B. Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods
Universe and Respondent Selection
The potential victim officer universe of the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted Data Collection; LEOKA Collection Tool 1-701 for Feloniously Killed, and LEOKA Collection Tool 1-701a for Accidentally Killed include all federal, state, local, tribal, and U.S territories, and tribal LEOs who:
Wore/carried a badge (ordinarily).
Carried a firearm (ordinarily).
Were duly sworn and had full arrest powers.
Were members of a LEA.
Were acting in an official capacity, whether on or off duty, at the time of the incident.
If killed, the deaths were directly related to the injuries received during the incident.
In 2022, 118 victim officers were feloniously/accidentally killed. Of the 118, 61 were feloniously killed and 57 were killed accidentally.
Procedures for Collecting Information
The FBI’s UCR Program’s LEOKA Data Collection collects and disseminates data on all LEO deaths from LEAs in the United States; sampling methodologies are not used.
The LEOKA Program receives an EC containing details of the officer’s death from the appropriate FBI FO via Sentinel, as well as an Executive Situation Report from the corresponding FO by email. Sentinel is an internal communication system, which is the next generation information and case management system and has moved the FBI from a primarily paper-based reporting system to an electronic record-keeping system. Sentinel significantly improved how the FBI manages its investigative, intelligence, and administrative information workflow by providing users a new way to enter, review, approve, and research case information.
Upon receipt of a death notification, LEOKA personnel author an EC, giving a synopsis of the incident. LEOKA staff then forwards the EC, via Sentinel, to the assigned FBI special agent (SA) at the FO. LEOKA personnel creates the incident within the LEOKA application. After creation of the incident, the LEOKA staff works with the OSAT trainers to contact the victim officer’s agency, letting them know about the data collection and instructions on how to submit incident details. Following the data entry process, the database contains a SUBMIT button on the screen. Upon submission, a confirmation notification is generated to verify a successful submission to LEOKA staff and the submitting agency.
Upon receipt, LEOKA staff reviews the data for accuracy and completeness. LEOKA staff partners with other law enforcement organizations to ensure the LEOKA Program receives all death notifications. Throughout the year, LEOKA staff compares a list of victim officers with the list of other nonfederal organizations (the Officers Down Memorial Page, the National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial Fund, the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program, and Concerns of Police Survivors) to account for all death notifications.
Methods to Maximize Response
The FBI maximizes response rates through liaison with FOs and LEAs. Communications encouraging data submission occur frequently between LEOKA staff and the FOs, state UCR programs, and local agencies. LEOKA staff possesses a strong understanding of contextual challenges agencies face in reporting valid and reliable data and regularly works to overcome nonresponse issues when such challenges occur. The LEOKA Program and its staff work primarily to collect LEOKA data, establish guidelines for the collection, and publish LEOKA data. Although the FBI makes every effort through its editing procedures, training practices, and correspondence to ensure the validity of the data it receives, the accuracy of the statistics depends primarily on the adherence of each contributor to the established standards of reporting. LEOKA staff also follows up on incident reports not returned by the assigned deadline.
The new LEOKA database/application will allow for the following:
Integration of LEOKA data sources eliminating multiple, purpose-built data repositories within the LEOKA database.
Reduction of administrative workload and burden for internal and external stakeholders to submit data.
Reduction of incomplete and inconsistent data submissions due to built-in features and display rules within the LEOKA database.
Elimination of current work functions by automating procedures currently being performed manually.
Expansion of the ability to efficiently collect, store, edit, review, query, report, and publish data.
Improvement of the accessibility and timeliness of releasable (nonpersonally identifiable information) data to the public.
Increased agility of the LEOKA database to modify the data collection.
Automation of correspondence and communications with stakeholders from the LEOKA Program.
Collection and timely distribution of more accurate and complete LEOKA data.
Response Rates
The FBI’s UCR Program recognizes the importance of response rates to meet the OMB’s publication guideline. In reviewing the LEOKA response rates in 2022, felonious deaths response rate was approximately 36 percent, while the accidental deaths response rate was approximately 27 percent.
The low response rate by contributing agencies over the previous few years can be attributed to several potential factors. The ongoing staffing shortage and continued limitation of resources create additional barriers to agency reporting, as some office restrictions and altered protocols made it more difficult for agencies to report. Increased volumes of officer deaths may also have played a part in decreased response rates for 1-701 and 1-701a collection forms. The FBI’s UCR Program is reviewing potential options for overhauling the LEOKA Data Collection to help mitigate potential barriers to reporting and minimize burden to law enforcement contributors.
1-701 and 1-701a Form Revisions
The FBI’s UCR Program evaluated the current 1-701 and 1-701a collection forms for potential changes. A major goal of this initiative was to streamline the LEOKA submissions process and focus on modernizing of the LEOKA Data Collection forms 1-701 and 1-701a.
The FBI’s UCR Program convened a task force in the fall 2020 to better understand the needs of our law enforcement community when submitting a LEOKA incident. Aptly called the Beyond 2021 LEOKA Task Force, the mission of this group is to assist the FBI’s UCR Program with updating and modernizing the LEOKA Data Collection. In accordance with the findings of the task force members, several recommendations have been proposed to reduce burden of the law enforcement agencies responsible for submitting the LEOKA forms 1-701 and 1-701a.
