The Police IndexStop data: 2024 · Pay and hiring checked Nov 2026

What the job looks like at Capitola Police

3,151 people stopped in 2024Busiest hour 3pm to 4pmSanta Cruz County

Capitola Police is the police department for the city of Capitola, in Santa Cruz County. This page shows what its officers spend their time on, from the stops the department reported to the state for 2024.

People stopped
About 9 a day

3,151 people in 2024. A stop is a detention or search, so calls with no detention are not counted. Most common reason: speeding, 17%.

Busiest hour for stops
3pm to 4pm
21% of stops are between 10pm and 5am
5th of 6 in Santa Cruz County
Stops that came from a call
18%
The rest the officer started
4th of 6 in Santa Cruz County
Stops on foot
23%
736 of 3,151
4th of 6 in Santa Cruz County
Median stop length
10 min

Where Capitola Police works

Filled: Capitola city limits.
Name in the state file
CAPITOLA PD
People stopped, 2024
3,151
Separate stops, 2024
3,001

Other departments in Santa Cruz County

What Capitola Police officers stop people for

Speeding17%
Lights, tint or equipment16%
Registration, plates or insurance13%
Red light, stop sign or traffic sign12%
Lane, turn or right-of-way violation6%
Phone use while driving3%
School or truancy matter3%
Trespassing2%
Mental health hold2%
Disturbance or disorderly conduct1%
Everything else25%

The main reason recorded for each of 3,151 people stopped in 2024, grouped from the offense code.

When the work happens

21% of stops happen between 10pm and 5am.

Capitola Police
Santa Cruz County average
12am3am6am9am12pm3pm6pm9pm

Darker means a larger share of stops in that hour.

How the work is done

Each dot is a department in Santa Cruz County. Capitola Police is highlighted.

On foot23% 4th of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%60%
For a traffic violation75% 3rd of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%60%80%
After a call for service18% 4th of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
Person perceived as unhoused5% 4th of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%

How stops end

Verbal warning56% 4th of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%60%
Citation32% 1st of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
Arrest6% 5th of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
Psychiatric hold1% 5th of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%

One person can have more than one outcome, so these do not add to 100%.

Searches and handcuffs

Person searched4% 6th of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
Handcuffed5% 6th of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
This page covers the work only. Pay, hiring steps and test rules for this department are not on the site yet. Agencies differ in how consistently they record handcuffing and searches, so small gaps may not be real.

Sources: California Department of Justice stop data, 2024 · Map outlines: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files, 2023, 1:500,000.