While the number of domestic violence cases increased by nearly 100 incidents throughout the unincorporated areas of Santa Barbara County between 2013 and 2022, it really spiked in that same period in the City of Santa Maria. There, the number of cases jumped from 499 reported complaints in 2013 to 556 in 2022. Of those, the number of cases in which weapons were involved increased from 217 to 445. In 2022, the number in which strangulation and suffocation was involved was 50. Countywide, the numbers jumped from 1,695 to 1,788 in that same period. Cases in which weapons were involved increased from 370 to 918 in that same 10-year span. This information came out during recent budget discussions by the county supervisors on what they’re planning to spend for public safety.
