PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - Republican U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem is asking new Attorney General Jeff Sessions to discuss rising violent crime in South Dakota.
Noem sent a letter Tuesday to Sessions requesting a meeting and urging the Justice Department to redouble its efforts to fight drug trafficking, gang proliferation and the “violent crime that all too often follows.”
She writes that violent crime levels have grown steadily in South Dakota over at least the last decade.
Noem writes that President Donald Trump has lamented the “decaying state” of public safety in America with a focus on big cities. But she writes it’s critical that officials also address issues in rural areas.
The Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Noem plans to run for governor in 2018.
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