Sioux Falls, SD (KELO.com) — Police departments in South Dakota are changing protocols to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. This includes issuing citations rather than making arrests for low-level crimes. One police official says despite the change, public safety will not be compromised.
The spread of the coronavirus is changing how some police agencies deal with calls for service, including departments in South Dakota. In Sioux Falls, police are being asked to issue citations instead of making arrests for low-level crimes. Police Chief Matt Burns says people need to know that public safety isn’t being compromised and that arrests will still be made in situations where it’s clear they need to happen.
“All of those things that the citizens would expect somebody should be taken to jail and made to post a bond are all still in effect. We’re talking about petit-theft type offenses – shoplifting, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle,” said Chief Burns.
Burns says the decision was made after consulting with surrounding sheriffs’ departments and the presiding judge in their district. He says people who receive citations will still be ordered to appear in court. The department says the policy is not only meant to protect workers who process arrests but the local jail population as well.
(SOURCE: Greater Dakota News Service)
