Abbreviation SBSO Employees 640 (2012) | Formed 1850 Annual budget US$112,730,087 (2012) | |
Common name Santa Barbara County Sheriff Motto "Keeping the Peace Since 1850" | ||
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office (SBSO) provides law enforcement for the unincorporated areas of Santa Barbara County, California, USA, as well as several cities within the county. The cities that the Sheriff's Office provides police services for include Buellton, Carpinteria, Goleta and Solvang. In total the 640 full-time employees of the Sheriff's Office are responsible for 2,745 square miles (7,110 km2) of the county.
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History
Founded in 1850, the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office is the oldest law enforcement agency in the state. In its early days, the department battled outlaws Salomon Pico and Jack Powers. Initially having a single Sheriff, aided only by a jailer and guard in charge of the chain gang, the department now has over 600 full-time employees.
North County Operations Division
The North County Operations Division starts at the Gaviota Tunnel and extends north to the San Luis Obispo County line as well as east to the Kern County and Ventura County lines. The division has patrol stations in Buellton, Lompoc, New Cuyama, Santa Maria and Solvang.
South County Operations Division
The South County Operations Division boundaries extend south from Gaviota Tunnel to the Ventura County line and west, from the crest of the Santa Ynez Mountains to three islands in the Santa Barbara Channel with patrol stations in Carpinteria, Goleta and Isla Vista.