Patrol Divisions

The Sturgis Police Department Patrol Division is dedicated to responding to calls for service including major and minor crimes, traffic enforcement and traffic accidents.  Officers assigned to Patrol are primarily responsible for responding to the 8,000 or more calls for service each year, in addition to the thousands of calls for service during the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

The duties of a patrol officer involve just about everything one can imagine.  Duties range from simply giving directions to responding to a major assault or traffic accident which involves serious injury and at times even death.  Patrol Officers are often exposed to considerable risk during their tour of duty, which stresses the importance of training and having another officer available as a backup.  Each Patrol Officer is required to attend South Dakota Law Enforcement Standards and Training conducted in Pierre, S.D.  For more information on Law Enforcement Training, click here .


Each shift is commanded by the Assistant Chief, and three Patrol Sergeants.  The Patrol Division is the only section of the police department which is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  There are currently 12 officers assigned to the Patrol Division, including:

  • 1 Assistant Chief
  • 3 Patrol Sergeants
  • 8 Patrol Officers

Click here for Sturgis/Meade County traffic crash data .