Overall Part 1 Crime and Property Crime Rates Continued to Decrease, While Part 1 Violent Crime Increased Slightly
April 15, 2025 – Santa Barbara, CA – The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has released the 2024 crime statistics for the communities it serves. Throughout the year, the Sheriff’s Office compiles information about crimes occurring within the areas served by our agency: the County’s unincorporated areas and the Contract Cities of Goleta, Carpinteria, Solvang and Buellton. For the purposes of tracking, reports are broken down into two major categories: Part 1 crimes, which are the most serious in nature, and Part 2 crimes, which include a number of lesser criminal offenses and some juvenile status offenses. Offense definitions can be found here.
Part 1 crimes are further broken down into two subcategories: violent crimes and property crimes. Part 1 violent crimes are offenses that involve force or a threat of force and include criminal homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault and arson. Part 1 property crimes are theft-related offenses that do not involve threats or force against the victim, including burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft.
"The Sheriff’s Office is pleased to report that our County continues to have low levels of reported crime and that overall it remains a very safe place to live. In 2024 we saw a continued decrease in Part 1 crimes in the unincorporated areas, as well as in the contract cities of Carpinteria and Buellton. These overall Part 1 crimes, which include both violent and property crimes, decreased from 2,225 in 2023 to 2,187 in 2024, a reduction of 2%. This continues the trend that we saw last year with an extraordinary 16.9% reduction that occurred from 2022 to 2023. Furthermore, our county’s overall reported Part 1 crime total was the lowest it has been for more than 10 years. I am proud of the many contributions the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office made during 2024 that helped keep the peace and that made our communities safer," said Sheriff Bill Brown.
After experiencing a few years of fluctuating crime rates, the communities served by the Sheriff’s Office experienced a decrease in overall reported Part 1 crimes from 2022 to 2023. This trend continued this past year in which the Part 1 crimes decreased from 2,225 incidents in 2023 to 2,187 in 2024, marking a reduction of approximately 2%. Violent crimes did inch upwards from 377 incidents in 2023 to 406 in 2024, an increase of almost 8%. As compared to 2023, homicides remained the same (1) and we saw a slight (4%) decrease in robberies from 2023 to 2024.
Reported Part 1 property crimes decreased from 1,848 incidents in 2023 to 1,781 in 2024, a 4% decrease. Statistically significant decreases in Part 1 property crime, when compared to last year, were seen in motor vehicle thefts (16% decrease from 2023) and larceny-thefts (7% decrease from 2023). Burglaries saw a slight increase in incidents with 302 in 2023 and 329 in 2024, an increase of 9%. Arson cases also saw a significant increase, with 10 in 2023 and 30 in 2024, a 200% increase from 2023. The uptick in arsons appear to be centered upon an increased amount reported in homeless encampments and along the Highway 101 corridor.
Moving to Part 2 crimes, there was a notable increase overall from the previous year. Total Part 2 crimes increased to 7,396 in 2024, up from 6,449 up, an increase of about 14.7%. Several areas observed significant increases: Public drunkenness increased from 230 in 2023 to 317 in 2024, a 37.8% increase, Liquor Law Violations increased from 573 in 2023 to 1087 in 2024, marking an 89.7% increase, and Disorderly increased from 148 in 2023 to 351 in 2024, a 137% increase. These Part 2 increases are believed to have associated factors, including the uptick in offenses during the Deltopia 2024 weekend as well as an increased enforcement posture in Isla Vista due to additional funding from the annual Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) Grant. This led to 289 of the Disorderly offenses, 71 of the Drunkenness as well as 946 of the Liquor Law violations occurring within the Isla Vista area.
Other categories also demonstrated notable changes. Drug Violations decreased from 830 in 2023 to 742 in 2024, translating to a 10.6% reduction. Vandalism incidents were reduced from 551 in 2023 to 482 in 2024, a decrease of 12.5%. Driving Under the Influence (DUI) incidents decreased from 402 in 2023 to 389 in 2024, marking an 3% reduction. These trends indicate a positive movement toward reduced criminal activities in several key categories, potentially reflecting enhanced enforcement and community engagement strategies implemented by the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office is honored to provide policing services for the cities of Buellton, Carpinteria, Goleta, and Solvang, as well as all the unincorporated areas of the County. The Sheriff’s Office attributes its effectiveness in maintaining public safety within each of these areas to ongoing collaboration with the board of supervisors, city councils, and the people we serve and protect. The Sheriff’s Office is committed to working with all stakeholders to address negative crime trends that arise.
Here are the Part 1 crime rates for 2024, broken down by contract city, Isla Vista, or other unincorporated areas, compared to the previous year:
Buellton
In Buellton, crime statistics from 2023 to 2024 indicate a decrease across multiple categories. Overall, reported Part 1 crimes decreased from 74 incidents in 2024 to 71 in 2024, representing a reduction of approximately 4%.
