Long-range plans to reboot the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office’s payroll system and decommission the South County jail aligned with recommendations from a recent grand jury report. During its Aug. 25 meeting, the county Board of Supervisors discussed the report titled: “What’s up with overtime in the Sheriff’s Office?” “The sheriff’s overtime excesses have been […]
Sheriff’s Office
Posted inNews
Sheriff’s Office pins timecard arrests to increased oversight
Arrested in early August, Jeffrey Koeller is the second Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office employee to face embezzlement charges this year. Both Koeller and Segun Ogunleye—arrested in late January—worked for the Sheriff’s Office as custody sergeants, and were charged for fraudulently claiming and receiving earnings of $93,000 and $175,000, respectively, for hours they did not […]
Posted inLetters To The Editor
It’s not wise to cut the Sheriff’s Office’s budget
First let’s stipulate that the primary duty of government is to ensure the safety of the public and provide a robust utility infrastructure and a serviceable road system. Public safety includes a police function, district attorney, jails to house those convicted of violating the laws, fire protection, and emergency medical service. Everything else government does […]
Posted inNews
County orders monthly audits of Sheriff’s Office overtime use
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will continue tracking overtime use at the Sheriff’s Office after a recent review showed that a few employees more than doubled their pay. “The current system really rewards overspending,” 3rd District Supervisor Joan Hartmann said during the Feb. 10 board hearing. According to county staff, during the fiscal […]
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Vandenberg Village resident pleads not guilty to murder of her 9-year-old daughter
While taking photos along a remote back road off Utah’s State Route 24, a couple discovered what ultimately closed a two-month, multi-agency investigation into the disappearance of a child from the Lompoc Valley. “Although immediate identification of the deceased person was not possible, it was apparent that the decedent was a female who had died […]
Posted inNews
County takes a closer look at the Sheriff’s Office’s vehicle expenses
When picking the make and model of a rental car, requesting a police cruiser sounds like a prank. But it’s a serious ask for law enforcement agencies that contract with Enterprise for vehicle leases. In 2021, Santa Barbara County entered a five-year agreement with Enterprise to supply the Sheriff’s Office its patrol fleet on a […]
Posted inNews
Breaking the silence? A recent Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors decision aims to get more information about what ICE is doing locally
Hoping to score a vantage point that gives Santa Barbara County a clearer view of local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, the Board of Supervisors recently asked the Sheriff’s Office to publicly disclose its interactions with the federal agency on a regular basis. Disclosures of this kind were previously limited to annual reports, mandated […]
