LEL Questionnaire - question-by-question justification

LEL Survey – Question-by-Question Justification

This attachment provides an overview of the questionnaire items to be used in this study and their relationship to the survey’s study goals. Currently there are 49 State Law Enforcement Liaison (LEL) programs and the programs vary with regard to the number of LELs working under a given program (approximately 240 LELs in total across all programs). The various LEL programs are organized in many different ways. Given the variety of LEL network models and the large amount of annual funding allocated to support LEL programs, NHTSA is seeking an assessment of LEL programs across the Nation. Broadly speaking, the data elements below were selected with the intent of characterizing the various LEL models across the States to assist in the selection of LEL programs for in-depth case study and where possible, will be included in analyses to determine which characteristics lead to maximum LEL effectiveness and best practices (leading to high levels of Law Enforcement Agency [LEA] participation, increases in citations during grant-funded activities, reductions in traffic fatalities and injuries, and increases in observed seat belt use). One of the outcomes of the survey will be a descriptive matrix of programs by organizational type and program features and pros, cons and challenges for various LEL approaches in carrying out the LEL mission.

Question Number	Target Information	Relevance	Application
Eligibility Questions & Targeting Appropriate Respondents
A	Are you the person to whom this survey was addressed?	Intended respondent is required to ensure representative sample.	Confirm respondent is person actually selected in the survey sample
B	Do you serve as a State LEL or serve in a position that performs similar duties?	Survey is intended for LELs or those who serve in an equivalent position.	Ensure respondent is appropriate person to complete the survey
C	Are you willing to complete the survey?	Consent of participant is required	Respondent indicates their consent to participate in survey
Section A: General Overview of LEL Position Responses to the questions in this section will assist our understanding of LEL positions, work environments, and LEL coverage areas.
1	Select the title of your position as an intermediary between the State Highway Safety Office and Law Enforcement Agencies to promote and support traffic safety and increase participation in NHTSA-funded traffic safety programs	While most of these positions are called Law Enforcement Liaisons (LELs), in some States they are State employees called Traffic Safety Specialists, Program Managers, Grants Managers, or Program Coordinators. They may also have other job titles.	To compare differences in terminology for the LEL position across the 50 states, and to define this position as a Law Enforcement Liaison (LEL) for respondents as they answer the remaining survey questions.
2	What organization or agency are you accountable to, for your work as a LEL	State LELs work for a number of different employers. Although most State LELs work directly for their State Highway Safety Office (SHSO), some LELs work for both their SHSO and a law enforcement agency. In a few States, LELs are employed by non-profit associations, Universities, and other Government Departments (e.g., Department of Health).	To compare and contrast similarities and differences in LEL sponsorship across states.
3	Is your particular LEL position full time or part time?	Research is needed to document the variations in LEL employment across states	To enable analyses describing the relationship between LEL effort and effectiveness in LEA recruitment.
4	Approximately how many hours a week do you work in your LEL position?	Research is needed to document the variations in LEL employment across states	To enable analyses describing the relationship between LEL effort and effectiveness in LEA recruitment.
5	Indicate the percentage of time you perform your LEL duties from the following locations	LELs who work in offices housed within their sponsoring agency have more direct contact with their sponsor and are potentially more supervised than those working from home. Those who travel frequently in performance of LEL duties may have better success in recruiting LEAs (face-to-face meetings) than those who stay in their offices.	To enable analyses describing the relationship between LEL work environment and LEL program effectiveness.
6	Is there a written description for your LEL position	Model job descriptions for LELs currently exist. Individuals with written job descriptions know what is expected of them and may perform better than those who do not have written job descriptions (documentation of personal accountability).	To enable analyses describing LEL program effectiveness as a function of the presence of a written job description
7	Do you perform non-LEL-related tasks for your sponsoring agency in addition to your LEL-related responsibilities	There may be pros and cons of hiring employees of the sponsoring agency to perform LEL work. This question is needed to document the variations in LEL employment across states.	To enable analyses describing the relationship between LEL work environment and LEL program effectiveness.
