Ways to Solve Major Crime Issues in Chicago Using the S.A.R.A. Model: Case Study of Homicide

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Abstract

In 2017 alone the crime rate used in Chicago many crimes include homicide, robbery, assault, and criminal sexual assault. How can we solve these problems using the S.A.R.A Model? The S.A.R.A Model which is broken down into Four parts. The first part to the S.A.R.A Method is Scanning. Scanning requires the police to recognize recurring and their respective outcome within their communities. The second part of the S.A.R.A Model is Analyzing the problems. The police need to identify and understand the cause and entailments of an issue also collect data on the problem. The R in the S.A.R.A Model represents responses; the response step enables the police to use their research from the analysis step to brainstorm ideas for intervention, select intervention, option, outline plans and Objective and implement proposed plans. The final step is Assessment. Police have to evaluate the success of their implemented plan and collect data regarding its outcomes.

Over the past decade crime rates have continued to rise consistently in Chicago, Illinois. In the year 2017, these same crimes having been hitting an all-time high to the point that felony criminal activity has become the norm. Residents are afraid to live in their neighborhoods, business owners no longer want to open up businesses or remain in the area out of fear, and they’re honestly fed up. The reality of what is going on in Chicago has shaken the city to its core, and has forced the Police Superintendent, Eddie Johnson, to take action. It has also caught the attention of Attorney General Lisa Madigan to speak up to see change. According to the Chicago Tribune, Ms. Madigan is a Representative from local civil rights and human rights groups that has spoken out tremendously about the impact federal executive orders might have on their communities. Ms. Madigan is a very outspoken person when it comes to hate crimes and fought extremely hard to get the laws against hate crimes changed in Chicago, not just for the victims, but because it would lower some of the assaults that have been taking place there. (Attorney General Madigan urges Govenor to sign legislation to strengthen hate crimes law, May 26, 2017). The Mayor, The Police Superintendent, and the Chicago Police Departments realized that a plan must be put into effect immediately in order to reduce the crisis they were facing.

The S.A.R.A. Model is a four-part police solving model that was created in 1987 by John Eck and William Spellman from the Newport News Virginia Police Department, whose main focus was to research and experiment with problem-oriented policing techniques. S.A.R.A stands for Scanning, Analysis, Response, and Assessment. Using the S.A.R.A. Model in Chicago would mean that the Police Departments would have to scan all the crime statistics to determine which crimes were at the highest and work their way down. Then they would have to analyze what areas are being effected more than others, and whether there are any patterns in the crimes that are being committed. After getting the data and intel together, the next step would be to come up with different tactical measures to try and lessen, eliminate and prevent these crimes from continuing. The final step would be to monitor the measures that are being implemented over a period of time to determine whether or not they’re working, and if any of the measures can be altered in order to have a more positive outcome.

There are four major crimes that have been causing the most problems in Chicago, Illinois for years. For the year 2017 those crimes were Assault, Robberies, Criminal Sexual Assault and Homicide. The total amount of Assault crimes in Chicago since January 2017 until now is up to 10,100, and still climbing. Out of the 10,100 Assault crimes that have occurred to date, only 1,772 arrests have been made. The majority of the major assault crimes that have taken place are aggravated crimes involving a handgun totaling 1574, aggravated crimes involving a knife were 730, and 554 assaults involving other dangerous weapons. Most assault crimes occurred in residential area totaling 1,897. Out of the 1,897 assaults that took place, 1,543 were inside of apartments, 253 were committed in alleyways, 181 were committed in gas stations, 405 were committed in other various locations. Unfortunately, no patterns were determined to link one assault to another. Because many of these assaults have been committed inside of a dwelling it is difficult to monitor or prevent these crimes from happening. Nine times out of ten, these assaults would usually fall within the domestic violence category. As far as where the other assaults are taking place, it would be very effective to set up light towers near dark alleyways to avoid someone being ambushed, because they are unable to see clearly due to the lack of light from these alleyways. Making sure that patrol cars frequent areas that have gas stations more often might deter would be criminals from committing crimes in those areas. It would be wise to have officers visit gas stations and speak with the owners about making sure that they have surveillance cameras and emergency alarms systems in place to help the police find criminals faster if a crime does take place at their establishments. Trying to formulate a plan that would eliminate the assaults that are happening in unexpected places is a little trickier, because it is difficult to determine where and when they would take place.

