North Coastal sheriff credits proactive enforcement for steep drops in crimes; promises continued DUI and e-motorcycle crackdowns

Captain Watts of the North Coastal Sheriff’s Office told the Encinitas Public Safety Commission on Tuesday that his command saw large year-over-year declines in reported crime in 2025 and plans to sustain those gains through targeted enforcement and community partnerships.

“Through the year 2025, we’ve seen a minus 39% decrease in crimes against persons,” Watts said during a presentation that summarized enforcement activity, outreach and staffing changes. He also reported a 25% decline in property crimes and said deputy-initiated activities—proactive patrols and contacts—rose sharply after command changes in 2024.

The captain emphasized traffic enforcement as a priority. He said the station shifted patrol schedules to concentrate resources against driving under the influence, moved one patrol car to overnight DUI hours in September and planned to add a second car dedicated to DUI enforcement. “We saw our DUIs increase in volume for arrest. However, that was on purpose,” he said, adding that the intention was to reduce nighttime collisions.

Watts described a monthly “traffic enforcement day” in which uniformed staff—sometimes joined by neighboring jurisdictions—conduct concentrated enforcement; one operation involved nearly 80 vehicles and motor units. He also described operations to remove illegal e-motorcycles and unsafe riding behaviors: “Between January 1 and now, we’ve already seized 14 e-motorcycles,” he said, explaining the use of unmarked vehicles, drones and helicopter support to observe and recover bikes while avoiding high-speed pursuits.

The captain said municipal-code enforcement has been used to address quality-of-life issues, from illegal camping and smoking/vaping to unpermitted vending and overnight RV parking. He reported 521 RV-related citations in 2025 and said the department had increased issuance of parking and other municipal-code citations to change behavior.

Watts credited partnerships with community groups and the San Diego Rescue Mission for improved outcomes when officers encounter people experiencing homelessness, saying having social-service workers available to accept referrals and make immediate linkages has reduced the likelihood that encounters escalate. He described expanded HOPE/COPs-team coverage to seven days and the addition of two city-funded COPs deputies to maintain outreach and avoid diverting patrol deputies from 911 calls.

Commissioners and members of the public praised the sheriff’s office for visibility and community engagement and raised operational questions about weekend social-service coverage, the geographic distribution of patrols and age demographics for DUI arrestees. Watts said some demographic breakdowns were not available in the presentation and that the department relies on partner agencies for some services.

The commission did not take formal action on the presentation itself, but members asked staff to return with follow-up information and to fold relevant outcomes into the commission’s ongoing work plan.