CargoTheft.SuppStmntA (Submitted)

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

1110-0048

CARGO THEFT INCIDENT REPORT

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program requests a three-year extension of this approved collection for the purpose of receiving updates from law enforcement agencies (LEAs).

A. Justification

1. Necessity of Information Collection

Under the authority of the USA Patriot Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005, Public Law 109-177, 120 Stat. 192 (2006); Uniform Federal Crime Reporting Act of 1988, Title 34, United States Code, section 41303; and Title 28, Code of Federal Regulations, section 0.85, the Attorney General was mandated to ensure incidents of cargo theft reported by federal, state, and local LEAs are reflected in the statistics collected by the FBI UCR Program.

The Cargo Theft Incident Report provides the FBI UCR Program with information about each cargo theft incident including the offense classification(s); location of the incident; type of weapon used, if applicable; description of the property stolen and the monetary value; if the property is recovered; the victim type; and the demographics (i.e., age, sex, race, and ethnicity) of the associated offender(s) and arrestee(s).

2. Needs and Uses

The collection was mandated in an effort to capture the essence of the national cargo theft crime problem and its negative impact on the economy and national security of the United States. Subsequently, the FBI UCR Program developed and implemented a separate master file to manage information regarding cargo theft and provided technical specifications which were finalized in 2010. The FBI UCR Program serves as the national clearinghouse for the collection and dissemination of cargo theft crime data and began publishing the information in 2013.

Summary Reporting System (SRS) and National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) agencies continued to submit data regarding cargo theft incidents and the information was added to the master file. On January 1, 2021, the FBI transitioned to a NIBRS-only data collection. Therefore, the FBI UCR Program will no longer accept new cargo theft data from those agencies not yet participating in NIBRS, i.e., SRS agencies. However, updates to cargo theft incidents previously reported to the FBI UCR Program will be accepted from SRS agencies via the Cargo Theft Incident Report. The updated information will be added to the master file for historical purposes.

Quality cargo theft data serve as a valuable resource to the criminal justice and academic communities, government entities, the general public, and the media. One specific benefit could be the identification of potential cases of organized crime, drug trafficking, or terrorism which are sometimes associated with cargo theft.

Various sources and uses for cargo theft data are shown below.

1. The FBI serves as the national clearinghouse for storage of all cargo theft statistics, and the information is available upon request.

2. The FBI UCR Program’s Crime Data Explorer (CDE) web application also provides nationwide cargo theft crime data to users around the country.

3. The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) serves as a central repository from which colleges and universities can obtain UCR data for social science research and other purposes. The files provide detailed information on cargo theft incidents reported to LEAs and can be downloaded from the ICPSR website.

4. LEAs use UCR data for administration, operation, and management, and to determine the effectiveness and placement of task forces.

5. The academic community, government entities, media, and the general public study the data to learn about the crime situation.

3. Use of Information Technology

Cargo theft data collection begins at the local agency level when law enforcement officers submit administrative and operational data to their record management personnel from hard copy or electronic incident reports. The local agency record managers then compile the data and submit the information to their state UCR programs (if applicable). Many state UCR programs have a centralized repository and have established electronic communications with LEAs throughout their state, as well as the FBI UCR Program. This allows for information technology (IT) interaction within the required electronic data submission formats. All FBI UCR Program participants submit data electronically via e-mail at [email protected].

The FBI transitioned to NIBRS on January 1, 2021; therefore, any methods employed by LEAs for submitting cargo theft incidents in the past under SRS can now only be used to submit updates to incidents previously reported to the FBI UCR Program. The updated information will be ingested into the existing cargo theft master file for historical purposes.

4. Efforts to Identify Duplication

Since NIBRS collects information associated with cargo theft incidents, SRS agencies may no longer submit new cargo theft incidents to the FBI UCR Program, which is the only federal agency mandated by law to collect cargo theft data.

5. Minimizing Burden on Small LEAs

The NIBRS-only data collection began on January 1, 2021; therefore, the FBI UCR Program will not accept new cargo theft incident submissions from SRS agencies occurring after that date. Any updates to previously submitted incidents will have no significant burden on small LEAs.

6. Consequences of Not Conducting, or Less Frequent, Collection

As of January 1, 2021, information regarding new cargo theft incidents will be collected under NIBRS. However, SRS agencies may provide updates to cargo theft incidents submitted prior to that date.

