Decrease in Serious Crime Reported by Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office 

Serious crime in Santa Barbara County is at the lowest point in 10 years. The new 2023 Crime Statistics report from the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office shows that crimes like homicide or rape dropped significantly in 2023 in the areas served by the department. The police agencies for the county’s largest cities, Santa Maria and Santa Barbara, also reported fewer serious crimes last year. 

Part 1 crimes, which make up the most serious crime category, include violent crimes such as criminal homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, as well as property crimes like burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. 

The report includes all areas in the SBSO’s jurisdiction, which are the unincorporated areas in the county, including Isla Vista and Montecito, as well as the areas the Office has contracts in — 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 the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office have made during 2023 that helped keep the peace and that made our communities safe,” said Sheriff Bill Brown in a press release provided by the SBSO.

Brown focused on the impressive nature of this low rate amid an increase in fentanyl in the area. 

“The overall Part 1 crime total was the lowest it has been during the past 10 years,” Brown said in a press release. “That is a remarkable accomplishment given the challenges that have been faced this past year, including the proliferation of fentanyl in our communities and the related surge in overdose deaths.”

Within the distinction of Part 1 crimes, violent crime totals went up by 5.9 percent from 2022 to 2023.

Part 1 crimes as a whole are down to 2,225 crimes, compared to 2,679 crimes in 2022 and 2,707 crimes 10 years ago, in 2014.

Across all jurisdictions, homicide went down by 67 percent and rape dropped 5 percent, while aggravated assault, the most commonly reported Part 1 violent crime, was up by 10 percent, all when compared to the previous year. In terms of property crimes, arson went down by 52 percent, while motor vehicle thefts saw a small increase of 2 percent. 

Solvang, Carpinteria, Buellton, Isla Vista, and the county’s unincorporated areas reported zero homicides in 2023, while there was one homicide reported in Goleta for the year. 

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

Nearby Santa Maria, which is also a part of Santa Barbara County, though not in SBSO’s jurisdiction, has also seen a decrease in Part 1 crimes. The City of Santa Maria reported in a press release that there was a 28 percent decrease in Part 1 crimes from 2022 to 2023. 

The City of Santa Barbara saw a 4 percent reduction of violent crimes from 2022 to 2023. In the city, there was one homicide in 2023, according to data provided by SBPD. Property crimes such as burglary, burglary/theft from a vehicle, arson and other theft were all down in 2023 as compared to the year prior, but occurrences of grand theft auto did rise by 4 percent. Santa Barbara and Santa Maria are the largest cities in the county.