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E.P.P. 067 LONGWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT ENFORCEMENT POLICY & PROCEDURE NUMBER: EPP – 67 SUBJECT: PROBLEM SOLVING EFFECTIVE: JANUARY 1, 2024 REVISED: ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE PROBLEM SOLVING EPP – 67 Page 1 of 7 I. PURPOSE: The Longwood Police Department is committed to timely complaint response, effective problem solving and establishing partnerships with our communities. Embracing the philosophy of “Commitment to Our Community” and exercising the values to which we are dedicated, encourages the formulation of a sound alliance with the community. Establishing a partnership with open communications is an integral element for the successful achievement of our mission of being “Committed to our Community.” II. SCOPE: The fundamental process for attaining our projected goals and objectives is focused upon problem solving. The prescribed mechanism for deploying this process is the SARA Model. III. DEFINITIONS: A. SARA: An acronym for Scanning, Analysis, Response and Assessment. B. Scanning: The identification and acknowledgment of a problem in the community either observed by law enforcement or conveyed to law enforcement by concerned citizens. C. Analysis: An analysis of the problem reveals issues and conditions relevant to the complaint that may reveal underlying causes. ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE PROBLEM SOLVING EPP – 67 Page 2 of 7 D. Response: A strategy, determined by the complexity of the problem, to develop and implement solutions by means of a collaborative effort between the Police Department and the community. E. Assessment: An evaluation of the overall process that is conducted to determine the success/results of our approach to the problem. F. Problem: Two or more incidents that are similar in nature, capable of causing harm, and issues that the public expects law enforcement to do something about or an extended investigation to solve a problem that may take several outside agencies to assist with the solution. G. Incident: One or more of the following: location, suspect, victim group, behavior, and time. H. Problem Solving: The process of looking beyond individual incidents to the underlying patterns and reasons. IV. PROBLEM RECOGNITION A. All employees are expected to recognize and document community problems or concerns and to take a team approach to solving the issue(s). B. Problem solving and community partnerships are the key components in community policing. An in-depth focus on crime, the fear of crime, and disorder problems are essential to the success of our commitment to the citizens we serve. C. It is important to visualize crime, the fear of crime, and disorder as a combination of factors connecting the victim, offender, and location. The SARA Model is used to focus on the different steps of problem solving. D. Collaboration between law enforcement, community members and other government agencies should be stressed, since solutions are more likely to be effective and sustainable if "stakeholders" are included in the problem-solving effort. Conveying information from citizens' organizations to the appropriate division or section should also be documented in the initiative. ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE PROBLEM SOLVING EPP – 67 Page 3 of 7 V. PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS A. Scanning 1. A problem consists of two or more incidents similar in one or more ways that are a problem to the community and a concern for the Police Department. 2. A problem is different from an individual or isolated incident. Often times crime and community blight are connected, and not individual or random incidents. 3. Police Department employees should be proactive in identifying patterns or persistent problems in our community. By focusing our problem- solving efforts on things that happen more than once, we are likely to have a substantial impact on crime in our communities. 4. Employees should be able to identify problems that exist in the City of Longwood. Problems do not only include only crime issues. Community concerns, which may which may diminish quality of life or provide an opportunity for criminality, should be a part of an overall crime preventative approach. 5. Employees should not rely solely on their own observations to identify community concerns. There are many ways community concerns can be identified: a. Citizen surveys; b. Community meetings (homeowner's associations, Neighborhood Watch); c. Individual conversations with citizens; d. Community forums; e. Conversations with city workers; f. Information/data from other agencies; g. Focus on areas with multiple complaints or calls for service; h. Consistent liaison with department investigators; ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE PROBLEM SOLVING EPP – 67 Page 4 of 7 i. Review of information captured in agency reports; j. Information from Police Department staff and city government; and k. The media. D. Analysis: 1. Analysis is the most difficult part of the SARA Model. Law enforcement tends to skip this process in their enthusiasm to develop timely solutions. Without understanding the targeted problem, there is high risk of developing solutions that don't work in the long term. Response should be based on a sound analysis and understanding of what caused or is causing a problem in he first place. 