What if Sioux Falls is actually getting safer — not more dangerous — and the perception gap is the real story? In this full episode of 2 B's in a Podcast, hosts Brad and Brian Jans (owners of Jans Corporation, a Sioux Falls commercial construction company) sit down with Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum for a candid, wide-ranging conversation about policing, growth, civic responsibility, and what's actually happening inside one of America's fastest-growing small cities. Chief Thum has spent 20 years with the Sioux Falls Police Department. He grew up at 16th and Duluth in Pettigrew Heights — the same neighborhood he would later patrol as a young officer. Lincoln High School. University of Sioux Falls. A sales job he hated. And the moment he and his wife both pivoted into the work they felt called to do. Twenty years in, he says it was absolutely the right call. What you'll hear in this episode: The numbers vs. the perception. Sioux Falls violent crime is at a six-year per capita low. Property crime is at a per capita low. The city is adding 5,000–6,000 people a year and is now larger than Des Moines proper — yet the narrative many people carry is that crime is getting worse. Chief Thum unpacks why click-driven news and social media drive perception more than statistics. The mentorship gap. He and Mayor Paul TenHaken pushed for 75 mentors across three Title I schools. In a city of 225,000+, only 36 people signed up. The Chief is honest about his frustration — and equally honest that policing alone can't solve the upstream issues that show up downstream as crime. Camp Postcard. A program nobody talks about. For five years, SFPD school resource officers have identified at-risk sixth graders and sent them to camp counseled by cops, with measurable downstream effects on behavior, school performance, and trust in law enforcement. What keeps the Chief up at night. Officer safety in an era when more weapons are being brandished against officers, the gap between parole and meaningful supervision, and the conversation Sioux Falls needs to have about recidivism. The Christmas Eve story. A domestic-violence case that ended in a SWAT call-out in Marion, South Dakota — and an entire team that showed up on Christmas Eve without anyone asking twice. The Chief's reframe of "family first" hits different once you hear it. What cops don't control. The laws. The Chief on why a basic civics refresher might be the most underrated public-safety reform in the country, and the one law he'd write today if he could (hint: smoke-shop synthetic drugs). Construction, crime, and a story Brad and Brian know firsthand. The episode closes with a real Jans Corporation case study — a GPS tracker hidden inside a decoy generator on a Sioux Falls jobsite, tracked off Cliff Avenue, leading to the recovery of a substantial cache of stolen property. Plus the time three Jans Corp decking guns disappeared from a site and reappeared in an apartment closet after a fire alarm. Real lessons for construction companies, homeowners, and small businesses on how to stop being easy targets. Technology, body cams, license plate readers. Why Madison, South Dakota currently has more LPRs than Sioux Falls — and how that technology is already moving cases. Jail and training facility design. Why the new Sioux Falls public safety training center came in at the right time, and what modern correctional and training architecture makes possible for staff and inmates alike. About the guest: Jon Thum is the Chief of the Sioux Falls Police Department, a 20-year veteran of the department who previously served on SWAT and rose through patrol, investigations, and command. A lifelong Sioux Falls resident, Lincoln High School and University of Sioux Falls graduate, he leads a department of more than 340 people serving a city of 225,000+. About 2 B's in a Podcast: 2 B's in a Podcast is hosted by Brad and Brian Jans, owners of Jans Corporation — a Sioux Falls-based commercial construction company. Each episode, the Jans brothers sit down with family business owners, founders, and community leaders across South Dakota to talk about building things that last: businesses, buildings, partnerships, and the community itself. Connect with the Sioux Falls Police Department: Website: https://www.siouxfalls.gov/government/departments/police Non-emergency: 605-367-7000 · Emergency: 911 Connect with Jans Corporation: Website: https://www.janscorp.com Chapters: 00:00 McGruff makes a cameo 00:32 Welcome to 2 B's in a Podcast 01:42 How Jon got into law enforcement 06:01 The identical twin brother story 09:11 Sioux Falls growth — and what the crime numbers actually say 12:30 The mentorship gap: 36 sign-ups in a city of 225,000 13:48 Staffing a police force for a city the size of Des Moines 16:54 Recruiting and the national narrative around policing 19:11 What keeps the Chief up at night 21:21 The Christmas Eve hostage call in Marion, SD 23:48 The biggest misconception about crime in Sioux Falls 27:05 Camp Postcard — the program nobody talks about 29:55 What cops don't actually control 31:14 The one law Chief Thum would write today 35:30 An early-career story you won't forget 38:50 Mental health calls and what the system left to police 43:00 Body cams, vehicle GPS, and solving cases with footage 47:24 Jail and prison design — why it matters 51:21 Inside the new Sioux Falls public safety training center 53:57 Construction site crime and a Jans Corp GPS bait sting 1:00:28 Phishing, payroll fraud, and the new crime landscape 1:03:50 Lock your doors, lights, and cameras 1:04:42 The Jans Corp decking guns story 1:06:35 The best part of the job 1:07:11 Cop TV show recs 1:09:11 What criminals hope you don't know 1:10:26 Closing thanks
