The Police IndexStop data: 2024 · Pay and hiring checked Nov 2026
What the job looks like at Santa Cruz County Sheriff
11,074 people stopped in 2024Busiest hour 11pm to 12amSanta Cruz County
Santa Cruz County Sheriff is the sheriff's office for 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 30 a day
11,074 people in 2024. A stop is a detention or search, so calls with no detention are not counted. Most common reason: registration, plates or insurance, 17%.
Busiest hour for stops
11pm to 12am
42% of stops are between 10pm and 5am
1st of 5 in Santa Cruz County
Stops that came from a call
22%
The rest the officer started
3rd of 5 in Santa Cruz County
Stops on foot
41%
4,505 of 11,074
3rd of 5 in Santa Cruz County
Median stop length
10 min
Where Santa Cruz County Sheriff works
Filled: Santa Cruz County. Cities with their own police are gray.
What Santa Cruz County Sheriff officers stop people for
Registration, plates or insurance17%
Lights, tint or equipment12%
Red light, stop sign or traffic sign8%
Outstanding warrant4%
Trespassing4%
Parole or probation check4%
Lane, turn or right-of-way violation4%
Disturbance or disorderly conduct3%
Speeding2%
Parking or stopping violation2%
Everything else39%
The main reason recorded for each of 11,074 people stopped in 2024, grouped from the offense code.
When the work happens
42% of stops happen between 10pm and 5am.
Santa Cruz County Sheriff
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. Santa Cruz County Sheriff is highlighted.
On foot41% 3rd of 5 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%60%
For a traffic violation50% 4th of 5 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%60%80%
After a call for service22% 3rd of 5 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
Person perceived as unhoused9% 3rd of 5 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
How stops end
Verbal warning67% 1st of 5 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%60%
Citation4% 5th of 5 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
Arrest15% 3rd of 5 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
Psychiatric hold2% 2nd of 5 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 searched22% 2nd of 5 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
Handcuffed13% 3rd of 5 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.