Waldrop encourages proactivity over reactivity

How much crime is in Hill City? What types of crime are most common? Can I defend myself if a situation arose? These are questions Pennington County Sheriff’s Office senior deputy Jim Waldrop answered in his presentation on Crime, Community and Business Awareness April 11. 

“We want to be mindful that there’s probably more crime going on in our community than what we realize because most of the people are not going to report a stolen bike or something small,” said Waldrop. “Usually in these types of communities, people don’t call us unless it’s big.”

Unfortunately, Waldrop said that unreported property crimes can make citizens think they are more immune to crime than they actually are. These property crimes could include things such as theft from property, car break-ins or someone attempting to get into a locked business. 

“The key to keeping us safe is awareness,” said Waldrop. 

Along with awareness, citizens can search for ways to reduce vulnerability. Businesses can make proactive plans to make crime look unattractive and work together as a community to send a message that suspicious activity will be recognized. 

While Waldrop emphasized being safe, he also encouraged business owners and community members not to be scared in order to give the perception that crime is not tolerated here. 

“If you can safely confront, sternly but firmly, that is an enormous deterrent because it sends that message,” said Waldrop. 

One attendee also pointed out that confrontation does not have to appear harsh. Instead, it can look like helpfulness because this usually sets those up to no good on edge. 

When asked what the most common crimes were in Hill City, a business owner replied that it was shoplifting. 

“(The) best way to prevent shoplifting is assertive employees that aren’t afraid to either track people, keep eyes on people and or just flat out say, ‘hey.’” 

Once again, Waldrop cautioned attendees not to place themselves in harm or get into a physical altercation. In fact, it is not legally considered shoplifting until the perpetrator has left the building even if the item is concealed. 

However, Waldrop said that if word gets out that a business will confront shoplifters, less will attempt it. Business owners can also take pictures of suspected shoplifters and discreetly distribute them to other stores as a protection measure. 

If the shoplifting was committed by a large group, such as a bus tour which was an example given, Waldrop recommended calling an on-duty deputy to help. Businesses could also track down the organization, contact the leader, explain the incident and inform the leader that their group will no longer be welcome in the store.

For property damage or vandalism, Waldrop said the best deterrent is patrolling the area and using the facility frequently. 

“Legally you can defend your person and your property,” said Waldrop. Nevertheless, unless physical harm is threatened, pulling a gun is not advised. 

Rather for serious emergencies, Waldrop recommends always calling 911. This alerts more help faster than calling the local number. Local response time is around five minutes. 

Audible alarms could also frighten offenders and alert other businesses of the situation. 

According to Waldrop, another crime on the rise, especially in Rapid City, is theft from unlocked cars or outside storage buildings. Perpetrators will simply walk up and check the door handles. If the door is open, they will steal whatever they can grab. 

“They are looking for things that are quickly pawn-able, cash, anything that’s valuable and, this is the big problem, guns. They’re looking for guns,” said Waldrop. “The last stat I heard is since 2018, there's been over 500 pistols stolen in Rapid City.”

Waldrop said gun thieves look for easy targets and may even spend a night in a small town like Hill City looking for unlocked cars. Because although gun thefts from homes and buildings have gone down, gun thefts from cars are skyrocketing. 

“That’s the message we need to spread around Hill City. Don’t leave your guns in your cars,” said Waldrop. “Lock our outbuildings. Lock our cars. Don’t leave guns in them.”

If you have no other choice but to leave a gun in a car, Waldrop recommended hiding your gun in a place where it could not be easily found or ideally keeping it in a bolted-down gun safe. Thieves usually will not check more than a few places before moving on. 

On this note, Waldrop said those who have a gun stolen are often embarrassed and may not report it. However, it is important to report a stolen gun because it could be used in a crime and be traced back to the original owner. 

Waldrop also recommended keeping a list of every gun owned including the make, model and serial number in case anything ever happened. 

Some other problems brought up were lost dogs, the residency and eviction process, lost or found property and speeding on Main Street. 

Dogs should be registered with the city and it is recommended for those living in the country as well. That way if a dog is found, it can easily be returned. If a dog’s owner cannot be located, it will be taken to the pound. 

“They’re one of the things I get called about quite a bit unfortunately,” said Waldrop. 

On residency and eviction, the laws are tricky. Waldrop said that “If you let somebody stay in your house for roughly a month, regardless if they’ve never signed an agreement of anything else, they are residents of that house. You have to evict them.” 

This formal eviction process can take 30 to 45 days. Waldrop wants people to be aware of the law before letting people rent or stay in their houses. 

Meanwhile, lost and found property brought in can only be held for seven to 10 days. After that, it goes to the evidence building in Rapid City. As a result, Waldrop said that if businesses are willing to store lost items, they could save people a headache and the long process of getting their property back out of evidence. 

In regards to concerns about perceived speeding on Main Street, Waldrop said knowing the specific time frame or common cars can give them something to watch for. It was also noted that per crosswalk law, the crosswalk needs to be completely clear of pedestrians before cars can proceed. 

In the end, Waldrop encouraged attendees to be mindful of their operations and when they could be seen as a target both at their place of business and at home. This could include asking questions like “How hard would it be for someone to steal something valuable from me?” and “When am I the most vulnerable?”

It is especially important to be mindful of people who have inside knowledge of you and your habits like a disgruntled employee since these people know exactly what to do and where to go to commit a crime. 

Cameras can be a deterrent. However, Waldrop said, “One of the biggest cons that I get from cameras are a false sense of security.”

Cameras are very common, and unfortunately an image does not guarantee an identity. 

“I’m pro-cameras overall,” said Waldrop, but “You want to know the limitations of them and don’t put too much faith in them.” 

Having cameras out in the open or displaying a viewing screen where people can see that they are on camera is another deterrent since it alerts potential thieves that they are being watched. 

Waldrop encouraged everyone to process how to react if a certain situation occurred as a way to be proactive. 

“Anytime you have a plan prior to having to take action, your chance of success goes up enormously,” he said.