Without up-to-date information, cargo theft data users would lose the ability to analyze the data and provide an accurate report on any findings. In addition, inaccurate data may negatively impact law enforcement programs aimed at fighting cargo theft crimes.

The FBI UCR Program’s data can be used for tracking crime; administration, operation, and management purposes (e.g., budget formulation and resource allocation); assessment of police operations; effectively positioning task forces and officers; and determining the effectiveness of various law enforcement programs to address the crime problem at various levels. Agencies can justify staffing levels and officer counts based on the data. Although the FBI discourages the practice, some agencies may compare their crime statistics with those of other LEAs to justify an increase in funding for additional staff or equipment.

7. Special Circumstances

The FBI transitioned to a NIBRS-only data collection on January 1, 2021. NIBRS collects data on cargo theft incidents. SRS agencies may provide updates to cargo theft incidents submitted prior to that date.

8. Public Comments and Consultations

No public comments were received after the 60- and 30-day notices were submitted to, and published in, the Federal Register.

9. Provision of Payments or Gifts to Respondents

The FBI UCR Program does not provide any payment or gifts to respondents.

10. Assurance of Confidentiality

The FBI UCR Program does not ensure confidentiality. However, statistics from the Cargo Theft Data Collection may contain personally identifiable information which may reveal the identity of an individual. In addition, cargo theft data are obtained from public agencies and submitted to the FBI with the expectation that it will be made publicly available.

The location of an incident is noted in the Cargo Theft Data Collection; however, it is not the home address of each victim. The location is reported as a general site (e.g., residence, park, community center, school, or grocery store).

11. Justification for Sensitive Questions

Information collected via the Cargo Theft Data Collection is not sensitive in nature.

12. Estimate of Respondents’ Burden

A past study concluded five minutes is required to complete the Cargo Theft Incident Report. The table below shows the burden hours associated with submitting cargo theft data in SRS. After January 1, 2021, SRS agencies are only permitted to submit updates to incidents previously reported to the FBI UCR Program. An additional 300 burden hours were added for LEA outreach.

Data Submitted	Number of Agencies		Number of Responses	Burden (Minutes)	Burden (Hours)
(A)	(B)		(C)	(D)	(E)
1 month	34		34	170	2.8
2 months	20		40	200	3.3
3 months	14		42	210	3.5
4 months	6		24	120	2.0
5 months	17		85	425	7.1
6 months	35		210	1,050	17.5
7 months	13		91	455	7.6
8 months	24		192	960	16.0
9 months	38		342	1,710	28.5
10 months	35		350	1,750	29.2
11 months	57		627	3,135	52.3
12 months	1,218		14,616	73,080	1,218.0
Total	1,511		16,653	83,265	1,387.8
Total Number of Responding Agencies: 1,511 agencies Total Number of Annual Responses: 16,653 responses (Column C = Column A x Column B) Total Form Completion Burden (Minutes): 83,265 minutes (Column D = Column C x 5 minutes per response) Total Form Completion Burden (Hours): 1,388 hours (Column E = Column D/60 minutes per hour)

LEA Outreach
Number of Respondents:	100 respondents
Frequency of Responses:	Varies
Time per Response:	180 minutes
Annual Burden:	300 hours

Total Annual Burden: 1,688 hours (1,388 hours + 300 hours)

13. Estimate of Cost Burden

Agencies providing updates to incidents occurring before January 1, 2021, are not expected to incur any capital, start-up, or system maintenance costs. Costs to agency records management systems are very difficult to obtain. Vendors do not divulge costs because charges differ from agency to agency and many costs are built into vendors’ contracts. Depending on the contract, charges mandated by law may be included with no additional costs. However, an estimated annual fee of $107,000 for system maintenance costs has been projected.

14. Cost to the Federal Government

The information presented in the following table is a fiscal year (FY) 2020 cost model provided by the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division, Resources Management Section, Fee Programs Unit, for the entire FBI UCR Program. The FY2020 annualized cost and full-time equivalent (FTE) are included. These are projections based on prior collection activity, as well as activities anticipated over the next three years. This cost model does not separate the costs between the systems used to collect FBI UCR Program data.

