Police outline agreement with grand jury e‑bike recommendations, propose quarterly reporting and expanded youth education

Commander Chris Payne, patrol division commander for the Santa Barbara Police Department, told the Fire and Police Commission that the department reviewed the Santa Barbara County Civil Grand Jury report on e‑bikes and "agree[s] with most of the report," and described steps the department has taken and plans to take to improve safety and awareness.

Payne said the department has already deployed enforcement through its traffic unit and the Community Action Team (officers who ride bicycles). He described a rotating deployment strategy intended to make enforcement less predictable while providing positive public contacts: "we're trying to do 2 hours a day, between the 2 units," he said.

On the grand jury’s recommendation that the police provide monthly reports to the City Council on e‑bike accidents and enforcement activity, Payne said the department prefers a quarterly public update to the Fire and Police Commission instead of monthly reporting to council. He said the first quarterly report to the commission will begin no later than Dec. 1. Payne explained that quarterly reporting will better allow the department to observe and respond to patterns.

Payne acknowledged that the new ordinance and related enforcement duties add responsibilities and that the department will perform an internal resource and workload assessment in partnership with the city administration and finance department to determine whether additional funding or staffing is required; he proposed completing that assessment by April 1, 2026.

On public outreach, Payne said the department has taken steps to expand education. The department applied for and received an Office of Traffic Safety grant and will partner with Move Santa Barbara County to deliver education in local elementary, junior high and high schools. Payne said the grant takes effect in October and identified two school classes planned outside the grant: Sept. 3 at Peabody and Sept. 24 at La Cumbre Junior High. He also said the department has worked with the RadBike e‑bike company, the Santa Barbara Unified School District and the Sheriff’s Office (for Goleta) on trainings and outreach.

Payne said the department is considering other education‑oriented activities such as a bike‑skills rodeo modeled after Huntington Beach’s program to provide hands‑on safety instruction for youth. He also said the department will add a direct link on the police department website to the municipal code section that governs bicycles, e‑bikes and e‑conveyances (10.52).

Commissioners asked about tourists and rental e‑bikes on sidewalks; Payne said such issues are difficult to eliminate entirely but that officers take the opportunity to educate riders when they observe unsafe behavior. He noted the city is coordinating internally with departments including Transportation, Streets and Sustainability to expand outreach.