Applying the SARA Model to Community Drug Problems

Introduction to the SARA Model

The Scanning, Analysis, Response, and Assessment (SARA) model of problem-oriented policing is an effective guide that takes the form of "action research" in the sense that police participate directly in the problem-identifying and problem-solving process of investigation and testing (Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, 2016). SARA can therefore be applied in a realistic setting with positive impact, 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 remains a problem in communities even as overall crime rates fall (Levitt, 2004). In many communities across the country, heroin usage has exploded in recent years. One effective way to address illegal drug use and drug trading is to employ the SARA model.

The Four Steps of SARA Applied to Heroin Abuse

The SARA model can be employed by officers in the community by following its four steps:

The scanning phase involves identifying problems that recur within a community — in this case, the problem under scrutiny is drugs, specifically heroin. Officers must identify the impact and consequences of the problem (teens and adults becoming addicted to a deadly drug, families being destroyed, and theft and petty crime escalating). They then prioritize: drug-related theft stems from drug abuse and the drug trade, so the drug problem itself receives top priority.

The next tasks are to create an objective (reducing drug use, which will in turn help reduce theft and petty crime) and to confirm the existence of the problem. Here, the existence is confirmed by the daily and nightly emergency medical services (EMS) runs across the community to respond to overdoses. Officers must also identify how frequently the problem occurs and how long it has been ongoing — in this case, the heroin problem has been an issue since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, meaning for more than a decade. Finally, scanning requires focusing on specific problem locations, such as inner-city areas where drug sales are occurring.

The analysis phase requires officers to understand the circumstances, conditions, and events related to the problem — in this case, drug addiction, social environment, and ease of access. Officers must describe the data that needs to be collected (quantitative data on drug usage, arrests, and convictions of sellers and users), study how the issue has been handled in the past, and note what current responses consist of and how effective they are.

Analysis also calls for adjusting the scope by isolating one aspect of the problem at a time, identifying resources that can improve understanding of the issue (such as interviews with drug users and sellers), and hypothesizing why the problem is occurring — producing a theory as to why heroin use is rising and affecting so many people.

The response phase involves devising new methods of intervention, which could include community outreach, educational seminars in schools, and street foot patrols that allow officers to better connect with the community. Officers should also draw on knowledge of how other communities have addressed the issue by contacting other departments and council leaders across the country. From this research, they decide on the best intervention method, develop an adequate response plan, place goals at the top of the plan, and execute it.

The assessment phase requires officers to evaluate the implementation of the plan, gather both qualitative and quantitative data before and after the plan is enacted, and assess whether goals have been met. Officers should look for ways to further develop the plan through new strategies and continue to assess the situation and evaluate the overall effect of the implementation on an ongoing basis.

The Crime Triangle and Criminal Profiling

Implementation of the SARA model is dependent upon the application of the Crime Triangle, which itself draws on criminal profiling as part of establishing a Routine Activities Theory perspective on the issue. For example, the first step of the SARA model — scanning — requires a basic understanding of criminal profiling. 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, which helps the law enforcement agent understand the type of offender committing the crime, the target, and the time and 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 who interact at specific locations — city blocks, parking lots, street corners, and so on. These places are typically identified through eyewitness reports, EMS reports, and police calls.

The Crime Triangle works in the following manner: the officer uses criminal profiling to identify the types of persons associated with a particular crime. In the heroin case, law enforcement agents focus on dealers in city and suburban areas and on teens coming into the city to purchase heroin. These individuals are monitored and their connections noted — their friends, social environment, and peers — so that a web of knowledge can be built about the subjects. This web is then used to help identify targets, the exchange itself, and the time and place where it occurs. If a particular city block appears to be a center for drug sales and usage, that area must be placed under surveillance so that it can be monitored around the clock and evidence gathered. Identifying the exact times of day and precise locations where exchanges are made is what goes into performing the Crime Triangle and developing an understanding of the characteristics of the crime under scrutiny.

Conclusion

An outcome-based approach to enforcing the law regarding the drug issue in the community can best be utilized by adopting the SARA model and incorporating into it the application of the Crime Triangle and the Routine Activities Theory that supports it. These steps form the basis of the SARA model, which also allows other theories — such as Broken Windows Theory — to be integrated so that a working plan can continuously evolve and adapt to various needs within the community. By constantly assessing itself, working to gain feedback from the community, and routinely implementing upgrades, the SARA model offers law enforcement a flexible and comprehensive framework for addressing complex community problems such as heroin abuse.

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Levitt, S. (2004). Understanding why crime fell in the 1990s. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 18(1), 163–190.

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