Appendix G: Email Invite with Consent Form

Appendix G: Email Invitation and Consent Form

This Appendix includes two key documents: the email invitation to interviewees and the consent form, which will be attached to the invitation (the consent form is also found in Appendix A).

Section 1: Email Invitation

Dear [name]:

Chief [X] has identified you as someone who may be able to help me in the conduct of a research study on law enforcement’s use of automated license plate readers (ALPR) for traffic safety purposes (such as detecting drivers with suspended, revoked, or restricted licenses). This study is being conducted on behalf of the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, U.S. Department of Transportation for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Governors Highway Safety Association. It is one of several studies being conducted under the National Cooperative Research and Evaluation Program, a program established under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) (Public Law 112-141) to research and evaluate state highway safety countermeasures.

I’m a researcher with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) and will be leading interviews with individuals at your law enforcement agency. The attached information sheet provides additional information about the study and highlights the fact that your participation is voluntary. Please let me know if you have any questions about the attached information sheet.

Please contact me at [email or phone] to communicate your availability and interest in participating in this very important study. If you can send me a few dates and times when you are free, I can begin the process of scheduling a convenient time for the interview.

Cordially,

[name]

[title]

Texas A&M Transportation Institute

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Section 2: Consent Form

Project Title: State of Knowledge and Practice for Using ALPRs for Traffic Safety Purposes

You are being invited to take part in a research study being conducted by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). The information in this form is provided to help you decide whether or not to take part in the research. If you decide to take part in the study, you will be asked to sign this consent form. Your participation is totally voluntary, and there is no risk to you for non-participation.

WHY IS THIS STUDY BEING DONE?

The purpose of this study is to gather information about the use of automated license plate readers (ALPR) by law enforcement agencies in support of traffic safety objectives. The study is examining how ALPRs are being used for traffic safety purposes; challenges (e.g., legal issues, privacy concerns, community acceptance) to ALPR when used for traffic safety purposes; and the effectiveness of ALPR systems for detecting drivers who have suspended, revoked, or restricted licenses. This study is being conducted on behalf of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).

WHY AM I BEING ASKED TO BE IN THIS STUDY?

You are being asked to be in this study because you work for a law enforcement agency that uses ALPR in support of traffic safety objectives.

WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES TO BEING IN THIS STUDY?

The alternative is not to participate.

WHAT WILL I BE ASKED TO DO IN THIS STUDY?

Your participation in this study will last 1 to 1.5 hours and will consist of participating in an interview about your agency’s use of and experience with ALPR, particularly uses connected with traffic safety objectives.

ARE THERE ANY RISKS TO ME?

There are minimal risks to participation. No personal information will be linked to any reports. You do not have to answer anything you do not want to.

ARE THERE ANY BENEFITS TO ME?

There is no direct benefit to you by being in this study. By participating you are contributing to our knowledge of ALPRs as traffic safety countermeasures. What the researchers find out from this study will help to assess the use of this enforcement-related technology for improving traffic safety (i.e., reducing vehicle crashes and crash-related injuries). This information will be shared with other law enforcement agencies through our final report to help them better use their ALPR programs to improve traffic safety.

WILL THERE BE ANY COSTS TO ME?

Aside from your time, there are no costs for taking part in the study.

WILL I BE PAID TO BE IN THIS STUDY?

You will not be paid for being in this study.

WHAT INFORMATION WILL BE COLLECTED DURING THE STUDY?

The study will collect your name, position and contact information (including telephone number and email address). This personal information will be encrypted and stored securely in password protected files/servers and will not be shared with anyone besides TTI staff working on the study. It will be destroyed immediately after completion of the study. The study also will collect your verbal and/or written responses to interview questions. TTI staff working on the study will assign a case number to each participant and then will remove all identifying information (name and contact information) from all records documenting your verbal responses and/or from your written responses to the interview questions. In this manner, the study data will not identify you personally or contain information that may be used to personally identify you. The list correlating participant case numbers with personal information identifying participants will be stored securely, in encrypted form in password protected files/servers and will not be shared with anyone besides TTI staff working on the study. It will used in the event that TTI staff have follow up questions during the study and will be destroyed immediately after completion of the study.

Who will have access to data about me and for what purposes?

TTI researchers and DOT will have access to data collected during and after the study. At the conclusion of the study, these same researchers and DOT may share study data publicly at research conferences, for research purposes (for example, in reports), or in connection with other efforts to improve highway and road safety, and as otherwise required by law, but in so doing, your name, or anything that personally identified you, will never be disclosed or associated with your study data.

WHOM CAN I CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION?

You can call the Principal Investigator to tell her about a concern or complaint about this research study. The Principal Investigator, Johanna Zmud, Ph.D., can be called at 202-679-3195 or emailed at j-zmud@tti.tamu.edu.

For questions about your rights as a research participant, to provide input regarding research, or if you have questions, complaints, or concerns about the research, you may call the Texas A&M University Human Subjects Protection Program office by phone at 1-979-458-4067, toll free at 1-855-795-8636, or by email at irb@tamu.edu.

MAY I CHANGE MY MIND ABOUT PARTICIPATING?

You have the choice whether or not to be in this research study. You may decide not to participate or stop participating at any time. If you choose not to be in this study, there will be no effect on your relationship with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute or Texas A&M University. You can stop being in this study at any time with no effect on your relationship with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute or Texas A&M University.