Paperwork Reduction Act Submission
Supporting Statement
JUSTIFICATION
1. Circumstances of the collection
The National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) is a component of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG). The primary mission of the NCAVC is to provide behaviorally-based, operational support to federal, state, local, and international law enforcement and intelligence agencies involved in the investigation of unusual or repetitive violent crimes, communicated threats, terrorism, and other matters. Within the NCAVC, the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) manages the ViCAP National Crime Database and provides analysis and case linkage assistance to requesting law enforcement agencies. The ViCAP National Crime Database serves as the national investigative repository for violent crimes, specifically homicides and attempted homicides which involve an abduction, are apparently random, motiveless, or sexually oriented, or are known or suspected to be part of a series; sexual assaults committed by a stranger or those known or suspected to be part of a series; missing persons cases where the circumstances indicate a strong possibility of foul play and the victim is still missing; and cases of unidentified human remains where the manner of death is known or suspected to be homicide. Currently, there are over 85,000 individual cases entered into the ViCAP database by over 5,000 law enforcement agencies.
The NCAVC implemented a system to solicit and track feedback on investigative or other operational services provided by NCAVC personnel. An FBI-NCAVC Satisfaction Survey form was designed to be sent to customers in order to accomplish this. This survey measures client reaction to NCAVC assistance. The survey is scaled for quantification of answers, and further invites clients to offer comments, observations or suggestions regarding points for improvement or particular satisfaction. Finally, the survey asks whether or not the case has been resolved and in what manner.
Generally, the NCAVC’s principal authority for collection activity derives from 28 Code of Federal Regulations 0.85(e) and (l).
2. Purpose and Use of the Information
The purpose of this collection is to assess and, where appropriate, refine or adjust NCAVC services provided to state, local, federal, international and/or tribal law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The survey is intended to collect information regarding: the ease of obtaining NCAVC services, whether or not responding agencies experienced positive interactions with NCAVC personnel, whether information was provided by the NCAVC in a timely manner, whether information provided by the NCAVC was rendered in a clear and concise format, whether information provided by the NCAVC generated investigative leads in furtherance of investigations, whether information provided by the NCAVC assisted the responding agency to focus investigative efforts, the level of satisfaction with NCAVC services and whether responding agencies would solicit assistance from the NCAVC in future endeavors, and finally whether NCAVC services played a role in resolution of an investigation.
Survey results will be used in two ways. First, individual survey results will be studied for points of specific improvement needed with regard to particular services provided, or by particular NCAVC personnel. Individual survey results will also be studied in order to identify examples of specific services which were particularly well done, in order to develop best practices for the NCAVC and recognize excellence. Second, survey results will be aggregated for macro analysis and then studied for points of overall improvement needed, and/or points of overall high success and achievement regarding NCAVC services. This data will assist the NCAVC in continually increasing the value of its services to state, local and tribal law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
3. Use of Automated, Electronic, Mechanical or Technological Collection
Techniques
The proposed collection will be distributed via electronic mail (email) communication; therefore, electronic submissions for the responses will be permitted. In order to reduce the burden on the respondents, and eliminate monetary costs associated with distributing paper copies of the survey, email was deemed as the most efficient mechanism of distribution and collection. Upon receipt of survey results, analysis of the feedback will be conducted manually.
4. Efforts to Identify Duplication
This will be the only survey propounded by the NCAVC to assess customer satisfaction. Currently, the FBI does not survey state, local, international, intelligence or tribal agencies for similar data.
5. Impact on Small Business
The collection of information will not have an impact on small businesses or other small public entities, as only governmental agencies will be surveyed.
6. Consequences of not Collecting Data
The impact for failing to conduct this collection could foreseeably include reduced quality, as measured by effectiveness and efficiency, of NCAVC services being provided to state, local, international and tribal law enforcement and intelligence agencies. It could also hamper the NCAVC’s efforts to identify additional services desired by clients, or unneeded services which should be modified or discontinued to allow the NCAVC to appropriately prioritize its workload.
7. Special Circumstances Influencing Collection
Respondents will not be required to report information more than once.
Respondents will have no deadline by which to respond.
Respondents will submit one electronic response and no copies.
Respondents will not have to retain any records.
The collection is not a statistical survey.
This collection will not require the use of statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB.
