When hundreds of thousands of biker arrive

Sturgis Police Dept. runs in emergency mode for 10-days

Sturigs Police during rally

Surge in Police Presence come early August

  • Sturgis Police expands drastically during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

  • Town explodes from 7,000 population to somewhere between 200,000 and 400,000. Maybe more.

"It's a difference of night and day."
says Geody VanDewater, chief of the Sturgis Police Department

The outskirts are also flooded with South Dakota Highway Patrol troopers who come in from all over the state.

And a motorcycle gang fight broke out one year on Main Street, and that entire area was immediately swamped with lots of armed law enforcement.

SD Public Radio has a story on this

When you try to outrun the law, bad things can happen


real-life video

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