7a	If YES to Question 7: 7a. Describe these non-LEL-related tasks	Non-LEL work may complement LEL-related duties adding to expertise in areas of traffic safety (pro) or may take priority over performing LEL work (con).	Will be used as descriptive data, enhancing understanding of analyses conducted for Question 7.
8	What is the coverage area for your LEL responsibilities	This question is needed to document the present variations in LEL organization of coverage area across states, which often varies.	Q 8 and 9 will enable analyses describing the relationship between LEL program organization/coverage area and LEL program effectiveness.
9	Which highway safety program areas are you responsible for, as part of your LEL duties	Research is needed to document the present variations in LEL coverage area across states.	Q 8 and 9 will enable analyses describing the relationship between LEL program organization/coverage area and LEL program effectiveness.
Section B: Your Background Responses to the questions in this section will provide information about LELs’ backgrounds, including length of employment as a LEL, past employment, and education. This will assist funding agencies in determining optimal criteria to be used in recruiting and hiring LELs.
10	How long have you been a LEL	Research is needed to document differences in LEL experience, and turnover rate, and how that relates to LEL program performance.	To examine relationship between length of LEL employment and LEL program effectiveness (LEA recruitment and highway safety measures).
11	Which of the following best describes your work experience prior to your LEL position?	Research is needed to document prior work experience.	To examine relationship between past work experience and LEL program effectiveness (LEA recruitment and highway safety measures). This will assist in informing funding agencies of optimal criteria for recruiting effective LELs.
12	If active, former, or retired law enforcement, what is/was your highest rank achieved	Research is needed to document highest rank attained in law enforcement.	To examine relationship between law enforcement experience and LEL program effectiveness (LEA recruitment and highway safety measures) This will assist in informing funding agencies of optimal criteria for recruiting effective LELs.
13	What is your highest educational credential?	Research is needed to document educational level of LELs across the states.	To examine relationship between education level and LEL program effectiveness (LEA recruitment and highway safety measures). This will assist in informing funding agencies of optimal criteria for recruiting effective LELs.
14	Did you graduate from a State-certified or an accredited police academy	Research is needed to identify proportion of LELs who graduated from an accredited police academy.	To examine effects of police academy education on LEL program effectiveness (LEA recruitment and highway safety measures). This will assist in informing funding agencies of optimal criteria for recruiting effective LELs.
14a	If YES to Question 14, enter the name of the police academy	Identification of police academies can help determine future direction of training	Will identify academies with curricula that prepare individuals to meet the requirements necessary to succeed as an LEL
SECTION C: YOUR LEL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Responses to the questions in this section will help us understand the activities in which LELs engage in performance of their LEL positions.
15	What instructor training qualifications do you hold?	LEAs who are NHTSA-certified instructors can teach NHTSA programs to their LEAs. POST-certified (Peace Officer Standards Training) instructors can teach the State-specific trainings, but not the NHTSA trainings.	To determine if there is relationship between LEL training qualifications and their recruited LEAs’ performance in highway safety programs
16	In which of the following activities do you participate, as part of your LEL work	To determine the depth and breadth of LEL activities and differences across states	To determine relationship between level of participation and in what types of activities translates to high LEA recruitment and effective LEA performance
17	In a typical month, how many in-person LEA site visits do you make	Face-to-face meetings with law enforcement executives are a best practice in obtaining LEA participation (The LEL, July 2016)1	To determine the relationship between site visits and LEA recruitment (Q 30)
18	Are you responsible for providing services to all LEAs in your area of responsibility, or only to highway safety program grantees within your area of responsibility?	Research is needed to document similarities and differences in how the various LEL programs across the states operate.	Used in analyses to determine best practices in maximizing LEL program effectiveness.
