Corruption in Solvang Police Dept. leads city to consider alternatives, Lompoc PD to take over police duties

Original story here: https://www.noozhawk.com/solvang-buellton-looking-to-lompoc-for-police-services-may-drop-sheriffs-office/

https://www.newspress.com/2026/05/28/solvang-switch-to-lompoc-police-department-would-end-decades-of-santa-barbara-county-sheriffs-patrols/

In recent years, I can recall several scandals the Solvang Police Department has been involved in, and frankly it doesn't surprise me that the city has had enough. There have been multiple high-profile lawsuits against the county for police misconduct and excessive force, and now we find out that "Solvang pays $3.4 million annually for 5.5 full-time equivalent positions." That works out to over $618,000 per officer. The financial issues reportedly include time fraud and excessive overtime. It's disgusting.

I'm glad to see the city moving forward and adopting a real police force, hopefully one with more accountability than the last.