The Police IndexStop data: 2024 · Pay and hiring checked Nov 2026
What the job looks like at Carlsbad Police
121 swornStarts at $109,120Not hiring new officers nowApplicant Score 65
Calls for service
About 295 a day
107,556 a year. Calendar year 2025, FY 2026-27 city budget. Officers also stopped 10,220 people in 2024. Most common reason for a stop: speeding, 29%.
First assignment
Not published
Busiest hour for stops
10am to 11am
20% of stops are overnight
7th of 11
Stops that came from a call
12%
The rest the officer started
9th of 11
Median stop length
10 min
What Carlsbad Police officers stop people for
Speeding29%
Red light, stop sign or traffic sign12%
Registration, plates or insurance12%
Lights, tint or equipment11%
Lane, turn or right-of-way violation8%
Phone use while driving6%
Mental health hold2%
Trespassing1%
Seat belt or child seat1%
Theft, burglary or stolen property1%
Everything else17%
The main reason recorded for each of 10,220 people stopped in 2024, grouped from the offense code. Service calls with no detention are not in this data.
When the work happens
20% of stops happen between 10pm and 5am, 7th of 11.
Carlsbad Police
Average of 11
12am3am6am9am12pm3pm6pm9pm
Darker means a larger share of stops in that hour.
How the work is done
Each dot is one of 11 departments. Carlsbad Police is highlighted.
On foot16% 9th of 11
0%20%40%
For a traffic violation82% 3rd of 11
0%20%40%60%80%100%
After a call for service12% 9th of 11
0%20%40%
Person perceived as unhoused2% 9th of 11
0%20%40%
How stops end
Verbal warning36% 6th of 11
0%20%40%60%
Citation38% 3rd of 11
0%20%40%
Arrest7% 9th of 11
0%20%40%
Psychiatric hold2% 7th of 11
0%20%40%
One person can have more than one outcome, so these do not add to 100%.
When a stop starts with a call
Ends in arrest42% 2nd of 11
0%20%40%60%
Ends in a psychiatric hold18% 2nd of 11
0%20%40%
Searches and handcuffs
Person searched10% 9th of 11
0%20%40%
Handcuffed7% 8th of 11
0%20%40%
Agencies differ in how consistently they record handcuffing and searches, so small gaps between departments may not be real.
