Morning Fill Up with Steve Allender

Mayor of Rapid city, south dakota

Held June 25, 2015 at 7am at The garage

Steve Allender grew up in Belle Fourche. During and after high school, he held jobs in a gas and service station and an auto parts store. In 1984, he started his career in law enforcement with the Belle Fourche Police Department and in 1985 he moved to Rapid City and began a 29 year stretch as a patrol officer, detective, sergeant, crime lab director, lieutenant, captain and eventually chief of police from 2007 to 2014.

He retired from the Rapid City Police Department after nearly three decades of community service. His community work includes serving on the board of directors of Working Against Violence Inc. (WAVI) and the Midwest Organized Crime Information Center, and committee or advisory positions with the Community Relations Council, Western Dakota Technical Institute, Pennington County Emergency Management, City/County Drug and Alcohol Programs, and Black Hills Mental Health/Substance Abuse Systems Change Collaborative, among others.

Steve was elected Mayor of Rapid City in spring 2015, marking the first time in 40 years that a resident without previous experience serving on the City Council was elected. Steve has a bachelor’s degree in management and is a graduate of the 219th session of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He is married to his (high school sweetheart) wife of 26 years, Shirley and they have two adult children, Kate and Clark.

I appreciate the conversation and timing of having a Mayor-elect speak just weeks before taking office. Hearing Steve lay out the vision and expectations of his administration was a great way to start the day!
— An Attendee of Morning Fill Up with Steve Allender

News coverage

"Rapid City Mayor-elect Steve Allender appears for a public conversation", KEVN: Black Hills FOX, June 25, 2015