The Patrol recorded that most of the cases involved misdemeanor drug offenses and felony drug offenses wherein 252 people and 90 people were arrested respectively. In addition, more than $25,000 in cash was seized during the anticipated event.
Apart from the arrests, the Patrol had to deal with other road-related cases such as a gravel truck that tipped over, some injury collisions, and a camper that caught fire. Three vehicles were caught to be carrying marijuana and other prohibited drugs. There was one biker that was asked to pull over because of traffic violations throughout the region.
The event, which usually attracts 500,000 bikers to the Black Hills, also brought important revenue to several businesses such as hotels, cafés and repair shops. One notable shop is the Rooster's Harley Davidson where bikers would stop for repairs and other services.
At this year's event, Rooster's had a consistent stream of bikers which even included a group from Canada. However, the roadwork seemed to have taken a toll.
"It's slowed us down quite a bit. All the gravel and potholes can be kind of dangerous on a motorcycle," said biker and firefighter Mike Walker. "And some of your potholes look like the Grand Canyon."
Walker had hoped that his trip through Sioux City to reach the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally wouldn't cost him a citation. The city is around 450 miles from Sturgis by way of Interstates 29 and 90. Hotels, gas stations, and retailers normally benefit on those days prior to and after the bike rally.
Heidi Reinking, who manages Rooster's at Lewis Boulevard, is hoping that biker's won't avoid Sioux City because of its speed cameras. "We hope not, anyway," said Reinking. "A lot of families plan their trips based on where the dealerships are."
The cameras, which have sparked criticism because of automatically issuing tickets to the vehicle's owner and not to the one driving, are currently the focus of a legal battle between the city and the Department of Transportation. Aside from having two mobile speed cameras along I-29, Sioux City has 11 red-light cameras sprawled among its nine intersections.
The Sen. Dan Lederman-sponsored law prohibits the transportation department from sharing data of the motor vehicle in order to issue tickets to people that were captured on automatic traffic cameras.
"I don't think they should automatically send you a ticket in the mail," said police officer Eddy Rathjen from Perryville, Ark. He added that the cameras would probably not deter any riders to pass through the city since most of the riders are not even aware of them.
