist with deportations and boost Sioux Falls law enforcement” →

Amid recent political rhetoric about rising crime and violence in American cities, a new analysis shows that violent crime has continued to decline this year.

Homicides and several other serious offenses, including gun assaults and carjackings, dropped during the first half of 2025 across 42 U.S. cities, continuing a downward trend that began in 2022, according to a new crime trends report released Thursday by the nonpartisan think tank Council on Criminal Justice.

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The Unified Narcotic Enforcement Team (UNET) announced the arrest of two Rapid City residents on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, following an ongoing investigation into illegal drug trafficking in Western South Dakota. The arrests led to the substantial seizure of cocaine, fentanyl, and MDMA.

Continue reading “UNET Arrests Two, Seizes Significant Drugs in Western South Dakota Trafficking Bust” →

North Dakota attorneys and judicial officials say a lack of funding for a key federal program could harm federal defendants’ ability to get quality representation.

The U.S. Constitution protects criminal defendants’ right to an attorney. When federal defendants can’t afford a lawyer, they are typically assigned a federal public defender. About 40% of the time, however, federal defenders must pass the case to a private lawyer due to a conflict of interest, according to the judicial branch.

Continue reading “North Dakota attorneys withdraw from federal public defender work due to funding gap” →

President Donald Trump signed a sprawling budget bill — the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — into law last week. The legislation, a vehicle for most of his domestic policy agenda, rewrites significant portions of the country’s immigration and criminal justice systems in ways big and small.

The most visible shift is the law’s commitment of about $170 billion to immigration enforcement over the next decade. That includes a 265% annual increase to the national immigration detention budget, according to the American Immigration Council, an immigration advocacy group. The administration plans to rapidly double immigration detention space to hold about 100,000 people, largely by paying private prison companies to reopen currently shuttered facilities.

Continue reading “How the “Big Beautiful Bill” Will Change Criminal Justice and Immigration” →

Criminal justice advocates are frustrated that a law that allows incarcerated people to shorten their sentences in Minnesota is still in its pilot stages two years after it was passed.

The Minnesota Rehabilitation and Reinvestment Act (MRRA) was passed by the Minnesota Legislature in 2023, and went into effect Aug. 1 of that year. The act allows incarcerated people to shorten their sentence by up to 17% for good behavior and if they work to rehabilitate themselves by participating in programming and treatment.

Continue reading “Advocates say Minnesota is moving too slow on early release prison program” →