Decrease in serious crimes reported by the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office

Serious crime in Santa Barbara County is at its lowest level in 10 years. The new 2023 Crime Statistics Report from the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office shows that crimes like homicide or rape decreased significantly in 2023 in the areas served by the department. Police departments in the county's largest cities, Santa Maria and Santa Barbara, also reported fewer serious crimes last year.

Part 1 crimes, which are the most serious category of crimes, include violent crimes such as criminal homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, as well as property crimes such as burglary, theft and motor vehicle theft.

The report includes all areas under SBSO jurisdiction, which are the unincorporated areas of the county, including Isla Vista and Montecito, as well as areas in which the Bureau has contracts: Carpinteria, Goleta, Buellton and Solvang. The report does not include the City of Santa Barbara, which is under the jurisdiction of the Santa Barbara Police Department (SBPD).

“I am immensely proud of the many contributions of the men and women of the Sheriff’s

The office has done in 2023 that has helped keep the peace and keep our communities safe,” Sheriff Bill Brown said in a press release provided by the SBSO.

Brown focused on how impressive this low rate is amid rising fentanyl in the region.

“The overall crime total in Part 1 was the lowest it has been in the last 10 years,” Brown said in a press release. “This is a remarkable achievement given the challenges we have faced over the past year, including the proliferation of fentanyl in our communities and the associated increase in overdose deaths. »

Excluding Part 1 crimes, total violent crimes increased by 5.9% between 2022 and 2023.

As a whole, part one crimes fell to 2,225 crimes, compared to 2,679 crimes in 2022 and 2,707 crimes 10 years ago, in 2014.

Across all jurisdictions, homicides decreased by 67 percent and rapes by 5 percent, while aggravated assault, the most frequently reported violent crime of the first part, increased by 10 percent, all compared to the previous year. In terms of property crime, arson was down 52 percent, while motor vehicle thefts saw a slight increase of 2 percent.

Solvang, Carpinteria, Buellton, Isla Vista and unincorporated areas of the county reported no homicides in 2023, while one homicide was reported in Goleta for the year.

Across all jurisdictions, the SBSO reported nearly 6,000 total incidents in 2023 and completed more than 14,000 total reports.

The neighboring city of Santa Maria, also part of Santa Barbara County, although not under SBSO jurisdiction, also saw a decrease in Part 1 crimes. The City of Santa Maria reported in a press release that there has been a 28% decrease in Part 1 crimes between 2022 and 2023.

The city of Santa Barbara saw a 4% reduction in violent crime between 2022 and 2023. In the city, there was one homicide in 2023, according to data provided by the SBPD. Property crimes such as burglaries, burglaries/thefts from a vehicle, arson and other thefts all decreased in 2023 compared to the previous year, but incidents of grand auto theft increased by 4%. . Santa Barbara and Santa Maria are the largest cities in the county.