19	How many presentations did you make at local, regional, or national highway safety conferences in the past 12 months?	Highway safety conferences are a vehicle for LELs to reach a large LEA audience, to educate them about NHTSA’s highway safety programs.	To determine whether making presentations at highway safety conferences is influential in recruiting LEA participation in NHTSA highway safety programs.
20	Use the rating scale below to rate the importance of each characteristic for meeting your LEL job responsibilities	These criteria are included in the model LEL position description	To determine how important those in the position to perform the work believe each characteristic is for meeting LEL duties.
21	What information are you required to maintain and report to your supervisor or manager, in performance of your LEL responsibilities?	Those who are required to track and report performance indices may be better performers compared to those who are not required to track and report these indices.	To determine whether tracking and reporting job performance measures is associated with more effective LEL performance (more LEA recruits and better highway safety outcomes among the LEAs)
SECTION D: HOW YOU COMMUNICATE WITH OTHERS IN PERFORMANCE OF YOUR LEL DUTIES Responses to the questions in this section will help us understand who the LELs communicate with, the methods they use for their communications, and what they believe to be the most effective means of communication with others.
22	How frequently (on average) do you communicate with each of the following?	An LEL’s ability to promote traffic safety is based on the LEL’s influence, which relies in part on relationships.	To determine the level of LEL outreach and to whom in performance of their LEL duties, and how outreach is associated with LEL program effectiveness and traffic safety performance.
23	Use the rating scale below to rate the effectiveness of the following modes of communication with prospective LEA grantees	There are many ways that LELs can communicate with LEAs, and this question will assist in the understanding of which ways are most effective	Will assist in determining where LEL effort and NHTSA funding should be applied for optimal communication between LELs and their LEAs
SECTION E: MATERIALS AND RESOURCES YOU USE IN YOUR DAY-TO-DAY LEL ACTIVITIES Responses to the questions in this section will provide information about the materials and resources LELs use in performance of their LEL duties, and how useful they are to the LELs.
24	Which of the following resources do you access to support your work, and how often do you access each?	Many LELS are unfamiliar with the resources and communications tools available to them through the National LEL Program (The LEL, July 2016). Those who frequently access these materials may have a better success rate with LEA recruitment and better program implementation among the recruited LEAs	Will be used to determine level of access among LELs across the states, and whether frequent access is related to increased LEA participation in traffic safety programs, and whether this also translates to more effective participation in NHTSA grant programs.
25	Are you aware of TrafficSafetyMarketing.gov	Much effort and funding goes into developing these resources, so it will be instructive to know whether LELs know of the availability and whether those who are familiar with the site find the materials useful.	Descriptive analyses will be performed to characterize responses to Questions 25 and its sub questions.
25a	If YES to Question 25, do you use materials found on TrafficSafetyMarketing.gov	Much effort and funding goes into developing these resources, so it will be instructive to know whether LELs know of the availability and whether those who are familiar with the site find the materials useful.	Descriptive analyses will be performed to characterize responses to Questions 25 and its sub questions.
25b	If YES to Question 25, which materials do you use	Much effort and funding goes into developing these resources, so it will be instructive to know whether LELs know of the availability and whether those who are familiar with the site find the materials useful.	Descriptive analyses will be performed to characterize responses to Questions 25 and its sub questions.
25c	If YES to Question 25, On a rating scale from 1 (not useful at all) to 5 (extremely useful), rate the overall usefulness of the materials on TrafficSafetyMarketing.gov	Much effort and funding goes into developing these resources, so it will be instructive to know whether LELs know of the availability and whether those who are familiar with the site find the materials useful.	Descriptive analyses will be performed to characterize responses to Questions 25 and its sub questions.
25d	If YES to Question 25, if you rated the overall usefulness as a 1 or 2, please explain why and what would make the materials more useful.	Much effort and funding goes into developing these resources, so it will be instructive to know whether LELs know of the availability and whether those who are familiar with the site find the materials useful.	Descriptive analyses will be performed to characterize responses to Questions 25 and its sub questions
SECTION F: TRAINING YOU HAVE RECEIVED AS A LEL The responses to the questions in this section will provide information about LEL-specific training the LELS have undergone as well as any other training they may have received to support their LEL duties.
