Tag archives: police

Hands Across Montecito: Union Pacific Railroad Police Visit Montecito
By Sharon Byrne   |   May 30, 2023

I got a bit of a surprise call last Thursday from Agent Potter, with Union Pacific [UP] Railroad Police. We’d been notified by the County’s encampment response team that UP was coming to do a South County cleanout sometime in April – outreach teams should work to clear inhabitants of camps so that Union Pacific […]

Four Automated License Plate Readers Are Coming to Montecito
By Sharon Byrne   |   May 2, 2023

The permits have been filed, and installation is on the way. Montecito will host four new Flock Automated License Plate Readers. We first covered this in September of 2022, when the sheriffs came to our Montecito Association Board meeting to show us the new readers, and request help from our community with placing them. These […]

One Big Party in the 805
By Richard Mineards   |   September 27, 2022

Oscar winning actor Kevin Costner opened the gates of his Carpinteria oceanside estate for One805LIVE! which attracted 1,500 guests and raised around $1 million for all three First Responder groups – fire, police, and the sheriff – purchasing equipment, supporting public safety and taking care of those who take care of us. Cars were parked […]

License Plate Readers Coming to Montecito
By Sharon Byrne   |   September 13, 2022

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office will install automated license plate readers to aid in law enforcement investigations as part of a one-year trial. The trial is part of the National Policing Institute’s Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) study. ALPRs are helpful in crimes where a vehicle was used.  The purpose of the study is […]

Looking for Reliable 911 Service
By Montecito Journal   |   July 12, 2022

We live on Channel Drive in Montecito and along with the neighbors we have sent several emails regarding the lack of Sheriff’s presence since COVID and the increase of illegal activities. Last night was 4th of July and sadly Channel Drive had far fewer families enjoying the fireworks and many more people drinking, flying drones […]

Looters Attack More Than a Courthouse
By Bob Hazard   |   August 6, 2020

Many in Montecito are conflicted. The senseless killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis has jarred 100 percent of us into re-examining the fight for equal rights and justice under the law. Unfortunately, while our country attempts to come together in its search for racial justice, a highly visible minority of violent rioters and anarchists has […]

Police Reform En Route?
By Jun Starkey   |   July 30, 2020

Santa Barbara City Council looks into forming civilian review board The killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer more than two months ago has shaken a nation that is still dealing with the fallout.    Thousands of protesters remain in the streets of Portland in a tense standoff with police and federal agents […]

Letters to the Editor
By Montecito Journal   |   July 2, 2020

Happy 4th of July Even though COVID means we are unable to celebrate the 4th of July at the traditional firehouse pancake breakfast, we can still stop by this month and donate the price of our meal tickets to show our support for the firefighters and staff who keep our community safe. Our family and […]

Letters to the Editor
By Montecito Journal   |   June 25, 2020

Not Missing After All Nicholas Schou’s article in the 18-25 June 2020 edition of the Journal is a deeply flawed and misdirected screed against private wells disguised as an “investigation” of “Montecito’s Missing Water.” An alliterative headline to be sure, but missing? It may be unknown, but it hasn’t gone missing. At the outset, when […]

Ball of Confusion
By Bob Hazard   |   June 18, 2020

I’m confused. Prior to May 25, law enforcement officers, along with firefighters, doctors and nurses, were celebrated as America’s heroes for showing up as first responders when other workers were told to shelter-in-place. What has happened to unleash a flood of angry protestors with signs that read “Eat the rich. Hang Bankers”; “F*** Capitalism”; and […]

Letters to the Editor
By Montecito Journal   |   June 11, 2020

Gratitude for Gwyn My wife and I have been reading the Montecito Journal with pleasure since Gwyn became CEO and Executive Editor. You have greatly improved the overall editorial content of the paper (which I, for one, seldom read under the editorship of your predecessor) and your Editor’s Letters have been uniformly thoughtful and well […]

Suspects Arrested for Auto Burglaries
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   January 30, 2020

A man and a woman driving a stolen sedan were arrested at gunpoint on Saturday afternoon, January 25, after a string of auto burglaries in Goleta at the Calle Real Shopping Center and in Montecito on Coast Village Circle. At about 3:30 pm, a deputy on patrol in Carpinteria observed a suspect vehicle that had […]

Fun with the Force
By Richard Mineards   |   October 10, 2019

A sea of blue swept over, Bella Vista, the Summerland estate of hotelier Pat Nesbitt and his wife, Ursula, when they hosted the fifth annual Fun with the Force with a record 900 guests raising around $300,000 for the ten-year-old Santa Barbara Police Foundation. The popular organization provides financial support for injured and ill police […]

Let the Robot(s) do It
By James Buckley   |   July 25, 2019

A special demonstration took place recently on the steps of the building at 1187 Coast Village Road. On hand to demonstrate the abilities of a 36″x18″x10″ Vantage tactical robot developed and produced by Transcend Tactical Vantage Robot – was Juan Camarena, a SWAT Lieutenant and Commander of the Isla Vista Foot Patrol Station. The robot […]

SBPD Seeking Assistance & Information
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   April 18, 2019

The Santa Barbara Police Department Property Crimes Unit is currently investigating a series of ongoing residential burglaries that have occurred in the city of Santa Barbara on the border of Montecito. Detectives are currently looking for any surveillance video footage of suspicious subjects or vehicles for the following date(s) and location(s): April 12, 2019 between […]

Mobile Command Center Unveiled
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   February 28, 2019

Earlier this month the Santa Barbara Police Department accepted and unveiled a new 32-ft long, 12-ft tall, custom mobile command unit that will be dispatched during community events, emergency situations, and disasters. The $350,000 vehicle was purchased by the Santa Barbara Police Foundation and One805, a local non-profit that was born after the Thomas Fire […]

In Passing: Fierce, Strong, and Driven
By Montecito Journal   |   September 27, 2018

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has lost its first and only female K-9 to work for our agency. Retired K-9 Betti passed away September 14 at age 14 due to health complications from old age.  Betti, whose full name is Betti Blue Van Haus Pe-ja, worked for the Sheriff’s Office for eight years before […]

Olive Mill Bridge Work Begins
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   August 30, 2018

Earlier this week, travelers driving along southbound Highway 101 at night and in the early-morning hours were detoured off the freeway along Coast Village Road, as Caltrans began a four-month project to replace the bridge rails on the 101 overcrossing at Olive Mill Road. Full overnight closures are expected through the end of the week, […]

Sheriff’s Blotter
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   August 2, 2018

The Sheriff’s Office has released the name of the decedent who was fatally injured on July 19, when he was struck by a northbound Amtrak passenger train east of Olive Mill Road in Montecito. The decedent is 50-year-old Rogelio Perez of Santa Barbara. Next of kin has been notified, and his death is being ruled […]

Sheriff’s Blotter
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   July 26, 2018

Late on the night of Wednesday, July 18, and into Thursday, July 19, Montecito residents were on edge as Santa Barbara Sheriff’s deputies searched for – and ultimately arrested – three suspects wanted for residential burglary. The incident began Just before 10:30 pm on July 18; the Santa Barbara County Public Safety Dispatch Center received […]