2. Problems rarely develop overnight and quick solutions rarely eliminate them. If a careful analysis is not done, there is a tendency to apply standard solutions to problems (area patrols). Law enforcement presence alone, is rarely the best solution to a problem and generally indicates that an adequate analysis was not done. 3. Police Department employees should be seeking: a. What conditions or events preceded the problem? b. What events were happening concurrently with the problem? c. What are the consequences of the problem behavior (both positive and negative outcomes of the problem behavior)? d. What harm results from the problem? e. What environmental factors allowed the problem to occur in that location, and what efforts were made to identify what can be changed? E. Response: 1. Five Ways of Impacting Problems: a. Eliminating the problem; ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE PROBLEM SOLVING EPP – 67 Page 5 of 7 b. Reducing the harm from the problem; c. Reducing the number of incidents; d. Improving the handling of the problem; and e. Referring the problem to the proper authority. 2. Conditions may be intolerable to those affected by the problem. Although short-term relief may be imperative, long-term solutions should be pursued as well. 3. Problems will likely persist if long-term solutions are not tailored to key causative factors. To be effective, solutions must be developed. 4. Impact of the problem on the community should influence the types of solutions selected. Solutions are best if they leave the community more capable of handling similar problems that occur in the future. F. Assessment: 1. Assessment should be considered during the analysis stage because there may be some baseline data that should be collected so that efforts can be measured at a during this phase. The specific assessment measures depend on the problem being addressed. 2. To accurately assess whether or not an employee properly responded to the problem, the following questions should be asked: a. Was the plan implemented as designed? b. What was the goal and was it attained? c. How do you know the plan was effective? d. What is likely to happen if the plan is discontinued? e. What is likely to happen if the plan remains in place? f. Were any new strategies identified to increase the plan's effectiveness? g. How can the plan be monitored in the future? ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE PROBLEM SOLVING EPP – 67 Page 6 of 7 NOTE: In problem solving, it may not always be possible to fully eliminate a problem. The SARA process is fluid and may need to be reassesed from time to time, requiring a change in response to address the problem. VI. RESPONSIBILITIES OF EMPLOYEE A. Identify potential problems within the City of Longwood. B. A Cafe SARA (SA) report is the appropriate means of documentation for every problem-solving initiative that requires more time than one shift rotation to resolve (shift rotation is defined as normal contiguous work days; Ex: Monday/Tuesday or Friday/Saturday/Sunday), conduct additional research, or the use of and coordination of internal/external resources. The Cafe SARA report must include a thorough description of the problem, dates and times of occurrence, biographical details of known individuals, and other relevant details. All involved employees must keep the Cafe SARA report up to date with pertinent events and details. C. Employees must meet with their immediate supervisor at least once per month to discuss and review the problem-solving initiative. All documentation will be reviewed and discussed during the conference. D. It is important for to communicate and collaborate on a regular basis, so that the problem-solving initiative is both monitored and led by those who police that area. Employees are encouraged to utilize all means of communication to ensure efficient problem-solving measures are delivered. E. Prior to closing a problem-solving initiative, the employee must meet with their direct supervisor to discuss the initiative and determine if any additional measures should be taken, including but not limited to rescanning the problem within a few months of the resolution date. VII. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR A. Supervisors are required to take active roles in their subordinates' problem-solving initiatives, ensuring that throughout the initiative all responses are consistent with the Police Department policy and mission. B. Supervisors will continually communicate with the employee(s) involved in a problem-solving initiative. At the discretion of the supervisor, conferences may be scheduled. If more than one subordinate is involved in the same problem-solving initiative, the supervisor may elect to schedule a conference with all involved employees at the same time. ENFORCEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE PROBLEM SOLVING EPP – 67 Page 7 of 7 C. Supervisors will ensure that the employee is documenting the information properly in Cafe. This documentation may include a review of the MICAD calls impacting the area concerned. D. Supervisors must keep their chain of command informed of ongoing or resolved problem solving initiatives on a frequent basis. Before a problem-solving initiative reaches disposition, a supervisor must review the Cafe SARA report and supporting documentation. VIII. LIEUTENANTS/CHAIN OF COMMAND: A. Lieutenants will monitor problem solving initiatives on a frequent basis. As necessary, lieutenants will provide guidance and feedback as it relates to crime trends or community problems in the immediate or surrounding area. B. Lieutenants should discus problem-solving initiatives with their counterparts to ensure resources are directed to address the problem. IX. TRAINING: All full-time employees will receive problem-solving training during the Field Training Program.