South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation

The Senate chamber in the South Dakota Capitol. (Joshua Haiar/SD Searchlight)

Convicts could pay for cell phone searches under lawmaker proposal

BY: - January 17, 2023

People convicted of crimes based on evidence from their cell phones, tablets or computers may soon pay an additional fee to help fund the detectives who sifted through their digital lives. Senate Bill 54 would tack on up to $95 in fees for cases that hinge on digital investigations. During Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, […]

An equal justice statue sits outside the doors of the Minnehaha County Courthouse in Sioux Falls. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Drug crimes, violent crimes drop for 2021 in South Dakota

BY: - December 30, 2022

Drug arrests have dropped 25% in South Dakota over the past five years. That’s one of the major takeaways from “Crime In South Dakota 2021,” the annual report from the state Attorney General’s Office that aims to compile arrest reports from all state law enforcement agencies. The 2021 report includes data from 101 agencies, representing […]

Legislators mingle on the House floor ahead of the governor's budget address on Dec. 6, 2022, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

Noem budget sets aside $3.5 million for state fingerprint, criminal history database

BY: - December 9, 2022

Lawmakers in Pierre will soon be asked to send $3.5 million to the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to update the software that catalogs arrest and fingerprint records that date back to 1937. The ask is among the one-time line items tucked into Gov. Kristi Noem’s 360-page proposed budget. The software upgrades to the DCI’s […]

Former DCI supervisor returns to lead state law enforcement agency

BY: - November 14, 2022

A longtime law enforcement officer and former second-in-command at South Dakota’s top detective agency will now serve as its leader. Attorney General-Elect Marty Jackley announced Monday that Dan Satterlee will serve as director of the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI). Satterlee was assistant DCI director during much of Jackley’s first stint as Attorney General, which […]