In an effort to save more than $200,000, the Carpinteria City Council has decided to shut down the city’s sheriff’s substation, starting in July.
The City Council voted 4-1 Monday night, with Councilman Joe Armendariz dissenting, to shutter the station at 5775 Carpinteria Ave., which has provided a place for residents to file reports and speak with law enforcement without having a deputy respond to a call.
The city contracts with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department for its law enforcement, and the city will discontinue funding for two administrative positions, one office worker and one sergeant, instead of cutting front-line officers in Carpinteria.
“That means if they want to file a report or have a question, they won’t be able to come to the station any longer,” said Lt. Kelly Moore, the station commander.
The decision will take effect July 1, when the city’s new fiscal year begins.
Residents of Carpinteria will have to have a deputy respond to their home or will have to drive to sheriff’s headquarters at 4434 Calle Real in Santa Barbara.
The city’s 26 deputies will continue to operate out of the sheriff’s substation but will have unpredictable schedules, so the office won’t be staffed consistently.
The city has had a contract to operate the substation for 20 years, but the station has been operating for the past 47 years.
Moore said the station has been open five days a week and sees an average of 15 to 20 people come in a day.
“People don’t think about [the substation] until they need it,” he said.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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