Informational Meeting

MINUTES Informational Meeting Tuesday, March 8, 2022 at 4:00 PM Carnegie Town Hall, 235 West 10th St., Sioux Falls, SD 57104 1. Call To Order Council Members Present: Janet Brekke, Alex Jensen, Greg Neitzert (arr. 4:29 p.m.), Marshall Selberg, Curt Soehl, Pat Starr Council Members Absent: Christine M. Erickson, Rick Kiley Council Chair Curt Soehl called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. 2. Committee/Commission Reports A. Accessible Housing Advisory Board: Wednesday, March 2, 2022 (Council Member Selberg) Matt Tobias provided a presentation which encompassed the need for land for rehabilitation home sites. While land availability is limited, there were some sites reviewed that could be used for this purpose. There will be additional updates in the future. 3. Councilor Remarks There was none. 4. Presentations A. Annual Crime Stats Update by Jon Thum, Police Chief Presentation: Approximately 20 minutes followed by discussion Thum provided an overview of information released at a press briefing earlier today. Topics covered included statistical updates on the following: Violent Crimes and Property Crimes per 1,000 Population in Relation to Population Growth; City Population and Calls for Service (CFS) (slides from 2011-2021 and 2020-2030 projections) based on 2.5% City Population Growth and 1.95% CFS Increases; Investigative Cases; and City of Sioux Falls Clearance Rates Compared to Most Recent National Data. It is noted that the work done by the investigative teams for the Sioux Falls Police Department is high above the national average. A review was given regarding the number changes from 2020 to 2021 for the following areas: Homicide numbers have decreased from 13 to 5; Rapes have increased from 116 to 119; Aggravated Assaults have decreased from 557 to 517; Domestic Aggravated Assaults have decreased from 460 to 444; Simple Assaults - Domestic Simple Assaults decreased from 1,313 to 1,233; and Simple Assaults decreased from 902 to 890; Robbery has decreased from 136 to 113; Burglary has increased from 775 to 819; Stolen Vehicles have increased from 1,121 to 1,337; Larceny has increased from 5,333 to 5,427; and Vandalism is down from 1,894 to 1,815. The increase in stolen vehicles is largely contributed to the fact that people are still leaving their keys in their cars. Stolen cars also result in stolen property that is left in the cars as well as stolen guns that can be used in other crimes. There will be an increase in press and social media activity to communicate and remind citizens to remove valuables from their vehicles, to lock their vehicles and to lock their homes. Drug related updates and reviews from 2020 to 2021 included: Fentanyl Seized (grams) rose from 308.13 to 2,028.01; and Methamphetamine (pounds) rose from 64.27 to 129.92. A graph showing the known overdose activity was reviewed and discussed which included Narcan and deaths. Photographs were displayed showing drug seizures, weapons and cash. There were a record number of deaths last year in Sioux Falls that were drug related. Police staffing was reviewed which included growth through the past years to fill the need. There are 248 sworn officers with 32 in some status of training at the present time. Full staffing initiatives including training, marketing and incentives were reviewed. The Certified Officer Reciprocity Eligible (CORE) Classes were reviewed and the stipulations required for being a part of this training. Recruitment Incentives include referral bonuses and hiring incentives. The Council had requested an update on body cameras. Thum stated the use of body cameras started in 2018 on a limited basis with full implementation in the spring of 2021. The use of body cameras has been beneficial on numerous accounts and the department produces 450 videos per day. The financial commitment from the city for implementing the use of this equipment is acknowledged and appreciated by the Police Department. City Attorney Keith Allenstein provided additional information regarding body cameras and the statutes concerning the release of body cam videos. He reviewed SDCL 1-27-1.5(5), 23 5-7, 23-5-10, and 23-5-11, which cover public disclosure in reference to releasing investigative materials from public record requests and confidential criminal justice information. Allenstein also reviewed Marsy's Law regarding victim's rights and reviewed how having access to victim information could result in victims being harassed. Discussion followed regarding: the use and availability of Narcan; how to help repeat offenders of drug overdose cases; what to tell parents or friends if they report a drug issue with someone that they know; how many busts were included in the Fentanyl number increase; the spike in the value of Fentanyl; the number of automobile thefts that are occuring and the differences between those that occur because of keys left in the car; why the crime numbers in 2020 were higher; and the type of gang related activity in Sioux Falls.  