The Police IndexStop data: 2024 · Pay and hiring checked Nov 2026
What the job looks like at Santa Barbara Police
11,537 people stopped in 2024Busiest hour 10am to 11amSanta Barbara County
Santa Barbara Police is the police department for the city of Santa Barbara, in 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 32 a day
11,537 people in 2024. A stop is a detention or search, so calls with no detention are not counted. Most common reason: red light, stop sign or traffic sign, 11%.
What Santa Barbara Police officers stop people for
Red light, stop sign or traffic sign11%
Lights, tint or equipment8%
Local ordinance violation7%
Parole or probation check5%
Trespassing4%
Lane, turn or right-of-way violation4%
Phone use while driving4%
Speeding4%
Registration, plates or insurance4%
Disturbance or disorderly conduct3%
Everything else46%
The main reason recorded for each of 11,537 people stopped in 2024, grouped from the offense code.
When the work happens
24% of stops happen between 10pm and 5am.
Santa Barbara Police
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 Police is highlighted.
On foot58% 1st of 6 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%60%
For a traffic violation39% 6th of 6 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%60%80%
After a call for service33% 2nd of 6 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%60%80%100%
Person perceived as unhoused24% 1st of 6 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%
How stops end
Verbal warning39% 3rd of 6 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%60%
Citation22% 5th of 6 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%60%
Arrest17% 3rd of 6 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%
Psychiatric hold1% 1st 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 searched30% 2nd of 6 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%
Handcuffed8% 3rd 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.