Alcohol and drug issues surge at midpoint of Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
STURGIS, S.D. (KEVN) - Wednesday marked the halfway point of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, and it seems that alcohol and drugs are a big problem this year.
During the last five days of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, three public safety entities tracked a higher number of alcohol and drug-related issues this year compared to 2022. In Sturgis, the number of parking citations has been down, but other numbers have been up.
“Total calls—we’re running about 80 calls a night; our traffic and non-traffic arrests are up; our felony drugs and misdemeanor drugs seem to be the ones that are jumping up pretty high,” explained Sturgis Police Department police chief Geody Vandewater.
“Also, DUIs continue to be an issue, and we ended up running approximately 40 through the jail Tuesday night,” added Meade County’s sheriff Pat West.
The Sturgis Police Department has noted that the number of arrests compared to last year is up by about 27%. While the misdemeanor and felony drug possessions have increased by 56%.
If you are interested in getting more information on Wednesday’s “Rally Tally” by the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, you can click on the following hyperlink:
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