Murders and rapes down in latest South Dakota crime report, DUIs jump

The number of murders committed in South Dakota in 2021 fell by nearly half from the year prior, according to the latest crime report released by the Attorney General’s Office Wednesday.

Attorney General Mark Vargo’s 207-page Crime in South Dakota 2021 Report found that there were 19 homicides reported by law enforcement agencies throughout the state last year, compared to 35 reported in 2020. That’s a 45 percent decrease.

Forcible rape reports also dropped from 2020 to 2021. There were 448 forcible rapes reported in 2021 compared to 499 in 2020.

Drug arrests also fell year-over-year by 15 percent, and by 25 percent in the past five years, according to the report.

But not all crime types fell in 2021.

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