Overall Part 1 Crime and Property Crime Rates Continued to Decrease

 Along with a Reduction in Violent Crime

Santa Barbara, Calif.  –  The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has released the 2025 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, Isla Vista, and the contract cities of Goleta, Carpinteria, Solvang, and Buellton. For tracking purposes, crimes 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 2025 we saw a significant decrease in overall Part 1 crimes across the areas we serve. These overall Part 1 crimes decreased from 2,187 in 2024 to 1,982 in 2025, a reduction of 9.4%. I am proud of the continued work of our deputies, detectives, and professional staff whose efforts contribute to safer communities throughout Santa Barbara County,” said Sheriff Bill Brown.

Overall Part 1 crimes decreased from 2,187 incidents in 2024 to 1,982 in 2025, marking a reduction of approximately 9%. Violent crimes increased slightly from 406 incidents in 2024 to 421 in 2025, an increase of about 4%. This increase included increases in robberies and aggravated assaults, while reported rapes decreased compared to the previous year. Homicides increased from 1 in 2024 to 3 in 2025.

Reported Part 1 property crimes decreased from 1,781 incidents in 2024 to 1,561 in 2025, a 12% decrease. Statistically significant decreases in Part 1 property crime were seen in burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson compared to the previous year.

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 2025, broken down by contract city or other unincorporated areas, compared to the previous year:

Buellton

In Buellton, crime statistics from 2024 to 2025 indicate a decrease across multiple categories. Overall, reported Part 1 crimes decreased from 71 incidents in 2024 to 53 in 2025, representing a reduction of approximately 25%. Violent crimes decreased from 12 incidents in 2024 to 10 in 2025. Property crimes declined from 59 incidents in 2024 to 43 in 2025, a decrease of approximately 27%, including reductions in burglary and larceny-theft, while motor vehicle thefts increased slightly.

Carpinteria

In Carpinteria, crime statistics from 2024 to 2025 show a slight increase in overall crime. Reported Part 1 crimes increased from 200 incidents in 2024 to 204 in 2025, an increase of approximately 2%. Violent crimes increased from 24 incidents in 2024 to 40 in 2025, driven by increases in aggravated assaults and robberies. Property crimes decreased from 176 incidents in 2024 to 164 in 2025, a 7% decrease, including reductions in burglary and motor vehicle theft.

Goleta

In Goleta, crime statistics from 2024 to 2025 indicate a decrease in overall crime. Reported Part 1 crimes decreased from 602 incidents in 2024 to 449 in 2025, a 25% decrease. Property crimes decreased significantly from 538 incidents in 2024 to 383 in 2025, a reduction of approximately 29%, including notable decreases in burglary and larceny-theft. Violent crimes increased slightly from 64 incidents in 2024 to 66 in 2025.

Isla Vista

In Isla Vista, crime statistics from 2024 to 2025 show a slight increase in overall crime. Reported Part 1 crimes increased from 224 incidents in 2024 to 229 in 2025, an increase of approximately 2%. Violent crimes increased from 45 incidents in 2024 to 55 in 2025, a 22% increase, driven primarily by increases in aggravated assaults. Property crimes decreased slightly from 179 incidents in 2024 to 174 in 2025.

Solvang

In Solvang, crime statistics from 2024 to 2025 indicate a slight decrease in overall crime. Reported Part 1 crimes decreased from 61 incidents in 2024 to 56 in 2025, an 8% decrease. Violent crimes increased from 4 incidents in 2024 to 8 in 2025, while property crimes decreased from 57 incidents in 2024 to 48 in 2025, a 16% decrease, including reductions in burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft.

Unincorporated areas

In the unincorporated areas, excluding Isla Vista, crime statistics from 2024 to 2025 show a decrease in overall crime. Reported Part 1 crimes decreased from 1,029 incidents in 2024 to 858 in 2025, a reduction of approximately 17%. Violent crimes decreased from 257 incidents in 2024 to 198 in 2025, a decrease of approximately 23%. Property crimes also declined from 772 incidents in 2024 to 660 in 2025, a decrease of about 15%, including significant reductions in larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft.

Starting with next year’s report, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office will transition from providing Uniform Crime Reporting under the old Summary Reporting System (SRS) to the newer, more detailed National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). This change is in response to a federal mandate from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, which, under direction from the U.S. Department of Justice, requires all law enforcement agencies to adopt NIBRS.

Under the legacy SRS system, information was captured for 8 serious offenses—known as the Part 1 “index” crimes—and only the most serious offense in an incident was counted. For example, if a case involved both motor vehicle theft and aggravated assault, only the assault might be reported. NIBRS collects a fuller picture by reporting all offenses that occur within a single incident. It captures more than 50 distinct offenses and groups this data into Crimes Against Persons, Crimes Against Property, and Crimes Against Society—along with additional details such as weapon use, victim characteristics, property value, and location—which results in more a more complete and nuanced understanding of criminal activity.

Because NIBRS counts more information per incident and categorizes data differently than SRS did, crime numbers reported under NIBRS may appear to increase even when actual crime levels have not. This has been seen in other jurisdictions already using NIBRS and is due to the expanded reporting structure, not necessarily a rise in criminal activity. For this reason, direct comparisons between legacy SRS Part 1 and Part 2 crimes and NIBRS Group A crimes are difficult, potentially misleading, and should be made with caution. Over the next years, direct comparisons of NIBRS data will provide clearer, more detailed, and more meaningful crime trend information.