Who is Sara Howard from The Alienist and what is their importance?

Sara Howard is a young woman who was very close to her father and raised to believe she can do anything she wants to do. Sara wants to be the first female cop with the New York City police department. To this end, Sara has taken a job as one of the first female secretaries with the department. However, Sara does not keep to her simple duties. In fact, Sara often finds herself becoming involved in aspects of the police department where she does not necessarily belong, such as checking on the Santorelli family after she believes one of the detectives on Giorgio's case has beaten his father.