SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Calls for service to Sioux Falls Police through August of this year out-paced 2020 and 2021 in the same time frame.

Through August the Sioux Falls Police has received 86,591 compared to 86,069 in 2021 and 86,141 in 2021.

Police chief Jon Thum said the calls for service for January through August have been steady over the past several years at that 86,000 mark.

The calls increased this year and the population of the city continues to increase, Thum said.

So far, the calls for service is not out-pacing the rate of population growth, he said.

The rate of violent crime per 1,000 people was 5.91 in 2021 compared to 6.55 in 2020 and 4.98 in 2019.

The property crime rate grew to more than 37 in 2020 and again in 2021 to 37.63 after being at 35.67 in 2019.

Aggravated assaults and domestic assaults are higher than in 2021 but more in line with 2020 numbers. So far, there has been 375 aggravated assaults reported and 313 domestic assaults reported.

Police are noting a trend with assaults.

“We’re seeing a lot of repeat offenders, we’re seeing a lot of people who are no strangers to our system,” Thum said.

“The majority of the suspects in those crimes were not strangers to the justice system,” Thum said of August aggravated assault crimes.

One anomaly in August that was noticed was there were “multiple cases where the suspect was known by the victim but the victim would not provide cooperation with us on who that suspect is or any part of the investigation,” Thum said.

There is an increasing lack of cooperation by younger victims, Thum said.

Reported robberies grew to more than 100 this year. There has been 115 robberies reported through August.

“…we noticed this earlier this year, that we saw a spike in robberies,” Thum said. There’s not a trend in the type of robbery, he said.

“Everything from a bank robbery to someone taking a cell phone on the street,” Thum said.

Burglaries dropped by eight so far in 2022 when compared to 2021. There have been 560 reported burglaries through August compared to 568 in 2021 and 489 in 2020.

From 2011 through October of 2021, the highest number of burglaries was 973 in 2015.

Reported rapes were down by nearly 30 from 86 to 58. There were 85 in 2020.

The amounts of seized fentanyl and methamphetamine are down in 2022. But last year was a record year for seizure amounts.

“Many times with law enforcement the onus is ‘well law enforcement needs to take more drugs off the street. Take more drugs off the street,'” Thum said. “Well, we took record amounts of drugs off the street and we had record deaths last year.”

Law enforcement is only part of the solution to drug incidents, Thum said. Prevention and involvement from multiple sources can help reduce drug deaths and drug use, he said.

Although the seizure amounts for fentanyl and methamphetamine are down from 2021, they are up over 2020.

The next several months of data will change how 2022 compares to 2021 and 2020 and other prior years.

For example, through October of 2021, there were 106 reported rapes. There were also 430 aggravated assaults through October of 2021.