The Police IndexStop data: 2024 · Pay and hiring checked Nov 2026
What the job looks like at Watsonville Police
5,213 people stopped in 2024Busiest hour 9pm to 10pmSanta Cruz County
Watsonville Police is the police department for the city of Watsonville, 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 14 a day
5,213 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, 17%.
The main reason recorded for each of 5,213 people stopped in 2024, grouped from the offense code.
When the work happens
28% of stops happen between 10pm and 5am.
Watsonville 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. Watsonville Police is highlighted.
On foot41% 2nd of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%60%
For a traffic violation55% 4th of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%60%80%
After a call for service32% 2nd of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
Person perceived as unhoused14% 2nd of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
How stops end
Verbal warning36% 5th of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%60%
Citation25% 3rd of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
Arrest18% 2nd of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
Psychiatric hold1% 4th 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 searched20% 3rd of 6 in Santa Cruz County
0%20%40%
Handcuffed17% 1st of 6 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.