Roberts County, South Dakota, is a rural county with 1,136 square miles. The county has a population of 10,163, with 38.4% Native American, 56.4% white, and 5.2% other. Sisseton is the county seat with a population of 2,564, and a 24.6% poverty rate. Agency Village, located just outside of Sisseton, has a population of 972, a poverty rate of 24.8%, and is the headquarters of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe.

The three law enforcement agencies serving this area (Sisseton City Police Department, which served as the lead applicant and grantee, Roberts County Sheriff’s Office, and Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribal Police) are collaborating together to address the persistent issues of violent crime and drug trafficking. These issues are compounded by the expansive and rural geography of Roberts County and the limited number of personnel to cover such a large area. Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative (RVCRI) funding will support raising awareness of drug and violent crime issues and the resources available to the community to help address the issues. The three agencies also plan to address crime hot spots through camera and automated license plate reader (ALPR) deployments and personnel training on safety and innovative drug prevention methodologies. The community partner GROW South Dakota will support community engagement and awareness campaigns.

For additional agency information, please visit their websites at:
Police Department, City of Sisseton | Roberts County Sheriff’s Office, Sisseton | Law Enforcement, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate (swo-nsn.gov)