NCVS-572 letter

DC

NCVS-572(L) DALLAS
(10-2005)

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. Census Bureau
Washington, DC 20233-0001
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR

FROM THE DIRECTOR
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
The Census Bureau is conducting a survey for the U.S. Department of Justice to obtain
information on the kinds and amount of crime committed against households and individuals
throughout the country. A Census Bureau representative will be contacting you soon. Our
representative will show an official identification card and ask for some important
information on this subject from you and your household.
The information you provide our representative will help inform the country on how much
crime there is, where it occurs, when it occurs, what crime costs victims, and which
segments of the population are most frequently victimized. Since many crimes are never
reported to the police, information from this survey will show a more complete picture of the
amount and types of crimes occurring in the United States. The survey results are used in
many ways, including by citizens to evaluate their vulnerabilities to becoming victims of
crime, by legislators and policymakers to develop programs to aid crime victims and prevent
crime, and by researchers to understand the nature of various aspects of victimization.
Your address is part of a scientifically selected sample of addresses chosen throughout the
country for participation in this survey. Because this is a sample survey, your answers
represent not only you and your household, but also hundreds of other households like
yours. For this reason, your voluntary cooperation is very important. I hope you will answer
all the survey questions as completely and accurately as possible. Although there are no
penalties for failure to answer any questions, each unanswered question substantially
lessens the accuracy of the final data. Your answers will be used only to prepare statistical
summaries from which no information about your household or you as an individual can be
identified. The law completely protects your confidential answers from disclosure.
Answers to the most frequently asked survey questions are on the reverse side of this
letter. If you would like further information, contact the Census Bureau by writing or calling
the following office:
Regional Director
U.S. Census Bureau
8585 North Stemmons Frwy Suite 800 S
Dallas TX 75247-3836
Telephone: 1–800–835–9752, ext. 34442
Thank you for your cooperation. The Census Bureau appreciates your help.
Sincerely,

Charles Louis Kincannon

USCENSUSBUREAU
Helping You Make Informed Decisions

www.census.gov

What is the National Crime Victimization Survey all about?
This survey, called the National Crime Victimization Survey, collects data measuring the
kinds and amount of crime involving persons 12 years of age and older. Periodically, the
survey includes such additional topics as crime in schools, hate crime, contacts with law
enforcement, and crime in the workplace.
How was I selected for this survey?
Actually, we selected your living quarters, not you personally for this survey. We scientifically
selected approximately 56,000 addresses across the country to represent the entire
population. At each selected address, we interview household members age 12 and older. If
your household should move away while your address is still in the survey, we would
interview the new family that moves in.
Will information I provide be confidential?
We are conducting this survey under the authority of Title 13, United States Code,
Section 8. Section 9 of this law requires us to keep all information about you and your
household strictly confidential. We may use this information only for statistical purposes.
Also, Title 42, Section 3732, United States Code, authorizes the Bureau of Justice
Statistics, Department of Justice, to collect information using this survey. Title 42, Sections
3789g and 3735, United States Code, also requires us to keep all information about you
and your household strictly confidential.
Do I have to participate?
The survey is voluntary, and there are no penalties for not participating. We expect the
interview to take about 25 minutes. Your interview may be somewhat shorter or longer than
this depending on your circumstances. If you have any comments about this survey or have
recommendations for reducing its length, send them to the Chief, Victimization Statistics
Branch, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, DC 20531.
How are the data used?
Data from this survey are used to provide information on many topics related to crime and
victimization, including crime in schools, trends in violent crime, costs of crime, and the
response of law enforcement to reports of victimization. To see examples of reports, tables,
and charts that use data from the survey, you can visit the Bureau of Justice Statistics Web
site: .
I thought that the Census Bureau only operated every 10 years, when they
counted people. What is the Census Bureau doing now?
In addition to the decennial census, which is conducted every 10 years, the Census Bureau
collects many different kinds of statistics. We conduct other censuses required by law on a
regular basis, including the censuses of business and manufactures and the census of state
and local governments. Additionally, we collect data on a monthly basis to provide current
information on such topics as labor force participation, retail and wholesale trade, various
manufacturing activities, and trade statistics, as well as yearly surveys of business,
manufacturing and governments, family income, and education.

NCVS-572(L)