SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) -The Sioux Falls Police Department teamed up with the Sioux Falls Area Suicide Prevention Task Force to raise awareness with magnetic 988 ribbons on law enforcement vehicles.

September is Suicide Prevention Month, and according to a 2023 study from the South Dakota Department of Health, South Dakota had the 9th suicide death rate in the country.

“In the time that I’ve been here, 20 years now, I have seen a steady increase in the calls related to mental health. I would estimate that we are dealing with approximately six to ten of those calls a day,” said Sergeant Tarah Walton of the Sioux Falls Police Department.

Suicide prevention relies heavily on beating the stigma against mental health and identifying the risk factors that make some individuals mor

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