Annual Report 2009 - Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department

Members of the Board of Supervisors and Citizens of Santa Barbara County:
It is with great pride that I present to you the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office 2009 Annual Report.
As in prior years, 2009 was a year that presented a multitude of challenges to the men and women of the department. Due to the
ongoing fiscal shortfall facing the County, our agency reduced staffing by 30.5 full-time employees and reduced its General Fund
contribution by $4.1 million. In order to preserve frontline services, reductions in support services and consolidations of
Bureaus and Divisions occurred. Sworn management positions were reduced by 17%. Service and Supply expenses were trimmed
to 2007 levels, even with significant increases attributed to County Jail medical, mental health, and outside hospitalization charges
as well as expensive pharmaceuticals.
During these turbulent financial times of diminished resources, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) statistics report that violent crime has risen in the unincorporated
area of the County by 44%. This significant increase may be attributable to the difficult circumstances brought on by the recession. Whatever
the cause, this spike has the potential to negatively impact the quality of life of in our communities straining the criminal justice system, particularly the
County Jail.
Jail overcrowding continues to persist, even after many measures that have been taken to alleviate this problem. The need for a jail in North County cannot
be understated. Although the County has secured a conditional award of $56.3 million through the State’s AB 900 program, the challenges of cobbling
together the required match of about $27 million, and finding the additional annual operating costs of approximately $15 million have yet to be resolved.
In 2009, the men and women of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office were again tested by disasters and unsponsored events of enormous proportions.
As in the prior year, two major wildland fires devastated areas within Santa Barbara County. The May 5 th Jesusita Fire required the evacuation of over
30,000 persons while an additional 25,000 persons received evacuation warnings. Unfortunately, the fast moving inferno consumed over 160 homes and
damaged 17 more. The magnitude of this disaster exceeded our local resources and mutual-aid personnel were summoned from the Tri-Counties as well as
from Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles. This was the largest mutual-aid response since the Isla Vista Riots.
The La Brea Fire started on August 8 th at the site of an illegal marijuana growing operation. This fire scorched approximately 90,000 acres and again
required a multitude of evacuations and evacuation warnings.
Halloween weekend in Isla Vista required a full department mobilization, and Floatopia – the fledgling beach party of local students using the huge advertising
power of Internet social networks – proved to be both a public safety emergency and an environmental crisis.
In each of the aforementioned disasters and emergency operations, department members and volunteers performed in an exemplary manner. A multitude
of dangerous situations were encountered and resolved by the men and women of the agency. I could not be prouder of their actions. Please see the
“Employee Awards“ section for some examples of their outstanding performance.
Let me close this message by thanking all members of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office for their outstanding and noteworthy efforts over the past
year. I also want to thank you, our elected Board members and citizens of this county, for your continuing support and trust. Our work cannot be accomplished
successfully without your partnerships. It is an honor and privilege to be your Sheriff, and to have the opportunity to lead the fine men and women
of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.
Sincerely,
Bill Brown
Sheriff-Coroner