Santa Cruz Search and Rescue

The roots of the Santa Cruz County Search and Rescue Team reach back to 1972, when Boy Scout Explorer Post 613 maintained a well trained Search and Rescue unit consisting of 20 to 30 members.

What began as an interest by local Boy Scouts was recognized in 1984 as a separately functioning unit of the Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office and is now recognized by the State of California, Office of Emergency Services as a mutual aid resource for neighboring counties. The SAR team is comprised of both Sheriff personnel and volunteers from the community. The number of members has changed little over the years, remaining highly skilled and dedicated, making SCZ SAR a valuable resource for the Sheriff's Office and the community.

SAR team members volunteer a generous number of hours each year, stepping away from jobs, friends, and family in service to training and in performing searches. Santa Cruz County SAR carries out search on foot, in vehicles, in water and in the air. Searchers have been deployed for missing adults, missing children, and even evidence in criminal cases. Rescue operations have been made for hikers, bikers, joggers, lost children, people with Alzheimer’s, and despondent individuals across all manners of terrain in Santa Cruz County.

While the searches are never easy, often inconveniently timed and in challenging conditions, team members give unflagging support to the cause so that others may live. Their time and effort continue to provide valuable search and rescue service to Santa Cruz County and beyond.