RAPID CITY, S.D. (KELO) — A home is supposed to be a place of comfort… a place that makes you feel safe.
People who live in the Star Village neighborhood in Rapid City haven’t felt that way for a while.
Star Village offers affordable housing, which a lot of people need.
It’s also the source of a lot of 9-1-1 calls.
Rapid City Police want to turn those numbers around.
“What we’re getting is more calls about loud gunfire. So obviously we’re going to take it very seriously and we want to make sure that the neighborhood is safe, so we’re increasing our presence there,” RCPD Lieutenant Marc Cote said.
Those increased patrols appear to be making a difference, but residents tell us they don’t solve all of the issues in these apartments.
“Some of us have gone without heat for four-plus years. We get the same excuses about maintenance requests not being able to be done. And the crime rate has increased sufficiently up here,” Star Village Resident Katy Taylor said.
Star Village is run by Tzadik Management, which is based in Florida and also has properties in Sioux Falls.
Cody Brown lived in this neighborhood for more than three years.
He just recently moved away.
“Not having a furnace for a month and a half during winter and having them not respond about it and blame the maintenance company. Pretend like they weren’t responsible for it at all like it was the maintenance company’s problem and not their problem,” former Resident Cody Brown said.
Brown also left because of the crimes and the lack of a community.
“There were gunshots at night. My main thing was don’t get to know your neighbors because it’s a bad idea up here you know. That’s not their fault, you know they’re just trying to find somewhere to live, and this is the only place that will accept anybody,” Brown said.
One resident also stated that it’s impossible for them to even order anything online because stuff gets stolen off their front porch all the time.
Since the saturation patrols began, Rapid City Police say there have been fewer reports of gunshots.
Neighbors are hoping the patrols also reduce other crimes, as well.
“There’s a lot of kids up here so safety is a big issue. It’s like a lot of young kids doing these crimes up here which isn’t helping because it’s showing the younger kiddos up here that they can do whatever they want,” Taylor said.
By reducing crime, police and community members are hoping to send a much different message.
Star Village recently brought in a new maintenance crew to the area, which residents are hoping can solve some of their issues.