During the review process, supplementary findings of the task force revealed a significant burden on law enforcement agencies to submit additional data for qualifying assaults under the LEOKA Data Collection. This finding resulted in understanding when a law enforcement officer is identified as the victim of an assault incident, a more robust dataset is obtained using the FBI’s NIBRS submission of the incident. Based on these findings, on August 11, 2021, the CJIS APB’s Executive Committee authorized the discontinuation of the collection of additional line-of-duty assault data elements via the form 1-701. Going forward, line-of-duty assault details, and all future assault data elements collected by the LEOKA Data Collection, will be obtained exclusively by using NIBRS assault data when a law enforcement officer is identified as the victim.
The FBI’s UCR Program received an extension without change to the current collection in 2022, with plans to submit a revision to the collection once all proposed changes are finalized and approved.
Technical Response to Address Agency Nonresponse
The recommendation of the CJIS APB to create an FBI-sponsored and FBI-maintained tool is in direct response to issues which have continually provided impediments to the adoption of modifications to the FBI’s UCR Program. Traditionally, the FBI’s UCR Program has provided to both agencies and state UCR programs a set of technical specifications for data submissions of the UCR data collections. However, this method is under the presumption agencies and state UCR programs assume the responsibility to build and maintain a data system for collecting the data. In the case of the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted Program; Collection Tool 1-701 for Feloniously Killed, and the LEOKA Collection Tool 1-701a for Accidentally Killed, the FBI is sponsoring and maintaining an electronic data collection tool which is accessible through LEEP. This portal capability enables agencies to provide their data directly to the FBI.
The LEEP data collection tool assumes agencies have consistent connectivity to the Internet and have maintained an active account on the LEEP. However, it is unlikely all agencies will have proactively enrolled in LEEP. LEOKA staff has formulated a plan with the LEEP Program Office to expedite enrollment for agencies not currently enrolled in LEEP.
The NIBRS Transition
The FBI’s UCR Program is actively working to increase NIBRS participation by partnering with the Bureau of Justice Statistics on the National Crime Statistics Exchange and working with advocacy groups to emphasize the importance of NIBRS data for the public and the law enforcement community. On January 1, 2021, The FBI’s UCR Program transitioned to a NIBRS-only system. Transitioning the LEOKA Program to start collecting all LEOKA assault data through NIBRS.
Testing
of Procedures
To meet the needs of the LEOKA Data Collection, the FBI developed a new LEOKA database/application within LEEP. The new database will allow users to electronically complete forms 1-701 and 1-701a. This database/application provides a graphical user interface tool to walk the preparer through a series of questions relevant to the LEOKA incident. Once the local agency completes the electronic forms, a confirmation notification is generated to verify a successful submission to LEOKA staff and the submitting agency.
In 2023, during the first phase of developing the database/application, the LEOKA Program worked with the FBI’s Information Technology Management Section staff to begin development of the database, providing a solution to allow LEOKA staff to enter the new data elements approved in 2022. The LEOKA Data Collection will implement the database in late March 2024.
During the second phase of this initiative, the LEOKA Data Collection presented recommendations to the CJIS APB to further modernize the 1-701, Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted Program; Analysis of Officers Feloniously Killed and Assaulted and 1-701a, Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted Program; Analysis of Officers Accidentally Killed. Since approval of these forms in 2010, the LEOKA Program has received numerous requests for additional data elements from various agencies throughout the law enforcement community. Based on these data requests, the LEOKA Data Collection worked to improve both data collection forms through research and analysis, to add data elements, reword questions, and eliminate unnecessary questions. The FBI’s UCR Program created a focus group, which included representatives from the FBI, MCCA, IACP, NSA to review and provide feedback on the new categories. The LEOKA Data Collection presented the forms to the focus group and asked its members to select actual incidents of officers killed and assaulted within their agency and to complete the forms using those incident reports. This process allowed the LEOKA Data Collection to gain input from the focus group and to test the usability of the forms.
Additionally, the National UoF Data Collection Task Force reviewed the expanded elements to determine the significance of these new components. The FBI established the UoF Task Force, represented by members of the IACP, NSA, MCCA, Major County Sheriffs of America, Police Executive Research Forum, Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, and the Association of State UCR Programs. The UoF Task Force determined the scope of the National UoF Data Collection, specific responsibilities related to the reporting and handling of UoF data, and a final set of data elements for consideration. For review of the LEOKA Data Collection, the UoF Task Force members received the LEOKA forms via email and were provided a month to assess the documents. The LEOKA Data Collection then spoke to each member via teleconference to discuss any comments, questions, or changes. Following the teleconferences, the LEOKA Data Collection compiled all the suggestions and made the appropriate changes on the forms.
Contacts for Data Collection
Scott E. Schubert
Section Chief
Law Enforcement Engagement & Data Sharing (LEEDS) Section Chief
seschubert@fbi.gov
(304) 625-3690
Joey L. Hixenbaugh
LEEDS Assistant Section Chief
jlhixenbaugh@fbi.gov
(304) 625-4507
Edward L. Abraham
Crime and Law Enforcement Statistics Unit (CLESU) Chief
elabraham@fbi.gov
(304) 625-2136
Erin E. Mullins
Program Analyst
304-625-2953
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Donahue, Kristi L. (CJIS) (FBI) |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2024-09-12 |