The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department received a $97,000 grant from California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to reduce alcohol-related crimes in the county.
The money will be allocated to address alcohol-related crimes in Isla Vista and Goleta, including sales of alcoholic beverages to minors, illegal solicitation or possession of alcohol, and other alcohol-related crimes and abuse, according to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office.
The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s (ABC) Alcohol Policing Partnership Program (APPP) funds many grants for law enforcement agencies to use to address alcohol-related crimes in communities.
“This grant is important to enhance our efforts to protect the youth in our community by keeping alcohol away from minors and holding businesses who violate the law accountable,” Lt. John Maxwell said. “The Sheriff’s Office greatly appreciates our partnership with California ABC in working to reduce the harm that results from alcohol-related crimes.”
According to the UCSB Daily Nexus, approximately 60% of crimes in Isla Vista are alcohol-related as shown by arrest data from the Sheriff’s Office. Crimes under that category include charges such as minor in possession, possession of an open container, and being drunk in public.
The APPP grant is intended to “enhance public safety by combining the efforts of local law enforcement officers and ABC agents, who have expertise in alcoholic beverage laws and can help communities reduce alcohol-related problems.”
The goal of the grant is to reduce alcohol-related crimes within communities.
— Atmika Iyer is a Noozhawk contributing writer and county news editor for the UCSB Daily Nexus.