An annual review of the Santa Barbara Police Department revealed another year of progress toward transparency and accountability under Police Chief Kelly Gordon, with the number of complaints dropping for the second straight year since the city began reporting data under its new model of civilian oversight in 2022.
Police Chief Kelly Gordon, who took over the department just as the city was finishing up the rehaul of its Fire and Police Commission, has been credited with leading the culture shift toward progressive policies and consistent training on de-escalation. When the first-ever numbers were revealed last year, Chief Gordon celebrated the fact that there were only 26 complaints out of more than 47,000 service calls in 2023 — amounting to around .04 percent.
The most recent report, presented to the City Council on Tuesday, showed that, while the volume of calls increased to more than 53,700 in 2024, the number of complaints fell to 16 — representing just .02 percent of calls — with just three of those complaints found to be sustained.
Senior Assistant to the City Administrator Barbara Andersen, who serves as the city’s police monitor, worked closely with the recently reconstituted Fire and Police Commission to improve the city’s civilian oversight program, updating the complaint process to make it more accessible and training with independent police consultant Hassan Aden to tighten up the use-of-force policies to align with the best available practices.
Chief Gordon said that the data supports the department’s focus on de-escalation and community-oriented policing. Of the 16 complaints, eight were internal, or filed by departmental employees, while the other eight were from community members.
“I think, as you can see, the amount of de-escalation and the amount of incidents that don’t result in any type of complaint is actually pretty incredible,” Chief Gordon said.
The internal complaints included allegations of criminal violations, nepotism or conflicting relationships, excessive force, and unsafe handling of a firearm. The remaining community complaints were for search and seizure, discriminatory conduct, rude or discourteous behavior, or failure to take action.
Five of the 16 complaints were ruled to be unfounded, two were not sustained (there was not enough evidence to either prove or disprove the allegations), and six are still under investigation. Three of the complaints were sustained, with two resulting in corrective counseling and one resulting in the termination of an officer. Chief Gordon did not provide details on the nature of the violation that ended in a termination.
The City Council took no action on the item, though several councilmembers voiced support for the recent progress and encouraged the commission to continue working to improve transparency and accountability within the police department.
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