PPCS 2022 Attachments

2022 PPCS OMB Attachments
Attachment 1: Language regarding data on use of excessive force: 34 USC 12602….................... 2
Attachment 2: BJS authorizing statute: 34 USC 10131 and 10132................................................. 3
Attachment 3: 2022 PPCS questionnaire ...................................................................................... 12
Attachment 4: Selected nonfederal publications citing data from the PPCS ............................... 41
Attachment 5: Public comments received in response to 60-day notice..................................... 44
Attachment 6: Incoming household letter from Census (NCVS-572(L))…..………………………………..47
Attachment 7: Continuing household letter from Census (NCVS-573(L)) .................................... 49
Attachment 8: 2020 PPCS training material…………………………………………………………………………….51

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Attachment 1: 34 USC 12602

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34 USC 12602: Data on use of excessive force
Text contains those laws in effect on August 29, 2019
From Title 34-CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Subtitle I-Comprehensive Acts
CHAPTER 121-VIOLENT CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
SUBCHAPTER VIII-STATE AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
Part B-Police Pattern or Practice
Jump To:
Source Credit
Codification

§12602. Data on use of excessive force
(a) Attorney General to collect
The Attorney General shall, through appropriate means, acquire data about the use of excessive force by
law enforcement officers.
(b) Limitation on use of data
Data acquired under this section shall be used only for research or statistical purposes and may not
contain any information that may reveal the identity of the victim or any law enforcement officer.
(c) Annual summary
The Attorney General shall publish an annual summary of the data acquired under this section.
( Pub. L. 103–322, title XXI, §210402, Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2071 .)

CODIFICATION
Section was formerly classified to section 14142 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior
to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

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Attachment 2: 34 USC 10131 & 10132

34 USC Subtitle I, CHAPTER 101, SUBCHAPTER III: BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS
From Title 34—CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Subtitle I—Comprehensive Acts
CHAPTER 101—JUSTICE SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT

SUBCHAPTER III—BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS

§10131. Statement of purpose
It is the purpose of this subchapter to provide for and encourage the collection and analysis of statistical
information concerning crime, juvenile delinquency, and the operation of the criminal justice system and
related aspects of the civil justice system and to support the development of information and statistical
systems at the Federal, State, and local levels to improve the efforts of these levels of government to
measure and understand the levels of crime, juvenile delinquency, and the operation of the criminal justice
system and related aspects of the civil justice system. The Bureau shall utilize to the maximum extent
feasible State governmental organizations and facilities responsible for the collection and analysis of
criminal justice data and statistics. In carrying out the provisions of this subchapter, the Bureau shall give
primary emphasis to the problems of State and local justice systems.
(Pub. L. 90–351, title I, §301, as added Pub. L. 96–157, §2, Dec. 27, 1979, 93 Stat. 1176; amended Pub. L.
98–473, title II, §605(a), Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2079.)

CODIFICATION
Section was formerly classified to section 3731 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare,
prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

PRIOR PROVISIONS
A prior section 301 of Pub. L. 90–351, title I, June 19, 1968, 82 Stat. 199; Pub. L. 91–644, title
I, §4(1)–(4), Jan. 2, 1971, 84 Stat. 1882; Pub. L. 93–83, §2, Aug. 6, 1973, 87 Stat. 199; Pub. L.
94–503, title I, §§109, 128(b), Oct. 15, 1976, 90 Stat. 2411, 2424, related to purposes and
categories of grants for law enforcement and criminal justice purposes, prior to the general
amendment of this chapter by Pub. L. 96–157.

AMENDMENTS
1984—Pub. L. 98–473 struck out "(including white-collar crime and public corruption)" after
"information concerning crime" and "(including crimes against the elderly, white-collar crime,
and public corruption)" after "levels of crime".

EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1984 AMENDMENT
Amendment by Pub. L. 98–473 effective Oct. 12, 1984, see section 609AA(a) of Pub. L. 98–
473, set out as an Effective Date note under section 10101 of this title.

§10132. Bureau of Justice Statistics
(a) Establishment
There is established within the Department of Justice, under the general authority of the Attorney General,
a Bureau of Justice Statistics (hereinafter referred to in this subchapter as "Bureau").
(b) Appointment of Director; experience; authority; restrictions
The Bureau shall be headed by a Director appointed by the President. The Director shall have had
experience in statistical programs. The Director shall have final authority for all grants, cooperative
agreements, and contracts awarded by the Bureau. The Director shall be responsible for the integrity of data