Violent crimes saw an increase, moving from 3 incidents in 2023 to 12 in 2023. This includes aggravated assaults, which increased from 2 incidents in 2023 to 9 incidents in 2024, with homicide and rape seeing no change (0 and 2, respectively).
Property crimes declined, with totals decreasing from 71 incidents in 2023 to 59 in 2024, a drop of 17%. Other categories changes fluctuated, like burglary increasing from 9 incidents in 2023 to 14 in 2024, with larceny-theft dropping from 49 to 39 and motor vehicle thefts seeing a decrease from 13 incidents in 2023 to 6 in 2024.
Carpinteria
In Carpinteria, crime statistics from 2023 to 2024 reveal a significant decrease in overall crime. Overall, reported Part 1 crimes decreased from 218 incidents in 2023 to 200 in 2024, representing an 8% decrease.
Violent crimes saw a slight increase, from 21 incidents in 2023 to 24 in 2024, an increase of approximately 14%. This does, however, include a reduction in rape incidents, which fell from 3 in 2023 to 0 in 2024.
Property crimes showed a decreasing trend, with totals dropping from 197 incidents in 2023 to 176 in 2024, a decrease of 11%. This category includes a significant decline in larceny-theft, which went from 160 incidents in 2023 to 131 in 2024. Motor vehicle thefts saw no change, remaining at 18 in both 2023 and 2024. Burglary incidents also saw an increase, from 19 in 2023 to 25 in 2024.
Goleta
In Goleta, crime statistics from 2023 to 2024 indicate an increase in overall crime. Reported Part 1 crimes increased from 533 incidents in 2023 to 602 in 2024, a 13% increase.
Violent crimes saw an increase, rising from 56 incidents in 2023 to 64 in 2024, a 14% increase. This includes a slight increase in aggravated assaults, which went from 37 incidents in 2023 to 44 in 2024, and in robberies, which increased from 12 to 15.
Property crimes also showed a slight increase, with totals rising from 477 incidents in 2023 to 538 in 2024, an increase of 13%. This category includes a decrease in motor vehicle thefts from 46 incidents in 2023 to 31 in 2024.
Isla Vista
In Isla Vista, crime statistics from 2023 to 2024 have shown a decrease across several categories. Overall, reported Part 1 crimes decreased from 233 incidents in 2023 to 224 in 2024, representing a reduction of approximately 4%.
Violent crimes saw a slight increase, moving from 37 incidents in 2023 to 45 in 2024, an increase of about 22%. This includes a rise in aggravated assaults, from 26 in 2023 to 33 in 2024.
Property crimes continued to decline, with totals decreasing from 196 incidents in 2023 to 179 in 2024, a drop of 9%. Specific categories like burglary decreased from 39 incidents in 2023 to 33 in 2024, and larceny-theft dropped from 154 to 144.
Solvang
In Solvang, crime statistics from 2023 to 2024 indicate a slight increase in overall crime. Overall, reported Part 1 crimes increased from 57 incidents in 2023 to 61 in 2024, a 7% increase.
Violent crimes saw a decrease, dropping from 5 in 2023 to 4 in 2024, a reduction of approximately 20%. This includes a decrease in aggravated assaults, which fell from 4 in 2023 to 3 in 2024, and in robbery incidents, which went from 1 to 0.
Property crimes saw a slight increase, with totals rising from 52 incidents in 2023 to 57 in 2024, an increase of 10%. This category does include a decrease in larceny-theft, which fell from 42 incidents in 2023 to 40 in 2024. Burglary incidents rose from 6 in 2023 to 10 in 2024 as well as motor vehicle thefts from 3 in 2023 to 5 in 2024.
Unincorporated areas (excluding Isla Vista)
In unincorporated areas, excluding Isla Vista, crime statistics from 2023 to 2024 reveal nuanced shifts in various crime categories. Overall, reported Part 1 crimes saw a reduction, decreasing from 1,110 incidents in 2023 to 1,029 in 2024, marking a 7% decrease.
Violent crimes remained almost the same, increasing from 255 incidents in 2023 to 257 in 2024, a rise of approximately 1%. This increase includes significant increases in rape incidents, which escalated from 21 incidents in 2023 to 37 in 2024.
Property crimes decreased slightly, with a drop from 855 incidents in 2023 to 772 in 2024, a 10% decline. This category includes a reduction in burglaries, which decreased from 179 in 2023 to 164 in 2024, and larceny-theft, which fell from 661 to 553, a decline of more than 16%. Motor vehicle theft remained relatively stable, with a slight increase from 27 incidents in 2023 to 32 in 2024. Arson cases also increased, from 4 in 2023 to 8 in 2024.
The Sheriff’s Office has provided detailed breakdowns of the crime stats for review and use by the media and/or media members, along with several graphics for media use.
Source: Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office
