By Brandon Bennett STURGIS- Day two of the Sturgis Rally is in the rear view mirror and so it was that a briefing was held at Sturgis City Hall where those of the law enforcement persuasion talked about the previous day’s events. Captain Zach Bader with the South Dakota Highway Patrol, Sturgis Police Chief Geody Vandewater, Meade County Sheriff Pat West and special guest Principal Pete Wilson of Sturgis Brown High School. As usual, there were numbers presented about the action on Saturday so it depends on who you talk to about whether this is on par for other years or not. One thing Chief Geody Vandewater was concerned about: “There were several underage people, juveniles using fake ID’s to acquire alcohol and weren’t her for the rally except to party and so we were addressing that,” he said. He added they’re seeing poor driving including intoxicated drivers and it’s being handled. Additionally Chief Vandewater brought up the issue of drones being used during the rally. “There’s a temporary flight restriction around Sturgis and out to Buffalo Chip. It’s the first time we’ve had this kind of TFR from working with the FAA,” said Vandewater. He added there’s technology available to identify the drone and the operator and report to the Department of Homeland Security and the FAA. “These agencies will have a chat with the operator and if he’s a commercial pilot he can suffer severe penalties. So we’re encouraging people to have the proper permits,” he said. There have been 30 violations of the restrictions so far. Captain Zach Bader stated that injury crashes are down about 50 percent from this time last year. “There were 7 injury crashes and there were 14 at this time last year,” he said. Unfortunately there was one fatality Saturday on Highway 85 just north of Deadwood. The topic shifted to heat exhaustion and Chief Vandewater stated there was a couple of cases. “People need to stay hydrated and the weather might be a little cooler but stay hydrated,” he said. Additionally, his officers have access to water and supplements that replace electrolytes and supervisors keep tabs on officers out in the sun. Both Sheriff West and Captain Bader agreed having supervisors watch when their officers are outside investigating an accident or a stop is essential. But troopers and deputies spend a considerable amount of time looking through a windshield.
From left, Captain Zach Bader with the South Dakota Highway Patrol, Sturgis Police Chief Geody Vandewater, Meade County Sheriff Pat West and Sturgis Brown High School Principal Pete Wilson
