Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office releases annual crime statistics report

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office has released the 2022 crime statistics report that it compiles and submits to the state government annually.

The report breaks down crimes that the Sheriff's Office responds to into two categories: Part 1 crimes are the most serious crimes responded to, and Part 2 crimes which include lesser criminal offenses and juvenile status offenses.

Part 1 crimes are further broken down into two subcategories: violent crimes and property crimes.

Part 1 violent crimes involve force or the threat of force, such as criminal homicide or aggravated assault.

Part 1 property crimes are theft-related offenses without the threat of force, such as burglary or motor-vehicle theft.

Sheriffs state-wide are tasked by the California Constitution to serve as law enforcement agents in unincorporated areas or municipalities that do not field their own police force.

Some communities that rely on law enforcement through the county's sheriff's offices are Buellton, Carpinteria, Goleta, and Solvang.

Communities serviced by the Sheriff's Office this past year had a 12% decrease in overall Part 1 violent crimes after three consecutive years of increases to these crime rates. Last years reduction was 6% less than the preceding decade's average.

Reported part 1 property crimes had a reduction of 13% compared to the previous year. That reduction was 7% less than the preceding decades average rate.

Notably, there were 11 more arson cases compared to last year, a 157% increase.

Sheriff Brown said, “The Sheriff’s Office is pleased to see these overall decreases in the number of reported crimes throughout our county. This is a trend that we welcome and believe is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our law enforcement and custody professionals, as well as our partnerships with the people we serve and protect. There is still work to be done to ensure that Santa Barbara County remains a safe place to live and work, but we are encouraged by the progress that has been made."

More information about these crime statistics and previous reports can be found on the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office website's crime statistics page.