Santa Barbara police report small drops in several crime categories, large increases in DUI arrests and Narcan deployments

Charlie Kitsapas, commander in the Santa Barbara Police Department's Community Accountability Division, gave a midyear mission strategies report to the Fire and Police Commission on July 24 that combined crime statistics, response metrics and community engagement data.

Kitsapas said the department recorded a 2% decrease in crimes against persons, a 13% decrease in crimes against property and a 6% decrease in crimes against society in 2025 compared with the same period in 2024; he said those categories were reported under the National Incident Based Reporting System. "We have a 2% decrease in crimes against persons, 13% decrease in crimes against property, and a 6% decrease in crimes against society," Kitsapas said.

Kitsapas highlighted a 42% increase in DUI arrests and attributed the rise to multiple changes in deployment, including adding an evening motor officer, expanding bicycle proactive teams and creating a dedicated DUI enforcement officer, Officer Garcia. Kitsapas noted Officer Garcia was recognized by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) for his efforts.

The report said officers deployed Narcan 58 times through midyear; Kitsapas described the number as reflecting "58 lives potentially saved by our officers." He also described a new public distribution program: members of the public may obtain Narcan at the department lobby after viewing a short instructional video, a program the commander said began about a month earlier.

Kitsapas described co‑response activity with clinicians: 1,022 co‑response calls for service and 148 co‑response follow‑ups handled by the department's teams. He said the department now fields two co‑response teams — two officers paired with two clinicians — which has increased the number of co‑response calls. "We have 2 co response teams now... that number is up significantly," he said.

Response‑time targets were also reported: priority 1 average response time was 5.5 minutes (target 7 minutes); priority 2 averaged 11.6 minutes (target 14.5); priority 3 was 36.4 minutes (target 30); priority 4 averaged 53.8 minutes (target 50). Kitsapas noted small decreases in total calls for service year‑to‑date and an 8% increase in on‑view activity (officer‑generated calls).

Police Chief Kelly told commissioners she was "very proud of all the work that the men and women of the department are doing," and said clearance rates and proactive policing changes reflected in the numbers had produced positive outcomes.

Commissioners asked for definitions and context: Vice Chair Hill asked for the meaning of "crimes against society," and Kitsapas said it includes alcohol‑related offenses, gambling and drug‑use crimes. Commissioners discussed Narcan video length and Narcan distribution counts; the commander said the public video is ‘‘under 10 minutes’’ and Chief Kelly said the department had distributed Narcan at least five times in the first four weeks of the public program.