Data Collection and Processing Costs
Activities	FY2020 Annualized Cost	FY2020 Annualized FTE
Conduct Assessment/Perform Analysis	$91,640.91	0.45
Conduct Liaison, Education, and Promotion	$460,753.01	3.56
Conduct UCR Audits	$473,855.85	3.74
Define and Oversee Compliance within IT Infrastructure	$40,363.87	0.30
Deliver Curriculum - External Customer	$167,469.21	1.17
Deliver Curriculum - External Customers	$226,131.47	0.91
Develop and Manage Policy	$357,738.77	2.86
Develop Curriculum - External Customer	$167,469.21	1.17

Data Collection and Processing Costs—Continued
Activities	FY2020 Annualized Cost	FY2020 Annualized FTE
Develop Curriculum - External Customers	$233,860.67	1.13
Manage Projects	$136,428.30	0.76
Perform Administrative and Human Resource Tasks	$812,853.40	6.57
Perform Advisory Policy Board Tasks	$206,528.50	1.53
Perform and Oversee IT Service Management Activities	$94,125.20	0.66
Perform Budget, Strategic Planning, and Program Control	$273,102.44	1.77
Perform Duties as the Agile Product Owner	$424,564.99	3.31
Perform IT Finance Functions	$35,267.21	0.17
Perform Organization IT Management and Strategic Planning	$30,617.56	0.18
Perform Other Agile Duties	$258,005.53	1.72
Perform Research and Analysis	$248,981.39	1.44
Perform the Client Management Function	$103,171.04	0.65
Produce Publications	$101,532.52	0.70
Provide and Administer Databases and Database Services	$163,856.22	1.01
Provide and Administer Middleware Services	$120,329.50	0.94
Provide and Maintain Servers	$54,086.46	0.41
Provide and Maintain UNIX Operating Systems	$27,370.28	0.23
Provide Application Development Services	$687,257.21	4.79
Provide Application Support and Operations Services	$111,365.30	0.84
Provide Editing Services/Support	$201,792.18	1.20
Provide Supervisory Review/Oversight	$35,091.60	0.18
Provide Writing Services/Support	$179,656.15	1.07
Select and Oversee Vendors Via the IT Vendor Management Process	$35,267.21	0.17
Support and Manage IT Programs, Product Initiatives	$344,140.46	2.45
Support CJIS Advisory Policy Board	$26,661.76	0.20
Support the Crime in the United States Publication	$1,051,706.87	9.04
Support the FBI UCR Program’s CDE	$92,448.35	0.61
Support the Hate Crimes Statistics Publication	$440,587.35	3.58
Support the LEOKA Publication	$422,069.73	3.49
Support the National Use-of-Force Data Collection	$176,977.21	1.42
Total	$9,115,124.89	66.38

15. Reason for Change in Burden

For this extension, the respondents’ annual burden was calculated using the actual number of months (1-12) for which the respondents submitted data. (See the table under 12. Estimate of Respondents’ Burden for specific calculations.) Three hundred burden hours were added for LEA outreach.

Total Annual Responses:	1,511 respondents x 1-12 months of data submitted = 16,653
Time per Response:	5 minutes
Annual Burden:	1,388 hours

The annual burden hours show a decrease over those presented in the previous extension. The FBI transitioned to a NIBRS-only data collection on January 1, 2021. Therefore, SRS agencies are no longer permitted to submit new cargo theft incidents, but only updates to those from prior years.

Total Annual Burden: 1,688 hours (1,388 hours + 300 hours)

16. Anticipated Publication Plan and Schedule

Published data are derived from those submitted to the FBI UCR Program by federal, state, local, and tribal LEAs throughout the country. Historically, data have been published annually. However, the transition to NIBRS and quarterly publication of statistics have begun and may require modifications to the schedule shown below.

Publication Plan and Schedule
Activity	Time Period
Request for missing January-June data	August and September, current year
Request for missing 12-month data	February-March, following year
Deadline to submit data	End of March
Data processing and analysis	July (current year)-April (following year)
Publication data	September, following year - Crime in the United States
	December, following year - NIBRS

17. Display of Expiration Date

Any updates collected under this clearance will display the Office of Management and Budget Control Number and Expiration Date on the Microsoft Excel Summary Workbook if that is the method of submission for updates.

18. Exception to the Certification Statement

The FBI CJIS Division is not requesting an exception to the certification of this information collection.

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