The Police IndexStop data: 2024 · Pay and hiring checked Nov 2026
What the job looks like at Santa Cruz Police
5,395 people stopped in 2024Busiest hour 10am to 11amSalary $98,976 to $139,260Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz Police is the police department for the city of Santa Cruz, 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 15 a day
5,395 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, 9%.
Busiest hour for stops
10am to 11am
26% of stops are between 10pm and 5am
4th of 6 in Santa Cruz County
Stops that came from a call
43%
The rest the officer started
1st of 6 in Santa Cruz County
Stops on foot
66%
3,568 of 5,395
1st of 6 in Santa Cruz County
Median stop length
10 min
Pay at Santa Cruz Police in 2025
Published salary range
$98,976 to $139,260
Lowest and highest base salary for officer or deputy titles, as the employer reported it.
Median total pay
$142,316
What a full-year officer was actually paid, with overtime. Half earned more.
Median overtime
$22,728
21% on top of median regular pay. One in ten earned $39,719 or more.
The main reason recorded for each of 5,395 people stopped in 2024, grouped from the offense code.
When the work happens
26% of stops happen between 10pm and 5am.
Santa Cruz 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. Santa Cruz Police is highlighted.
On foot66% 1st of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%60%
For a traffic violation32% 6th of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%60%80%
After a call for service43% 1st of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
Person perceived as unhoused25% 1st of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
How stops end
Verbal warning29% 6th of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%60%
Citation31% 2nd of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
Arrest22% 1st of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
Psychiatric hold2% 1st 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 searched29% 1st of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
Handcuffed14% 2nd of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
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.