SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Law enforcement in Sioux Falls made dozens of felony drug arrests during a three-day saturation patrol as part of Operation Prairie Thunder.
It involved highway patrol troopers, police officers, and sheriff’s deputies, along with one helicopter a lot of people reported seeing.
KELOLAND News sat down with South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden Tuesday, who tells us the three-day operation was a huge success.
Last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, law enforcement in Sioux Falls had their hands full.
“We worked side by side with the local law enforcement and during that three-day period, there were 174 drug arrests, including 44 felony arrests,” Rhoden said.
During those same three days, the Governor says law enforcement made 14 contacts that were referred to ICE and eight of those were arrested.
“The arrests include three members of criminal gangs with cartel affiliations,” Rhoden said.
A lot of people reported to KELOLAND News seeing a helicopter circling the city for hours.
“We have one helicopter and it was used for drug interdiction, so it was involved in a couple of pursuits where they turn it over to the helicopter to prevent having to do a high-speed chase in town,” Rhoden said. “The helicopter locked onto the suspects until they parked and then law enforcement went to them.”
Don Jorgenson: I think people want to know why were are doing it?
Larry Rhoden: I think the results are the reason why we are doing it, we are getting bad guys off the streets and people who have felony arrest warrants off the streets and we are making our streets safer and making Sioux Falls safer.
The governor says police also wrote out 336 traffic tickets and 256 warnings, including six DUIs and four people for driving without a license.
The governor says they’ll continue with these saturation patrols with Operation Prairie Thunder for the next four months.
