The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
requests a revision to the currently approved collection to conduct
the 2020 Police-Public Contact Survey (PPCS). The current PPCS
approval expires 5/31/2021; this request seeks a modification to
allow a second administration of the survey inside the timeframe of
the already-cleared request. The PPCS is typically conducted about
every three years and BJS requests clearance to conduct the next
iteration ahead of schedule with a revised instrument that includes
a question (Question 40 in Attachment 5) on how residents reacted
during police contact that was not on the 2018 survey, but was in
previous iterations (2015 most recently).As a supplement to the
National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), the PPCS, collects
information about the nature and outcomes (e.g., arrest,
ticket/warning) of the public’s contacts with the police. Contact
with the police refers to voluntary contacts, such as residents
seeking help or assistance from the police, and involuntary
contacts, such as police approaching residents during a street or
traffic stop.
US Code:
34
USC 12602 Name of Law: Section 210402 of the Violent Crime
Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994
US Code: 34
USC 10132 Name of Law: Justice Systems Improvement Act of
1979
In an effort to minimize
respondent burden and nonresponse on supplements to the NCVS,
supplemental questionnaires are designed to take no longer than 10
to 15 minutes to administer. For the PPCS, only those respondents
who indicate that they had contact will be asked additional
questions about their interaction with the police. BJS expects a 77
hour increase in respondent burden from the 2018 PPCS. The 2018
burden estimate was based on interview times observed during the
2015 PPCS and the 2020 burden estimate is based on interview times
observed during the 2018 PPCS. The change in burden hour estimates
reflect the changes to the PPCS questionnaire between 2015 and 2018
and the net increase in the NCVS sample between 2018 and 2020.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.