Policing and Using the SARA Model Case Study

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SARA Model

The Scanning Analysis Response Assessment (SARA) Model of problem-oriented policing is an effective guide that essentially takes the form of "action research" in the sense that police participate in the problem-identifying/problem-solving method of investigation and testing (Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, 2016). SARA can therefore be applied in a realistic setting with positive impact, thus meeting the need for police officers to take a structured approach to problem solving and delivering solutions.

This paper discusses the components of the SARA model, how the Crime Triangle works (according to Routine Activities Theory), and how to focus on an outcome-based approach.

Crime is still a problem in the streets, even if crime rates are falling (Levitt, 2004). In many communities across the country heroin usage has exploded in recent years. One way to crack down on illegal drug use and drug trading is to employ the SARA model.

The SARA model can be employed by officers in the community by following the four steps of the model. These steps are

1. Scanning

a. Identify problems that recur within a community (in this case, the problem under scrutiny is drugs, specifically heroin)

b. Identify the impact of the problem -- the consequences (in this case, the impact is that teens and adults are becoming hooked on a deadly drug; families are being destroyed; theft and petty crime is escalating)

c. Prioritize (in this case, the issue of drug-related theft stems from the drug abuse, drug trade, which is the main issue and thus receives top priority)

d. Create an objective (in this case, the aim is to reduce drug use, which will then help to reduce theft, petty crime)

e. Confirm the existence of the problem (in this case, the existence is confirmed by daily/nightly runs of the EMS all over the community, called to bring ODs back to life)

f. Identify the frequency of the problem and how long it has been happening (this helps to give a background to the issue and allows officers to appreciate the full force and weight and scale and scope of the issue -- in this case, the heroin problem has been an issue since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, so for more than a decade)

g. Focus on specific problems (in this case, the focus will be on inner city locations where drug sales are occurring)

2. Analysis

a. Know the circumstances, conditions/events that lead up to and are related to the problem (in this case, drug addiction, social environment and ease of access are the issues)

b. Describe the data that needs to be collected for analysis (quantitative data regarding drug usage in the community, arrests, convictions of sellers/users, etc.)

c. Perform studies of how the issues has been handled in the past

d. Note what current responses to the issue consist of and the degree to which they are effective

e. Be specific in adjusting the scope -- isolate on aspect of the problem at a time

f. Indicate resources that can help in better understanding the issue (in this case, performing interviews with drug users and sellers to better understand why they do what they do)

g. Hypothesize on why the problem is happening (in this case, produce a theory as to why drug/heroin use is on the rise and impacting so many

3. Response

a. Devise new methods of intervention (this could include community outreach, educational seminars in schools, street foot patrols that allow officers to better get to know the community, etc.)

b. Knowing how separate communities have dealt with the issue (this would include contacting other departments and council leaders across the country)

c. Deciding on the best intervention method

d. Developing an adequate response plan

e. Placing the goals at the top of the plan

f. Executing the plan

4. Assessment

a. Evaluate the implementation of the plan

b. Gather both qualitative and quantitative data both before and after the plan

c. Assess whether goals have been met

d. Look for ways to further develop the plan via new strategies

e. Continue to assess the situation and evaluate the overall effect of the implementation of the plan

Implementation of the SARA model of problem-oriented policing is dependent upon the application of the Crime Triangle, which itself utilizes criminal profiling as part of the process of establishing a routine activities theoretical perspective of the issue. For example, the first step of the SARA model is scanning -- and to properly perform a scan of the environment, one has to understand the basics of criminal profiling.

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As Grafton (2008) notes, criminal profiling occurs when "you look at a specific crime and try to determine -- does it occur in a specific way and is it caused by a specific type of person." Performing this profiling is an essential step in establishing the Crime Triangle: this triangle helps the law enforcement agent to understand the type of offender that is committing the crime, the target and the time/place where the offense occurs. In the case of the heroin explosion in communities, the type of offender ranges from suburban teens to inner city adults interact at specific locations in cities/parking lots, streets, etc. These places are typically known as a result of reports made by eyewitnesses, emergency response teams (EMS reports), and police calls.

The concept of Routine Activities Theory is inherent in the application of the Crime Triangle, as it forms the foundation of the model. Routine Activities Theory holds that if an officer of the law is bound to fight crime, then society is bound to acknowledge that crime is a norm or a common routine, state or condition within the community. It can therefore be monitored and understood as part of a system of activities that has a process and can be predicted. By using Routine Activities Theory, officers can establish the opportunities that criminals have to conduct their criminal behavior. By locating these opportunities, officers can nip the problem in the bud by practicing crime prevention. Routine Activities Theory holds that there is a routine to the way in which criminal activity is enacted and thus the conclusion that can be deduced and is assumed by the SARA model is that via intervention on behalf of law enforcement (through a variety of methods, such as education, street surveillance, community enforcement and outreach, etc.), crime can be prevented and thereby reduced. According to Irwin (2008), "First-order thinking depends on ... the culture of modernity, a culture within which science is presented as the embodiment of truth and the task of government becomes one of bringing rationality to human affairs" (p. 6). This means that by using reason, officers can engage the community on a number of levels, using enforcement and education for example (which is a proven method of effecting change in North Carolina in the case of getting citizens to wear seat belts) (Williams, Wells, Reinfurt, 2002). By communicating directly with the community, including members of the crime community being targeted (in order to better understand their motives -- a part of the SARA model step-process), the law enforcement community can work to overcome the issues related to this particular crime problem.

Thus, the Crime Triangle works in the following manner: the officer uses criminal profiling in order to identify the types of persons associated with this particular crime. In this case, the law enforcement agents will focus on heroin dealers in the city and suburban areas and teens who are coming into the city to buy heroin. These individuals are monitored and their connections noted, their friends, social environment and peers so that a web of knowledge can be ascertained about the particular subjects. This web is then used to help identify the targets, the exchange and the time and place where it occurs. For instance, if the target exchange is in a particular block of the city, that area needs to be put under surveillance so that it can be monitored around the clock and evidence gathered as to whether this is actually a drug-center for sales and usage. Then times of the day and the exact places where exchanges are being made need to be identified. This is what goes into performing the Crime Triangle and developing a sense of the characteristics of the crime under scrutiny.

The Crime Triangle helps to establish the context needed for the application of the SARA model. In this case, it provides information needed for the first step -- Scanning. The problem (heroin) is identified, the frequency of the problem is noted, the persons involved, the location, etc. -- all of that is identified in the scanning process. The next step is then taken in the model, which is Analysis and in this case that would involve gathering information on how the drug problem in the community was handled in the past, what other communities are doing to fight it, and what the data is suggesting about the issue. Then the third step of the model….....

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