26	Check whether you have attended any of the following training programs	LELs who are trained in these courses may be better able to meet their LEL responsibilities, and better able to assist their LEAs in implementing highway safety programs.	Descriptive analyses to characterize the breadth of training the LELs across the country have received and to look at relationships between training and LEL program effectiveness (high number of LEA recruits and successful program implementation by LEAs).
27	Have you participated in any formal/organized training other than the programs listed in Question 26 to prepare you for LEL tasks	To identify programs other than those listed that LELs have attended to prepare them for their duties.	Used for informational purposes and as potential recommendation to other LELs
27a	IF YES to Question 27, list the name and sponsor of the courses	To identify programs other than those listed that LELs have attended to prepare them for their duties.	Used for informational purposes and as potential recommendation to other LELs
SECTION G: HOW YOUR INDIVIDUAL JOB PERFORMANCE IS EVALUATED The responses to the questions in this section will provide information about if and how LEL job performance is evaluated. These questions focus on the LELs individual work performance, not the highway safety outcome performance goals and measures.
28	Is your LEL work performance evaluated?	LELs whose work performance is evaluated may be better performers, than those whose work is not evaluated.	Question 28 and its sub questions will be used to describe similarities and differences in LEL programs across States. Also to be used in analyses examining the relationships between performance evaluations and measures such as those listed in Q 22 (frequency of communication) and Q 30 (LEA participation rate) as well as better performance by their state on the core traffic safety performance measures.
28a	If YES to Question 28, do you know how you will be evaluated at the start of the evaluation period? (e.g., is there a plan, established goals, activity measurements, etc.?)	LELs who know how they will be evaluated may be better performers	Question 28 and its sub questions will be used to describe similarities and differences in LEL programs across States. Also to be used in analyses examining the relationships between performance evaluations and measures such as those listed in Q 22 (frequency of communication) and Q 30 (LEA participation rate) as well as better performance by their state on the core traffic safety performance measures.
28b	If YES to Question 28, How often do you receive feedback regarding your job performance, from your supervisor	Frequent feedback may be associated with better performance, and may be more like to occur for LELs who work in offices with their SHSOs. May be useful for identifying best practices	Question 28 and its sub questions will be used to describe similarities and differences in LEL programs across States. Also to be used in analyses examining the relationships between performance evaluations and measures such as those listed in Q 22 (frequency of communication) and Q 30 (LEA participation rate) as well as better performance by their state on the core traffic safety performance measures.
28c	If YES to Question 28, What metrics do your supervisors use to evaluate your work	Research is needed to characterize the performance metrics used across the States and to describe best practices	Question 28 and its sub questions will be used to describe similarities and differences in LEL programs across States. Also to be used in analyses examining the relationships between performance evaluations and measures such as those listed in Q 22 (frequency of communication) and Q 30 (LEA participation rate) as well as better performance by their state on the core traffic safety performance measures.
SECTION H: INFORMATION ABOUT THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WITHIN YOUR AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY The following questions deal with the law enforcement agencies within the LELs’ areas of responsibility— how they are recruited and funded, and their participation rate in NHTSA’s highway safety grant programs in the past 12-month period. By “area of responsibility” we mean the population of LEAs targeted for participation in grant programs (whether they are defined by geographic area, highway safety program area, or both).