Another major problem that Chicago is dealing with is the high volume of robberies that have taken place since the beginning of the year. The robbery rate in Chicago is up to 5,718 since January 2017. Out of the 5,718 robberies that have occurred, only 344 have led to an arrest. Surprisingly, evaluating the Chicago Data Portal, you’ll notice that most of these robberies are strong armed robberies as opposed to armed robberies. Major robbery crimes that have taken place have been executed without the use of a weapon and total 1,936. There have been 2,339 armed robberies with a handgun, 664 were listed as aggravated robberies. 1,583 of the robberies that took place were on the streets, 415 were committed in alleyways, 398 robberies took place in stores, 242 robberies took place in the CTA Transportation (Chicago Transit Authority), and 152 robberies were committed inside residential homes. It is imperative to build police and business partnerships with the communities they serve to protect. Police should educate business owners about the alarm systems, and implement emergency buttons behind the counters that are directly connected to the nearest precinct. Surveillance cameras should also be placed within the business itself, as well as all around the outside of their stores. Speaking with companies, political leaders, and community investors to donate money for the street lights towers should be a major topic of discussion because it not only protects the residents and business owners, but it diminishes the number of robberies that could take place in dark areas. Due to the fact that most of these crimes are frequently taking place in the streets and on sidewalks, implementing more foot and car patrols would lower the robbery crime rates. It is also necessary to assign officers to watch the train stations more because too many crimes are being committed in these areas due to the lack of police vigilance. The concern for the people’s safety has to be a priority, and it is the duty of the City of Chicago to make it happen. Relationships need to be built with the communities so they can have trust in the Chicago Police Department in order to feel safe. Community activities need to be put in place so that both residents and police can get to know each other better in order for bonds to be formed. Classes should be available to educate the people of the importance of their safety. Part of this course will have them take a robbery simulator class, so they can see firsthand what can happen to them when faced with the dangerous situations that police officers face every day. These courses will also teach the kids how to remain safe and stay out of trouble.

According to the article “Sexual Violence” 23 million women are victims of a completed or tried criminal sexual assault in the United States. Just for this year alone, 744 women were sexually assaulted in Chicago alone. Out of the 744 victims, only 25 arrests have been made in those cases. There are different types of sexual assaults, and 522 of the 744 criminal sexual assaults that took place this year, were considered non-aggravated sexual assaults. There were 44 predatory sexual assaults, 32 aggravated sexual assaults with a handgun, and 103 sexual assaults that fall within the “other” category. Most of the crimes were committed in a residential area which total 234, 193 were committed within an apartment, 47 took place in alleyways, and 6 were committed in other random places. No patterns were established to determine if there any of these assaults were committed by a serial rapist. According to icasa.com, approximately 77% of the victims know their assailants, and 31% of them are teenage girls. There are men and young boys who are also sexually assaulted, but it is harder for them to come forward and admit that they have been violated. Being that most of the victims are woman and young girls, a self-defense program should be given to any woman who wants to learn how to defend themselves against predators. More advocate groups should be made available for women who have been assaulted, and are afraid to report it to the police. There should be more neighborhood watch programs put in place to bring a little bit more security to those women who are traveling home by themselves. Police officers should hold community meetings just to educate woman on what to do and not do when they are out to protect themselves, or at least to remain more alert of their surroundings. For example, encourage woman to try to stay in groups whenever possible, especially at night. Advise women to were a whistle around their neck, or to yell fire instead of help or rape when they feel they’re in danger, in order to create a commotion where people are more likely to come see what’s going on. Things like that would scare a predator off because they obviously can’t commit the crime they intended if people come running. Maintaining well-lit areas at night would make it more difficult for a rapist to attack someone for fear that the victim, or a witness could get a better description of them. Also encouraging women to walk around with mace, or even their keys in their hands could serve as a weapon and a temporary distraction to buy them enough time to get away from an attacker and get help.

