The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has added an online feature that allows people to report certain crimes directly to sbsheriff.org. For crimes in progress, citizens still dial 9-1-1, but for incidents such as lost property, theft, animal complaints, child custody violation, telephone harassment, civil complaints, vandalism, trespass, unlawful use of credit card, vacation checks, and fraud or identity theft, citizens can report them online. The new procedure should increase the efficiency of deputies’ investigations into community needs, help spot crime trends, and allow more focus on priority calls.
