For the first year ever, Wyoming and South Dakota Highway Patrols joined up to patrol on the Interstate-90 corridor into the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
This is the 73rd year the well-known rally has been held in South Dakota. The number of people attending the rally was probably lower than usual, says Sargent John Townsend of the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
But the number of arrests were lower, too. He attributes the rally's quiet mood this year to the stronger enforcement presence on the roads.
“Just that both agencies, even though the state line separates us, that we're both trying to do the same job and that's safety. We want to make sure that everybody who attends the rally goes home safe at the end of the rally.”
Townsend says only 24 arrests were made this year compared to the 198 arrests reported last year.