29	Do the participating LEAs within your area of responsibility receive highway safety grant funding	LEAs may be more likely to participate in NHTSA highway safety programs, if there is a monetary incentive (grants)	Descriptive statistics will be used to characterize similarities and differences across states
30	How many law enforcement agencies (LEAs) are in your area of responsibility and how many of each participated in highway safety programs in 2016 with and without grant funding?	Research is needed to compare and contrast LEA participation rate by state and agency	Will be used as dependent measures in analyses of LEL program effectiveness
31	How many LEAs did you recruit in 2016, for grant activity in the following program areas?	Research is needed to compare and contrast participation by focus area across states	Useful for understanding the focus of highway safety programs by state
32	Do you use crash data to help recruit LEAs to participate in NHTSA’s highway safety programs	Crash data may persuade agencies to participate, if they see where the problem areas in their jurisdiction lie	Descriptive statistics will be used to characterize similarities and differences across states and in analyses of relationship between use of crash data and LEA participation rate
33	Do you participate in the evaluation of grant applications or provide input to the grantee selection process?	Research is needed to characterize grantee selection process across states	Questions 33 and 33a will be used in descriptive analyses describing grantee selection process
33a	If YES to Question 33, describe the criteria and process used to select LEA grantees.	Research is needed to characterize grantee selection process across states	Questions 33 and 33a will be used in descriptive analyses describing grantee selection process
34	Do you use any unique approaches to encourage more LEAs to participate in grants and other highway safety activities	Research is needed to characterize LEA recruitment processes across states	Questions 34 and 34a will be used in descriptive analyses describing LEA recruitment methods
34a	If YES to Question 34, describe these unique approaches	Research is needed to characterize LEA recruitment processes across states	Questions 34 and 34a will be used in descriptive analyses describing LEA recruitment methods
35	Do you encounter LEAs who refuse or are hesitant to participate in traffic safety and enforcement programs	Research is needed to identify LEA types resistant to recruitment for highway safety programs and LEL response	Questions 35 and its sub questions will be used in descriptive summaries of LEA types most likely to be hesitant to participate in highway safety programs and typical LEL response to resistance. Useful to NHTSA’s understanding of who does not participate
35a	If you answered YES to Question 35, identify the LEA types	Research is needed to identify LEA types resistant to recruitment for highway safety programs and LEL response	Questions 35 and its sub questions will be used in descriptive summaries of LEA types most likely to be hesitant to participate in highway safety programs and typical LEL response to resistance. Useful to NHTSA’s understanding of who does not participate.
35b	If you answered YES to Question 35, for agencies you encounter that have been resistant to participate in traffic safety and enforcement programs, how do you respond?	Research is needed to identify LEA types resistant to recruitment for highway safety programs and LEL response	Questions 35 and its sub questions will be used in descriptive summaries of LEA types most likely to be hesitant to participate in highway safety programs and typical LEL response to resistance. Useful to NHTSA’s understanding of who does not participate
36	What percentage of your LEAs are eligible for highway safety grant funding, but do not elect to participate in these funded programs	Research is needed to document magnitude on non-participation problem	Questions 36 and 37 will be used in descriptive statistics to help NHTSA understand how large the population of non-participators is and the reasons for non-participation, so that new methods can be developed to attract participation.
37	What are the reasons that eligible LEAs do not participate in these funded programs?	LELs have many challenges in motivating LEAs to participate in NHTSA mobilizations and training. This question addresses this issue.	Questions 36 and 37 will be used in descriptive statistics to help NHTSA understand how large the population of non-participators is and the reasons for non-participation, so that new methods can be developed to attract participation.
SECTION I: HOW YOU USE TRAFFIC SAFETY PERFORMANCE MEASURES TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NHTSA-SPONSORED HIGHWAY SAFETY GRANT ACTIVITIES The purpose of the following questions is to learn if and how LELs use traffic safety outcome, behavior, and activity measures to determine the effectiveness of NHTSA-sponsored highway safety program grants.
38	Do your highway safety programs use traffic safety performance measures to determine the effectiveness of program activities?	Traffic safety performance measures are required for each state’s traffic safety activities, but it is unknown to what extent these goals are used at the local level.	Question 38 and its sub-questions will be used to determine the proportion of LELs who track their grantees’ performance, and may be used in analyses to determine the relationship between tracking program activities and high grantee performance. Also may lead to identification of best practices for maximum LEL program performance.
