CPFFCL Gen IC Template

Request for new submission under the “Generic Clearance for Cognitive, Pilot and Field Studies for Bureau of Justice Statistics Data Collection Activities”

(OMB Control Number: 1121-0339)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: 2024 Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the generic clearance request is to allow the project team to conduct outreach to verify contact information for the 2024 Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories (CPFFCL).

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Laboratory directors

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software) [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [X ] Other: Contact verification and frame building

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name: Devon Adams

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No

2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Note: for any privacy related questions regarding your collection, please contact your component’s Senior Component Official for Privacy or the Office of Privacy and Civil Liberties.

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [X] No

If answering yes, you will also need to describe the incentive and provide a justification for the amount.

BURDEN HOURS:

In the provided table, list the following information in each row for the type or respondent for the collection and provide total figures at the bottom for the number of respondents, participation time, and burden.

• Category of respondent – Provide the type or category of individual who will respond to your collection from the following list:

  • Individuals or Household

  • Private Sector

  • State, Local, or Tribal Governments

  • Federal Government

• Number of Respondents – Estimate of the total number of respondents by type/category.

• Participation Time – Estimate of the total amount of time (in minutes) required for participation in a collection by type/category of respondents (e.g. fill out a survey or participate in a focus group).

• Burden – Estimate of the annual burden hours by type/category or respondents.

  • To determine this estimate, multiply the number of respondents by the participation time and divide that figure by 60.

Burden Table

Category of Respondent and Activity	Number of Respondents	Participation Time (minutes)	Burden (hours)
Federal/State/Local Governments: Laboratory director email outreach	175	5	15
Federal/State/Local Governments: Laboratory director telephone outreach	175	10	29
Total	350		44

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $27,000 for the RTI portion of the work and an estimated $28,000 for the GS-14 project manager’s work, resulting in a total estimated cost of $55,000.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [X] Yes [ ] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

The original frame of eligible laboratories was developed for the first CPFFCL in 2002 using the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) membership list. The frame from the most recent CPFFCL in 2020 and the current ASCLD membership list will be the starting point for the 2024 CPFFCL frame, as laboratory locations and physical addresses do not often fluctuate. This frame contains the agency name, physical address, telephone number, and point of contact as well as the corresponding email address. The 2024 CPFFCL frame will be compared against the current frames for the DEA National Forensic Laboratory Information System, BJS Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, and BJS Census of Federal Law Enforcement Officers to identify any new eligible agencies.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[X] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[X] Other, Explain: Email

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [X] No

The project team at RTI International, the award recipient for the cooperative agreement, will conduct verification efforts via web/email and telephone.

Submit all instruments, instructions, and scripts with the request.

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