Attorney General Merrick B. Garland delivered remarks at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota on August 14, 2024, expressing gratitude for the collaborative efforts of federal, state, local, and Tribal law enforcement partners in combating violent crime.
Garland emphasized the importance of partnerships in addressing violent crime, drawing from his experience as a line attorney and Justice Department official in the 1990s. He noted that their anti-violent crime strategy is rooted in collaboration across various levels of law enforcement and communities served.
"We built an anti-violent crime strategy rooted in strengthening our collaboration across federal law enforcement; with state, local, and Tribal law enforcement; and with the communities we all serve," Garland stated.
He highlighted recent successes under this strategy, including a significant drop in violent crime rates nationwide last year. However, he acknowledged that progress remains uneven across different communities.
The Justice Department's Project Safe Neighborhoods program was cited as a key initiative. In May, this program facilitated a seven-year prison sentence for an individual who threatened and shot at his neighbor and the neighbor’s child.
Garland also mentioned a successful sex trafficking sting operation conducted during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Seven men were arrested and charged for attempting to arrange sexual encounters with underage children.
In another case from April, involving multiple law enforcement agencies, three individuals received sentences exceeding 26 years each for carjacking and kidnapping an FBI employee at gunpoint while attempting to traffic drugs from Colorado to South Dakota.
The Attorney General underscored ongoing efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking. Last week saw a guilty verdict for an individual involved in trafficking thousands of pills into South Dakota. In June, six members of a drug trafficking organization received sentences ranging from 10 to 33 years for transporting methamphetamine and fentanyl into Sioux Falls.
Additionally, Garland discussed initiatives addressing missing or murdered indigenous persons (MMIP). A new MMIP Regional Outreach Program launched in June 2023 led to the prosecution of a man responsible for a murder on the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation that had remained unsolved for 30 years.
"Tribal communities deserve safety and justice," Garland affirmed. Since 2021, $19.1 million has been allocated by the Justice Department to support Tribal justice initiatives in South Dakota.
Concluding his remarks, Garland expressed pride in U.S. Attorney Ramsdell and all personnel at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their dedication to upholding justice and civil rights.