38a	If YES to Question 38, What are these traffic safety performance measures and goals	Traffic safety performance measures are required for each state’s traffic safety activities, but it is unknown to what extent these goals are used at the local level.	Question 38 and its sub-questions will be used to determine the proportion of LELs who track their grantees’ performance, and may be used in analyses to determine the relationship between tracking program activities and high grantee performance. Also may lead to identification of best practices for maximum LEL program performance.
38b	If YES to Question 38, Who defines the goals for the outcome measures?	Traffic safety performance measures are required for each state’s traffic safety activities, but it is unknown to what extent these goals are used at the local level.	Question 38 and its sub-questions will be used to determine the proportion of LELs who track their grantees’ performance, and may be used in analyses to determine the relationship between tracking program activities and high grantee performance. Also may lead to identification of best practices for maximum LEL program performance.
SECTION J: INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR STATE LEL PROGRAM Responses to these questions will help NHTSA better understand each State’s LEL Program.
39	How many LEL-type positions are there in your State (including you)?	For States that have LELs, the number of LELs can range from 1 to 17	Needed to characterize the LEL programs across all states
40	Does your State have a standardized process to identify LEAs to be funded versus those who will voluntarily participate in your highway safety programs?	Questions 40 and 40a are needed to compare and contrast similarities and differences in States’ LEL program activities	Useful in identifying best practices
40a	If YES to Question 40, describe this standardized process	Questions 40 and 40a are needed to compare and contrast similarities and differences in States’ LEL program activities	Useful in identifying best practices
41	Does your State use benchmarks to evaluate the level of enforcement activity of each LEA grantee? (e.g., performance measures for counts of crackdowns and mobilizations, hours worked, citations or warnings written during each, contacts per hour)	Questions 41 and 41a are needed to compare and contrast similarities and differences in States’ LEL program activities. States with benchmarks may show better LEA grantee performance than States without.	Useful in identifying best practices
41a	If YES to Question 41, please elaborate on this standardized process (or upload a document describing the benchmarks and process, if you have one available electronically. See last survey question in Section L for upload link).	Questions 41 and 41a are needed to compare and contrast similarities and differences in States’ LEL program activities. States with benchmarks may show better LEA grantee performance than States without.	Useful in identifying best practices
42	What does the LEL program budget in your State include?	Research is needed to compare and contrast items included in LEL budget by state	Will be used to describe similarities and differences in States’ budgets for LEL activities, and may be used in analyses of LEL program effectiveness
SECTION K: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION – OPEN FEEDBACK Questions in this sections are used to gather information from those interested and willing to provide more detailed information about they perform their LEL duties or how their State’s LEL program works, or ways they think the LEL position or program could be improved. A copy of the LEL position description is also requested for upload, if the State’s LEL program has a written job description.
43	Please provide any additional information that you believe would be helpful in enhancing our understanding of how you apply your skills and use highway safety resources to reduce motor vehicle-related injuries and fatalities in your State	Research is needed to fill in any gaps left unanswered by existing survey questions	Useful in identifying best practices
44	If you have any recommendations about how the LEL position or LEL program could be improved, please provide them here.	Research is needed to fill in any gaps left unanswered by existing survey questions	Useful in identifying best practices
SECTION L: UPLOAD DOCUMENTS This section provides instructions and upload buttons for ease of respondents’ uploading of requested documentation.
45	If there is a written description for your LEL position, please upload a copy, or email, fax or mail it to the address provided at the end of this survey.	States may have different LEL position descriptions	Comparison and contrast with LEL position descriptions in other states and with the model program description
46	If there are written procedures with benchmarks for evaluating level of enforcement activity for LEA grantees, please upload them, or email, fax or mail to the address provided at the end of the survey	States may have different benchmarks for evaluating level of enforcement activity for LEA grantees	Useful in identifying best practices

1 The LEL is a quarterly newsletter designed for LELs to stay up-to-date on traffic safety and enforcement issues and to share with partners. http://www.nlelp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/TheLEL0716.pdf

6