Call scripts

REMEMBER TO CHECK CONTACT LOGS FIRST!
TO CALL: 9+1+NUMBER+08584-000-03
Hello, my name is ____________, and I am calling on behalf of the Department of Justice. I’m
trying to collect some information for the 2012 Law Enforcement Management and
Administrative Statistics Survey. Who would be the best person to speak with?/May I please
speak with ________?
(once have correct person on phone)
Hello, I’m collecting some information for the Department of Justice 2012 Law Enforcement
Management and Administrative Statistics Survey. Do you have a few minutes to answer some
questions?

YES
(Go through Survey)
(Complete data entry section at bottom)
(Check that survey is valid)

Thank you very much. If you need to
reach us in the future, you can call
us at our toll-free help line 877-904-1621.
Have a great day!

NO
Is there someone else I can speak with?
or

What’s a better time to call?

IF REFUSE TO PARTICIPATE
We appreciate how busy your agency is.
A lot of agencies delegate this work so that
the burden isn’t on one person. (Suggest
other analysts, office assistants, or sending
survey to each discipline for completion).
We can also complete the survey with you
over the phone. It’s very important for the
Department of Justice to get as many of the
selected law enforcement agencies as
possible to complete this so that they have a
representative sample…The Department of
Justice and policymakers use this data to
better understand the issues and concerns
facing law enforcement such as your
own….(If still refuse, find out reasons why)
Thank you for your time. Someone else
from the Department of Justice may follow
up with you in the future.

Make sure you complete Contact Log entry (& update spreadsheet).

REMEMBER TO CHECK CONTACT LOGS FIRST!
IMPORTANT NOTE: This email is to be used by respondents who request the survey information to be sent to
them again.

Dear [#firstname# #middlename# #lastname#, #suffix#],
Thank you for your participation in the 2012 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics
Survey (LEMAS). Below you will find the login information for completing the survey at our secure LEMAS
website at https://lemas.urban.org. Please keep your identification number and password in a safe place so you
can refer to it in the future.
Identification Number:
Password:

[NNNN]
[XXXXXXXX]

The U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is conducting the 2012 Law Enforcement
Management and Administrative Statistics Survey (LEMAS). The purpose of this survey is to generate accurate
and timely statistics about the size, resources, and nature of police practices from a sample of approximately
3,500 general purpose law enforcement agencies across the United States. The Urban Institute (UI), a national
non-partisan research organization in Washington, DC, is carrying out the 2012 LEMAS data collection on
behalf of BJS.
If you are unable to login to the LEMAS website or have any additional questions, do not hesitate to contact me
by email or through the toll-free survey helpline at (877) 904-1621. We thank you in advance for your
participation in this very important national study.
Sincerely,
Cybele

Samantha Lowry
Project Director
The Urban Institute, JPC-LEMAS
2100 M Street, NW
Washington, DC
202-261-5741

Cybele Kotonias
Data Collection Manager
The Urban Institute, JPC-LEMAS
2100 M Street, NW
Washington, DC
202-261-5804

REMEMBER TO CHECK CONTACT LOGS FIRST!
IMPORTANT NOTE: This exact text should be used sparingly in individual communications with labs, as this
is the same template used for bulk emails.

Dear [#firstname# #middlename# #lastname#, #suffix#],
We recently sent you the 2012 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics Survey. However,
we have not yet received a response from your agency. We are requesting that you take time now to
complete the survey by logging in to the secure LEMAS website at https://lemas.urban.org.
The U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is conducting the 2012 Law Enforcement
Management and Administrative Statistics Survey (LEMAS). The purpose of this survey is to generate accurate
and timely statistics about the size, resources, and nature of police practices from a sample of approximately
3,500 general purpose law enforcement agencies across the United States. The Urban Institute (UI), a national
non-partisan research organization in Washington, DC, is carrying out the 2012 LEMAS data collection on
behalf of BJS.
You can log in using the identification number and password listed below. Once you log in, you will be able to
update your contact information and complete the survey. Please keep your identification number and password
in a safe place so you can refer to it in the future. Many sections may need to be completed by different
departments within your agency, so please feel free to share your log in information with them as the web
system will allow you to log in on several occasions and from multiple locations.
Identification Number:
Password:

[NNNN]
[XXXXXXXX]

If you are unable to login to the LEMAS website or have any additional questions, please contact the toll-free
survey helpline at (877) 904-1621. If you have already submitted your survey response, please disregard this
message. We thank you in advance for your participation in this very important national study.
Sincerely,
Cybele

Samantha Lowry
Project Director
The Urban Institute, JPC-LEMAS
2100 M Street, NW
Washington, DC
202-261-5741

Cybele Kotonias
Data Collection Manager
The Urban Institute, JPC-LEMAS
2100 M Street, NW
Washington, DC
202-261-5804

REMEMBER TO CHECK CONTACT LOGS FIRST!
TO CALL: 9+1+NUMBER+08584-000-03
Hello, my name is ____________, and I’m calling on behalf of the Department of Justice. We
mailed your agency the 2012 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics
Survey in [insert month] and I was calling to make sure that you had received it since we
haven’t obtained a response yet.
WAS THE SURVEY RECEIVED?
YES
Is there any assistance I can
provide to help you in completing
the survey? (e.g., need login?, would it be
easier to complete over phone?)

Thank you very much. If you need to
reach us in the future, you can call
us at our toll-free help line 877-904-1621.
Have a great day!

NO
If you like, I can email you the survey.
(Ask if the email address we have is correct.
If not correct or no email, update system w/correct email.
If the email is correct but they want us to send it to a
different email, write down the new email in spreadsheet.
If prefer other method, mark this on spreadsheet.)

IF REFUSE TO PARTICIPATE
We appreciate how busy your agency is.
A lot of agencies delegate this work so that
the burden isn’t on one person. (Suggest
other analysts, office assistants, or sending
survey to each department for completion).
We can also complete the survey with you
over the phone. It’s very important for the
Department of Justice to get as many of the
selected law enforcement agencies as
possible to complete this so that they have a
representative sample…The Department of
Justice and policymakers use this data to
better understand the issues and concerns
facing law enforcement agencies such as
your own…. (If still refuse, find out reasons
why) Thank you for your time. Someone
else from the Department of Justice may
follow up with you in the future.

Make sure you complete Contact Log entry (& update spreadsheet).

REMEMBER TO CHECK CONTACT LOGS FIRST!
Look to see who completed survey.
Look at which items have missing responses or help flags beforehand.
Look at excel list of flagged responses to see if follow-up is needed about anything else.
TO CALL: 9+1+NUMBER+08584-000-00

Hello, my name is ____________, and I’m calling on behalf of the Department of Justice.
Ms./Mr. X/Your agency completed the 2012 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative
Statistics Survey in [insert month], and I had a few questions I needed to ask him/her/someone
about some of the items. It should only take a couple minutes. Is he/she available?
(once get Respondent on phone):
Hello, Mr./Ms. X. I just had a few questions about your answers on the 2012 Law Enforcement
Management and Administrative Statistics Survey you recently completed.
(Go over (a) help flags, (b) missing items, (c) flagged responses, and (d) any problematic items
where there has been past confusion for other agencies (e.g., staffing or retirement). Complete
data entry information section and save. Check # missing responses at top. If missing items=0,
continue below.)
Great, that’s all we needed. Did you have any questions for me? Would you like our toll-free
number in case you need to reach us in the future (877-904-1621)? Thank you very much for
your time. We really appreciate your participation in the survey. Have a great day.

Make sure you complete Data Entry Information section.
Make sure you complete Contact Log entry.
Update personal tracking spreadsheet.