The Police IndexStop data: 2024 · Pay and hiring checked Nov 2026
What the job looks like at Santa Maria Police
889 people stopped in 2024Busiest hour 8am to 9amSanta Barbara County
Santa Maria Police is the police department for the city of Santa Maria, 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 2 a day
889 people in 2024. A stop is a detention or search, so calls with no detention are not counted. Most common reason: speeding, 28%.
The main reason recorded for each of 889 people stopped in 2024, grouped from the offense code.
When the work happens
27% of stops happen between 10pm and 5am.
Santa Maria 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 Maria Police is highlighted.
On foot8% 5th of 5 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%60%
For a traffic violation86% 1st of 5 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%60%80%
After a call for service9% 4th of 5 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%60%80%100%
Person perceived as unhoused5% 4th of 5 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%
How stops end
Verbal warning14% 5th of 5 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%
Citation57% 1st of 5 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%60%
Arrest12% 4th of 5 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%
Psychiatric hold0% 4th of 5 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 searched3% 5th of 5 in Santa Barbara County
0%20%40%
Handcuffed7% 4th of 5 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.