This collection does not include a pledge of confidentiality not supported by authority established in statute or regulation, or that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies consistent with any such pledge, nor does it unnecessarily impede the sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use.
This collection does not require respondents to submit proprietary trade secrets or other confidential information.
8. Public Comments and Consultations
The NCAVC will not consult with the public or other entities regarding the data provided. Public comment was sought via 60 and 30 day notices published in the Federal register. No comments were received.
9. Payment of Gift to Claimants
Neither payment nor gifts will be provided to respondents for their participation.
10. Assurance of Confidentiality
Confidentiality agreements pertaining to the underlying investigation for which the NCAVC provided services will also apply to survey results. Such agreements typically cover sensitive investigative information, methods or techniques, as well as personally identifying information regarding victims of crime, juveniles or other sensitive data which would not likely be included in responses to the survey.
11. Justification for Sensitive Questions
This data collection includes no question of a sensitive nature.
12. Estimates of Hours Burden
A) It is estimated 400 respondents per calendar year will be contacted to complete a survey consisting of 11 questions. An approximate non-response rate of 50% is anticipated. It is estimated that a burden of approximately three to five minutes, or .05 to .08 hours, will be cast upon each respondent to complete the survey, with a total estimate of 20 to 32 hours in a calendar year for all respondents combined, if all respondents completed a survey. If the expected non-response rate of 50% holds true, then the combined burden estimate drops to approximately 10 to 16 hours per calendar year. The NCAVC estimates little to no variability within this time estimate due to the simple nature of the survey and the fact it is attempting to measure satisfaction rather than generate empirical data.
B) There is no requirement for respondents to keep records regarding this survey, so there is, accordingly, no record keeping burden associated with the responding agency. There is a small record keeping burden placed upon the NCAVC in regard to administration and utilization of the survey. The individual surveys will be collated by hand, and will then have numeric values entered into statistical analysis programs for examination. Duties required to conduct analysis and hours expended to satisfy these analytical duties are not record keeping per se, but the time expended by NCAVC personnel in such coding and analytical duties are included in this section. The total time to receive, collate, code within statistical analysis software, and then store the returned surveys is estimated to be no more than 15 minutes per returned survey. An additional 15 minutes of time for analysis of each survey, to include developing charts and comparative statistics, are expected to be expended. If all of the estimated 400 surveys were returned to the NCAVC, the total time expended by the NCAVC in records maintenance and analysis would be approximately 200 hours per year. In the more likely event of a 50% response rate, record keeping and analysis tasks would result in approximately 100 hours expenditure of available NCAVC employ work hours. The benefits associated with this survey, to include the ability to improve NCAVC performance, far outweigh the negligible administrative burden placed on NCAVC personnel in regard to record keeping and analysis.
13. Estimates of Cost Burden
This is estimated to be a de minimus cost burden when viewed individually, per respondent. Utilizing www1.salary.com to estimate average hour salary rates for law enforcement investigative personnel (the population toward whom the survey will be directed) it will incur an average cost of $18.85 for each hour burdened, resulting in an individual estimated cost of $0.94 to $1.57 per respondent, or a total estimate of $376 to $628 for all respondents if there is a 100% response rate. If the estimated 50% response rate holds true, the estimated total cost burden will be $188 to $314. Each survey will be a onetime collection effort per investigation and will not be duplicated; surveys will be distributed on an ongoing basis. There will neither be a start-up cost component nor maintenance/purchase of services component to the request.
14. Estimates of Annualized Cost to the Federal Government
Based on the estimated hours expended by NCAVC personnel delineated in 12, B, above, and the average hourly wage of the job classification of the NCAVC staff members who will have responsibility for sending, receiving and analyzing the surveys, it is estimated that this project will cost the federal government $8,000 per year if all surveys were returned to the NCAVC, and $4,000 if the 50% expected response rate holds true. No additional equipment or overhead costs are projected to exist at this time, as all software and hardware necessary for coding and examination of the survey data already exist within the NCAVC and are in use for other authorized governmental purposes.
15. Reason for Change in Burden
There are no program changes or adjustments reported for this collection.
16. Plans for Publication
There are no plans to publish data from this survey.
17. Expiration date
The OMB is requested to not display an expiration date. There is no specific form upon
which to display an expiration date.
18. Exceptions to the Certification Statement
There are no exceptions to the certifications statement.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | sjgaines |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-28 |