Resources for Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs)
Senate Bill 476 (87R) requires all Texas counties to form an adult Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) in an effort to create a statewide infrastructure of resources, awareness, connection, and coordination to address sex crimes locally. A SART is a formalized coordinated response to a sexual assault that allows multi-disciplinary professionals to coordinate and develop interagency responses to work together to address sexual assault by providing wrap-around support and communication.
The Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 351, Subchapter J requires each commissioner’s court of each county to establish an adult SART. Counties with a population of 250,000 residents or fewer have the option of partnering with nearby counties to form a regional SART. The commissioner’s court must invite all statutory members that provide services within a county to participate.
The Texas Association of Regional Councils (TARC) has published a SART Info Sheet for Council of Governments (COGs) and counties. The Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA) has published An Introduction to SARTs in Texas implementation guide.
If you have any questions or need assistance, TAASA, which is leading the SB 476 implementation Steering Committee, stands ready to help. Send an email to SART@taasa.org with your question and contact information and someone from the organization or the SB 476 Steering Committee will follow up with you.