The Police IndexStop data: 2024 · Pay and hiring checked Nov 2026
What the job looks like at Santa Barbara County Sheriff
4,505 people stopped in 2024Busiest hour 11am to 12pmSanta Barbara County
Santa Barbara County Sheriff is the sheriff's office for Santa Barbara 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 12 a day
4,505 people in 2024. A stop is a detention or search, so calls with no detention are not counted. Most common reason: lights, tint or equipment, 18%.
Busiest hour for stops
11am to 12pm
28% of stops are between 10pm and 5am
3rd of 6 in Santa Barbara County
Stops that came from a call
6%
The rest the officer started
6th of 6 in Santa Barbara County
Stops on foot
14%
637 of 4,505
5th of 6 in Santa Barbara County
Median stop length
10 min
Where Santa Barbara County Sheriff works
Filled: Santa Barbara County. Cities with their own police are gray.
What Santa Barbara County Sheriff officers stop people for
Lights, tint or equipment18%
Registration, plates or insurance14%
Speeding13%
Red light, stop sign or traffic sign11%
Lane, turn or right-of-way violation10%
Phone use while driving8%
Local ordinance violation3%
Public intoxication or open alcohol3%
Consensual contact with a search2%
Weapons2%
Everything else17%
The main reason recorded for each of 4,505 people stopped in 2024, grouped from the offense code.
When the work happens
28% of stops happen between 10pm and 5am.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff
Santa Barbara 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 Barbara County. Santa Barbara County Sheriff is highlighted.
On foot14% 5th of 6 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%60%
For a traffic violation81% 2nd of 6 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%60%80%
After a call for service6% 6th of 6 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%60%80%100%
Person perceived as unhoused2% 5th of 6 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%
How stops end
Verbal warning40% 2nd of 6 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%60%
Citation41% 2nd of 6 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%60%
Arrest9% 5th of 6 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%
Psychiatric hold0% 3rd of 6 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%
One person can have more than one outcome, so these do not add to 100%.
Searches and handcuffs
Person searched11% 4th of 6 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%
Handcuffed1% 6th of 6 in Santa Barbara 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.