PIERRE - Larceny is the most prevalent crime in South Dakota, and Attorney General Larry Long says the weak economy may result in increased thefts by people who are desperate for money.

"It's a little simplistic to say, but in bad economic times, crime rates tend to go up," he says. "Most folks steal for money, and if they're hurting financially for whatever reasons, then they'll do more of that."

"When the economy goes in the tank, law enforcement usually has more work to do."

Statistics compiled for Long's office by law agencies across South Dakota last year showed that the bulk of crimes reported to police involved loss of property. About 9,000 theft complaints were filed, including such things as shoplifting, stolen cars, and burglaries of vehicles, homes and businesses.

Long says thefts in 2007 accounted for 70 percent of all crime reports in South Dakota, an increase of 6 percent from 2006. He believes the upward trend likely continued this year and might be more of a problem next year, too, unless the economy recovers.

More than $12 million in property was stolen last year in South Dakota. Police recovered 23 percent of stolen items, arresting 1,700 people in the process.

The peak months for theft were May, June and September. Money, jewelry, vehicles and electronics were the most popular targets for thieves.

Although a poor economy spurs more people to commit larceny, some of the increase in thefts can be tied to people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol, Long says.

Despite the increase in larceny, the attorney general emphasizes that crime is far less of a problem in South Dakota than just about any other state.

The rate of all crimes in South Dakota is 1,628 per 100,000 population. The national crime rate is 3,730 crimes per 100,000.

Long says 1,058 violent crimes were reported in South Dakota last year. Homicides, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults accounted for just 8 percent of all crime in the state, he says.

There were 15 murders in the state last year, not including those on Indian reservations, where Long believes there also were about 15 slayings.

The national murder rate is 5.6 per 100,000 people, but the rate in South Dakota is 2 per 100,000, the state's chief prosecutor said.

Information on the 15 non-reservation murders last year shows that all of them involved assailants and victims who knew one another, usually family members or friends.

None of the victims were random, and all 15 cases were solved, Long says.

"Typically, law enforcement goes to the family and finds out who was mad at the deceased, for some reason, and that almost always gives them a good place to start," the attorney general says.

There have been 148 homicides in South Dakota since 1995, an average of 11 a year.