Our mission and commitment to you:

To provide organized solutions for the preservation and accessibility of police records while providing excellent customer service to our community and staff in adherence with federal, state, and municipal law.

When entering the Police Department you can expect courteous, efficient, and prompt customer service.  We are here to help.

Under the direction of the Community Services Division Captain and the Police Records Manager, our Records team consists of three Police Records Supervisors, ten Police Records Specialists, two LiveScan Technicians, four Transcribers, a Station Officer, and one Switchboard Operator.

The Records Bureau is your first contact when entering or calling the Police Department, and to this degree, we are your gateway to information housed within the department.  Our service team provides record keeping functions for the department, complies with mandated statistical reporting for the State Department of Justice relating to crime in the City of Santa Barbara, and provides various support services to our citizens. 

Services we provide include…

• Accessibility of documentation for all internal and external customers.
• Submission and Distribution to the District Attorney’s Office and Courts.
• Registrant processing in accordance with Megan’s Law.
• Transcription of Crime Reports.
• LiveScan and Fingerprinting services.
• Receipting of Crime reports.
• Entry of Restraining Orders.
• Traffic Citation Sign Offs.
• General Information on areas of interest to the public.

Lobby hours are seven days a week from 7am to 7pm.

LiveScan / Fingerprint Services

Offered Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

By appointment only with a valid form of photo identification. Please call 805-897-2355.

The charge for this service is $10.00; however, other fees may also apply.

Alternative LiveScan / Fingerprint service providers can be found on the website of the Office of the Attorney General at http://caag.state.ca.us; the tab you will query is Criminal Justice / Fingerprint Submissions.

Obtaining a Police Report

The Santa Barbara Police Department will only release our own department’s records.  These records will include all adult bookings and citations that occurred within the Santa Barbara city limits.  Active cases which are still under investigation may not be released.

You must have a “need to know” when requesting a police report.

Copies of police reports are duplicated at a rate of 30 cents per page.

You must have valid photo identification when requesting a report.

If you are requesting a copy for another person, as that person’s representative you will need to obtain an authorization letter accompanied by a current photo identification of the subject of record.  If the subject of record is a juvenile, his or her parent or legal guardian will need to obtain the report.

Obtaining a Copy of Your Criminal History

There is a $10.00 fee to do the search. If records are found, a $25.00 fee will be charged.

You must have valid photo identification when requesting a report.

If you are requesting a copy for another person, as that person’s representative you will need to obtain an authorization letter accompanied by a current photo identification of the subject of record.  If the subject of record is a juvenile, his or her parent or legal guardian will need to obtain the report.