According the article “homicide statistics “since the beginning of 2017, there have been 355 homicides in the city of Chicago, but there were only 55 arrests recorded in the Chicago database. The descriptions included, first degree murder as the majority of homicides that were committed which totaled 354. There were also 49 homicides that were committed in vehicles, 26 were committed in alleyways, 16 were results from domestic violence cases, and 1 was considered a reckless homicide. There were 184 of these homicides committed on the street, and no patterns were established to connect any of the homicides to each other. This is huge problem in Chicago having one of the highest homicide rates compared to other major cities in Illinois and within the United States. Although the public and the Chicago Police Department are both focused on the same goal, which is making the city a safer place to live in. The relationship and distrust between both parties make it difficult to work together in order to make the necessary changes within the communities. The homicide rate is rapidly increasing every week which will eventually force the government to deploy national guards into the city of Chicago. This situation needs to be resolved and diminished, so that the government doesn’t have to force their hand and place Chicago in a state of emergency. The plans and strategies should include building and maintaining a good relationship with the citizens of Chicago and the Chicago Police Departments. This will help the police department in gathering information from the citizens in order to place major criminals behind bars and solving cases. Another plan is putting surveillance cameras in areas of high crime locations where homicides are being committed the most. Furthermore, being able to understand the criminal intent behind someone murdering an individual, will allow us to develop a better strategy that prevents a murder from happening in these high crime areas in the future.

Using the S.A.R.A. Model to prevent, diminish or eliminate crime is a good idea, and a great start to understanding what crimes are being committed, how often, and where the problems are so that a remedy can be formatted to fix the problems. For example, looking at what has been going on with the four major issues in Chicago this year, every month for the next six months to a year, the Chicago Police can monitor the crime rates in order to see what plans have been effective, and what plans can be altered in order to get better results. As long as a real effort is being made to make change, then over time that’s exactly what will happen. Chicago won’t and can’t be fixed overnight. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s a city that should be considered a lost cause, and the S.A.R.A. Model is an excellent way to make a difference.

Reference

Chicago. (2017). Retrieved July 18, 2017, from https://data.cityofchicago.org/widgets/d62x-nvdr
1. In 2017 alone statics raised rapidly, this article was used throughout the paper. The article states crimes such as criminal homicide, assault, robbery and rape. The site also includes the id number of each crime, the case number, the date that each crime was committed, the block, Illinois Uniform Crime Reporting Code, primary type of crime, description, location description, and the arrest. The statics is used to identify the type of crime and the rate. After identifying the crime, we must come up with a way the crime can be fixed using the SARA method.
SARA, The Model (police). Retrieved July 18, 2017, from http://what-when-how.com police-science/Sara-the-model-police/
1. The SARA model is the most familiar process for doing problem-oriented policing (POP). The acronym SARA stands for scanning, analysis, response, and assessment. The model was first published in the evaluation report on problem solving in the Newport News (Virginia) Police Department in 1987. It is usually attributed to John Eck, one of the authors of the Newport News report. The four steps are straightforward. Scanning involves looking at data, talking to people, and observing the community to identify potential problems. Analysis involves studying potential problems to determine if they deserve concerted attention and, if so, trying to develop accurate descriptions and explanations of them. Response involves searching for a wide range of solutions and then choosing and implementing the ones with the most promise. Assessment involves collecting data after the response to determine if the problem has been eliminated or at least reduced. If success has not been achieved, then further analysis and a different set of responses may be needed.
Sexual Violence. Retrieved July 18, 2017, from http://www.icasa.org/docs/brochures/sexual%20violence%20fact%20sheet%202017.pdf
1. Sexual violence refers to unwanted or coercive sexual behavior from sexual bullying to rape. The terms rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse are often used interchangeably and refer to coercive forced sexual contact. Remember: Sexual Violence is never the victim’s fault. Any person, regardless of race, gender or sexuality, can be a victim of sexual violence. In the United States, it is reported that 23cmillion have been completed or attempted rape.

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Ways to Solve Major Crime Issues in Chicago Using the S.A.R.A. Model: Case Study of Homicide

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