Appendix

Appendix: Constructing the Frame

As mentioned in the revised Supporting Statement (Section B.1.), a complete State-level frame has already been compiled and an associated set of POCs at 48 LEAs (47 States and the District of Columbia) has been determined through email and phone correspondence. At this time, a complete State-level frame has been compiled and only a couple of State POCs remain to be confirmed. The next step is to build out the local frame with approval from OMB. All the State-level POCs will be contacted again by email to request information regarding local LEA information and will be asked the following two questions:

1. Are there any local law enforcement agencies that maintain and operate an AFIS within your State?

2. Could you provide a list of these agencies and point of contact at each so that we can follow up with them regarding this survey?

If the individuals are not responsive to email, a telephone call will be used to contact the POC and the questions will be asked verbally. Email follow-up will be encouraged, but if the State POC prefers, the local POC information can be taken down manually over the phone. A fax number is also available should that be the preferred method by the State POC to transmit the information.

The local frame will be constructed in the same manner as the State frame. The local POCs will be sent an outreach email modeled on the Invitation Letter from the NIJ Director that was included as a part of the PRA submission package. It will be at the discretion of the person receiving the email to determine if they are in fact the correct person or if the inquiry should be routed to another organizational component or person. As with the State frame, if there is no response to the email from the initial contact person, further research telephone calls will be conducted to find an appropriate initial contact to send the outreach email. Through this process, it is anticipated that the remaining local frame will be collected in a timely fashion. Once the frame is complete and an accurate POC list has been constructed, the official Invitation Letter from the NIJ Director will be sent on his behalf to all confirmed State and local POCs to participate in the survey, pending approval by OMB.