There were a record number of calls for service last year at 202,600; however, population is growing at a steeper trend than the calls for service, which is a good sign. Citizens in Sioux Falls are encouraged to report crimes and activity and are feeling more comfortable in doing so because they know they are not going to be ignored. B. Cyber Innovation Park by Erica Beck, Chief of Staff to the Mayor; Dr. Jose-Marie Griffiths, President, Dakota State University; Tony Venhuizen, Board of Regents; and Miles Beacom, CEO, PREMIER Bankcard Presentation: Approximately 20 minutes followed by discussion Jeff Eckhoff, Director of Planning and Development Services, provided opening remarks regarding Cyber Innovation Park. A map illustrating the Campus Sports Center site and the businesses and activity centers that are now in that area was shown. Vanhuizen spoke about the past and present comparisons between Sioux Falls, SD and Sioux City, IA. He spoke about the benefits of the community being able to diversify the types of businesses here and how that has led to the City’s success. He stated that a cyber security facility would only add to the diversification in this area. Vanhuizen noted the major players involved with this project are the South Dakota State Legislature, the Board of Regents, the Governor's Office, and the Sioux Falls City Council. He also noted the industries and individuals that have stepped up with major donations. He explained that the Board of Regents would be the owner and landlord of the facility. Beacom spoke about how successful other ventures have been in South Dakota and about the opportunities that Citibank provided. They changed the financial landscape for Sioux Falls and the state of South Dakota. He noted how, because of Citibank’s success, the rest of the nation started to pay more attention to South Dakota. Beacom spoke about the strength of this community and how this facility could help to keep the youth in South Dakota through cyber security jobs. The initial staff would be 500 people earning $100K or more per person. Beacom stressed how this would impact the other areas in the community including volunteer opportunities, mentoring, etc. He encouraged the Council to support this endeavor within the City of Sioux Falls. Griffiths spoke about the public/private partnership designed to create a cyber security facility in Sioux Falls. She spoke about the increasing need for individuals trained in this field; and the kind of response and requests for people trained in this field that they have been receiving. The cyber security field is rapidly expanding and as of two weeks ago, there were 402K jobs in this field. Griffith stated that the type of facility that is being designed would work with national security and defense and the following areas have already expressed interest in the graduates: the Department of Defense, Intelligence Agencies, National Security and the Department of Homeland Security. At the present time, security positions and training are located on the east coast, the west coast and parts of Texas and Florida; there is nothing located in the Midwest area of the United States.  Comparisons with the east and west coast illustrate that the cost of doing business here is 30-50% less; making a cyber-security business here much more attractive to others wishing to do business in this field. There is a growing demand for cyber research talent and a desire to keep our graduates in South Dakota. Right now, we lose one-third of our highly trained graduates (those with specialized clearances) to specialized work outside of the state. Dakota State University has received a high level of interest from security businesses regarding their Cyber labs and the number of students that will graduate in this field. Numbers as high as a need for 500 graduates has encouraged DSU to expand their existing facilities to meet the needs of this expanding field. DSU is licensed as a federal contractor to perform the highest level of work and the existing facility is accredited to conduct high levels of research. This facility was built in Madison and accredited in April, 2019. Due to COVID, research did not start until July of 2021. They have hired 22-27 researchers now with existing graduates and two of those researchers returned to South Dakota from jobs on the east coast. The accreditation license allows for the facility to operate within a 50 mile radius from Madison, which gave the two choices of either Sioux Falls or Brookings. Sioux Falls was selected for a number of reasons, primarily for access to an airport and the value this would provide for training and research purposes. Discussion was held regarding the size of the facility, the donations made to enable the building of the facility, and the types of businesses that are located in the same area. It was noted that Madison, the City of Sioux Falls and South Dakota, could become a Midwest regional hub for cyber research, which would in turn spawn other types of similar activities to our area. The Cyber Innovation Hub was floated as a name of this area. Griffiths spoke about starting programs that would involve students from local high schools by setting up computer and cyber classes through summer boot camps. She also spoke about offering training programs to students interested in computer science fields and providing intensive training to existing computer science individuals in cyber security who are in related fields/degrees but want to add cyber security to their knowledge. Discussion followed regarding what would the $10M provide and what would it fund. The answers were: physical infrastructure (lighting, parking, etc.), organizational infrastructure (initial funding for onsite security 24/7 365 days a year), and problematic infrastructure (workforce development i.e. workshops and boot camps). Discussion was also held regarding how this facility would compound money movement throughout the community; increasing jobs and opportunities in the state; how cyber security is an emerging industry; how the City of Sioux Falls would have offshoots from this new project; the timeline is scheduled for October 1, 2024, depending on if the supply chain stays on schedule, etc. 5. Public Comment There was none. 6. Adjournment Council Chair Curt Soehl adjourned the meeting at 5:11 p.m. Tamara Jorgensen, MMC, Assistant City Clerk