Clarification: A previous story inaccurately stated that the Sheriff's Office denied a Public Records Act request specifically for the data Sheriff Brown presented on Dec. 1. The Sheriff's Office denied New Times' request for 2020 crime statistics, stating that data won't be available until February 2021. Reported crimes are up this year in both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, and a preliminary FBI report shows that the same is true for homicides throughout the U.S. click to enlarge COVID TINDERBOX While the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office says relaxed bail rules aimed at decreasing jail and prison populations are leading to an increase in serious crime, inmate advocates say COVID-19 is the bigger safety risk.