Foot patrols increase in core neighborhoods

Amid growing concern about violent crime in Sioux Falls, police say more officers are hitting the the streets to help better patrol key areas.

Chief Matt Burns said more officers are patrolling the downtown and surrounding areas in response to the growing population. Officers report to a downtown sergeant, who sends them out on foot, Burns said.

The increase is not due to any particular incident, Burns said, but is more of a way to help create relationships between officers and citizens.

"You have to meet them in the space that they're at," he said of residents. "It takes (officers) out of the patrol car."

Along with the downtown area, the Pettigrew Heights and Cathedral neighborhoods are also getting more police foot traffic.

"As the weather gets nicer, you will see more foot patrols in the Pettigrew area," Burns said, adding that the effort is similar to the Walk a Block With a Cop program that started a few years ago.

On Monday afternoon, Sgt. Darren McClary and officer Chase Vanderhule were out on the corner of 11th Street and Duluth Avenue, mere feet from where a man was gunned down in broad daylight in April. Across the street, a man was stabbed only weeks ago.

Part of the reason for having officers patrol on foot is to help them get a firsthand perspective on neighborhood problems, McClary said.

"A lot of the calls for service in this area are more officer-initiated," he said. "In other words, an officer is out driving around and sees something and addresses it before they have to call a dispatcher."

The officers were just walking into an 11th Street business on Monday when they heard a woman screaming in the parking lot. They went over and asked her a few questions. Based on the woman's responses -- she said she lived on Segway Avenue, which does not exist -- McClary and Van grew suspicious and had dispatchers look up her name.

It turns out she had a warrant for parole violation out of Pennington County, McClary said. Within 20 minutes, a third officer arrived and took the woman into custody. McClary said the incident showed the importance of having officers on foot. Had they not stopped to check in on the woman, she would not have been arrested.

"People don't expect you to be popping in when you do sometimes," McClary said said.

While some people may feel uncomfortable about seeing officers walking around the neighborhood, McClary said the general response has been positive. In fact, McClary says one resident calls about once a week to let officers know about any problems in the area.

"(It) helps us to develop those relationships and get people to keep an eye on the neighborhood," McClary said. "It's been very positive."

Pettigrew Heights Neighborhood Association President Mark Sanderson agreed.

"For many people, seeing the police presence can be a comforting thing," he said. "The more they do it, the better."

Sanderson said he has not noticed many foot patrols near where he lives, but he often sees officers driving around or riding bikes in the summertime.

"I think they're monitoring the area a lot more," Sanderson said.

The officers said they sometimes get questions from the public about why they are walking around the area, but they take it in stride.

"They just want to know what we're doing," Vanderhule said.

Foot patrols are determined based on officer availability, McClary said. Some weeks, they are able to spend more time in a location but others there are simply too many calls to spare the manpower.

Regardless, McClary feels the active patrol has served the community well over the past few years.

"The officers are more proactive and getting on things themselves instead of waiting for the citizens to call," McClary said. "It's been a win-win all the way around."

While Pettigrew Heights may be a more frequent target for patrols than other parts of the city, McClary said officers do not limit their patrols to that specific area.

"This general core part ... has probably drawn more attention than others, but it's just because we have a more transient population that likes to hang out in this particular area," McClary said.

While some of the neighborhood's areas can be a cause for concern, Sanderson said he hopes that active police presence will ultimately benefit residents.

"It's not a perfect neighborhood, but it's the one we live in," he said. "Anything that can make it more enjoyable ... I affirm that."