Briefly describe the main components of the four-step S.A.R.A. process

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Scanning means problem identification, and officers must first identify problems on their beats and then look for a pattern or persistent repeat incidents. Police might examine calls for service (CFS) data (especially repeat calls), citizen complaints, census data, data from other government agencies, media coverage of community issues, officer observations, and community surveys. The primary purpose of scanning is to conduct a preliminary inquiry to determine if a problem really exists and whether further analysis is needed.

Analysis means comprehensively examining a problem to understand its causes and to develop effective, tailor-made responses. Police look at the seriousness of the problem, all the persons/groups involved and affected, and all the causes of the problem. Then they assess current responses and their effectiveness. Many tools or data sources can facilitate analysis and the problem-solving process, and the problem analysis triangle may also be employed. The role of third parties – handlers, guardians, and managers – must also be understood. Additional analysis tools – such as mapping, GPS, CompStat, and computer-aided dispatch systems – can also be used and are discussed in other chapters.
Responses involve a search for the most effective way of dealing with the problem at hand; the focus is on developing creative solutions that will address at least two sides of the problem analysis triangle. Responses may be wide-ranging and often require arrests, but not always.

Assessment has officers evaluating the effectiveness of their responses. Measures used by police agencies often include numbers of arrests, levels of reported crime, response times, clearance rates, citizen complaints, and various workload indicators, such as CFS and the number of field interviews conducted. They might also consider reduced instances of repeat victimization, decreases in related crimes or incidents, increased profits for businesses in the target area, increased usage of the area, increased property values, less loitering and truancy, fewer abandoned cars, increased citizen satisfaction, and reduced fear related to the problem. [Note: assessment is distinguished from empirical outcome evaluation in Chapter 4.]