Clarification:
A previous story inaccurately stated that the Sheriff s Office denied a Public Records Act request specifically for the data Sheriff Brown presented on Dec. 1. The Sheriff s Office denied New Times request for 2020 crime statistics, stating that data won t be available until February 2021. Reported crimes are up this year in both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, and a preliminary FBI report shows that the same is true for homicides throughout the U.S. click to enlarge
COVID TINDERBOX
While the Santa Barbara County Sheriff s Office says relaxed bail rules aimed at decreasing jail and prison populations are leading to an increase in serious crime, inmate advocates say COVID-19 is the bigger safety risk.