RAPID CITY, SD (KELO) – With the population growing in western South Dakota, cities, schools and law enforcement are gearing up to welcome even more people.
Lots of projects are going on in Box Elder.
From apartment buildings and homes to training facilities and health clinics, the city is preparing to welcome thousands more people.
“The challenges are global for everyone, they are not just related to law enforcement. They’re the whole city, they’re the whole county and everyone around us is feeling the same pressure to plan and prepare and be ready for this,” said Chief Jason Dubbs of the Box Elder Police Department.
Police Chief Jason Dubbs says Box Elder receives more 9-1-1 calls each year.
“For at least three years. We have seen quite a significant population growth. We’ve seen an increase in calls for service, an increase in cases, and certainly arrests and things like that,” Chief Dubbs said.
Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom says with more people in the area, there are more calls for service.
“It’s double, you’ve gotten the permanent growth because we’ve become a popular place. You’ve had growth with Ellsworth Airforce Base with the new mission and seasonal traffic with tourism. So we’re planning, we’re preparing , we are going to strategically tackle this as we move forward for the next three, four, five, six years,” Sheriff Thom said.
Both Sheriff Thom and Chief Dubbs say that could mean more personnel, more equipment and more funding.
“I think South Dakota’s growth is exciting. We’re in a good position to deal with it as it comes along, but there’s a lot of planning involved in that,” Sheriff Thom said.
Pennington County Sheriff and Box Elder Police Chief say interagency cooperation also plays a role when it comes to handling high call volumes.