Social Media Post Leads to Arrest of Local Off-Duty Police Officer 
Late Tuesday night, December 17, 2019 the Santa Barbara Police Department became aware through a social media post that an alleged off-duty police officer, who was under the influence of alcohol, became engaged in an argument early Sunday morning inside a local night club.
During the argument, which allegedly occurred early Sunday morning on December 15th, the police officer displayed his badge and firearm in a non-official capacity.
Within minutes of becoming aware of the post, the Santa Barbara Police Department devoted abundant resources to begin investigating the accuracy of the serious on-line allegations.
The officer involved was identified as Marco Pavico, a new University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) police officer.
The Santa Barbara Police Department, in collaboration with the UCSB Police Department investigated the incident. Marco Pavico was arrested by Santa Barbara Police Detectives for battery and brandishing a firearm and he was booked at the Santa Barbara County Jail.
Due to the serious allegation, and the authority/trust bestowed upon police officers, the Chief of Police at UCSB acted swiftly and placed Marco Pavico on investigatory leave, seizing his Department issued firearm and suspending his police powers pending further investigation.
A criminal investigation by the Santa Barbara Police Department and an investigatory leave investigation by the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) Police Department remain ongoing.
Video Statement by SBPD:
https://santabarbaraca.canto.com/b/K7EDN
Address/Location
Santa Barbara Police Department
215 East Figueroa Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-897-2300