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and statistics and shall protect against improper or illegal use or disclosure. The Director shall report to
the Attorney General through the Assistant Attorney General. The Director shall not engage in any other
employment than that of serving as Director; nor shall the Director hold any office in, or act in any capacity
for, any organization, agency, or institution with which the Bureau makes any contract or other arrangement
under this Act.
(c) Duties and functions of Bureau
The Bureau is authorized to—
(1) make grants to, or enter into cooperative agreements or contracts with public agencies, institutions
of higher education, private organizations, or private individuals for purposes related to this subchapter;
grants shall be made subject to continuing compliance with standards for gathering justice statistics set
forth in rules and regulations promulgated by the Director;
(2) collect and analyze information concerning criminal victimization, including crimes against the
elderly, and civil disputes;
(3) collect and analyze data that will serve as a continuous and comparable national social indication of
the prevalence, incidence, rates, extent, distribution, and attributes of crime, juvenile delinquency, civil
disputes, and other statistical factors related to crime, civil disputes, and juvenile delinquency, in support
of national, State, tribal, and local justice policy and decisionmaking;
(4) collect and analyze statistical information, concerning the operations of the criminal justice system at
the Federal, State, tribal, and local levels;
(5) collect and analyze statistical information concerning the prevalence, incidence, rates, extent,
distribution, and attributes of crime, and juvenile delinquency, at the Federal, State, tribal, and local levels;
(6) analyze the correlates of crime, civil disputes and juvenile delinquency, by the use of statistical
information, about criminal and civil justice systems at the Federal, State, tribal, and local levels, and
about the extent, distribution and attributes of crime, and juvenile delinquency, in the Nation and at the
Federal, State, tribal, and local levels;
(7) compile, collate, analyze, publish, and disseminate uniform national statistics concerning all aspects
of criminal justice and related aspects of civil justice, crime, including crimes against the elderly, juvenile
delinquency, criminal offenders, juvenile delinquents, and civil disputes in the various States and in Indian
country;
(8) recommend national standards for justice statistics and for insuring the reliability and validity of
justice statistics supplied pursuant to this chapter;
(9) maintain liaison with the judicial branches of the Federal Government and State and tribal
governments in matters relating to justice statistics, and cooperate with the judicial branch in assuring as
much uniformity as feasible in statistical systems of the executive and judicial branches;
(10) provide information to the President, the Congress, the judiciary, State, tribal, and local
governments, and the general public on justice statistics;
(11) establish or assist in the establishment of a system to provide State, tribal, and local governments
with access to Federal informational resources useful in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of
programs under this Act;
(12) conduct or support research relating to methods of gathering or analyzing justice statistics;
(13) provide for the development of justice information systems programs and assistance to the States,
Indian tribes, and units of local government relating to collection, analysis, or dissemination of justice
statistics;
(14) develop and maintain a data processing capability to support the collection, aggregation, analysis
and dissemination of information on the incidence of crime and the operation of the criminal justice
system;
(15) collect, analyze and disseminate comprehensive Federal justice transaction statistics (including
statistics on issues of Federal justice interest such as public fraud and high technology crime) and to
provide technical assistance to and work jointly with other Federal agencies to improve the availability and
quality of Federal justice data;
(16) provide for the collection, compilation, analysis, publication and dissemination of information and
statistics about the prevalence, incidence, rates, extent, distribution and attributes of drug offenses, drug
related offenses and drug dependent offenders and further provide for the establishment of a national
clearinghouse to maintain and update a comprehensive and timely data base on all criminal justice
aspects of the drug crisis and to disseminate such information;
(17) provide for the collection, analysis, dissemination and publication of statistics on the condition and
progress of drug control activities at the Federal, State, tribal, and local levels with particular attention to
programs and intervention efforts demonstrated to be of value in the overall national anti-drug strategy
and to provide for the establishment of a national clearinghouse for the gathering of data generated by
Federal, State, tribal, and local criminal justice agencies on their drug enforcement activities;

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(18) provide for the development and enhancement of State, tribal, and local criminal justice information
systems, and the standardization of data reporting relating to the collection, analysis or dissemination of
data and statistics about drug offenses, drug related offenses, or drug dependent offenders;
(19) provide for improvements in the accuracy, quality, timeliness, immediate accessibility, and
integration of State and tribal criminal history and related records, support the development and
enhancement of national systems of criminal history and related records including the National Instant
Criminal Background Check System, the National Incident-Based Reporting System, and the records of
the National Crime Information Center, facilitate State and tribal participation in national records and
information systems, and support statistical research for critical analysis of the improvement and utilization
of criminal history records;
(20) maintain liaison with State, tribal, and local governments and governments of other nations
concerning justice statistics;
(21) cooperate in and participate with national and international organizations in the development of
uniform justice statistics;
(22) ensure conformance with security and privacy requirement of section 10231 of this title and
identify, analyze, and participate in the development and implementation of privacy, security and
information policies which impact on Federal, tribal, and State criminal justice operations and related
statistical activities; and
(23) exercise the powers and functions set out in subchapter VII.
(d) Justice statistical collection, analysis, and dissemination
(1) In general
To ensure that all justice statistical collection, analysis, and dissemination is carried out in a coordinated
manner, the Director is authorized to—
(A) utilize, with their consent, the services, equipment, records, personnel, information, and facilities
of other Federal, State, local, and private agencies and instrumentalities with or without reimbursement
therefor, and to enter into agreements with such agencies and instrumentalities for purposes of data
collection and analysis;
(B) confer and cooperate with State, municipal, and other local agencies;
(C) request such information, data, and reports from any Federal agency as may be required to carry
out the purposes of this chapter;
(D) seek the cooperation of the judicial branch of the Federal Government in gathering data from
criminal justice records;
(E) encourage replication, coordination and sharing among justice agencies regarding information
systems, information policy, and data; and
(F) confer and cooperate with Federal statistical agencies as needed to carry out the purposes of this
subchapter, including by entering into cooperative data sharing agreements in conformity with all laws
and regulations applicable to the disclosure and use of data.
(2) Consultation with Indian tribes
The Director, acting jointly with the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs (acting through the Office of
Justice Services) and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, shall work with Indian tribes and
tribal law enforcement agencies to establish and implement such tribal data collection systems as the
Director determines to be necessary to achieve the purposes of this section.
(e) Furnishing of information, data, or reports by Federal agencies
Federal agencies requested to furnish information, data, or reports pursuant to subsection (d)(1)(C) shall
provide such information to the Bureau as is required to carry out the purposes of this section.
(f) Consultation with representatives of State, tribal, and local government and judiciary
In recommending standards for gathering justice statistics under this section, the Director shall consult
with representatives of State, tribal, and local government, including, where appropriate, representatives of
the judiciary.
(g) Reports
Not later than 1 year after July 29, 2010, and annually thereafter, the Director shall submit to Congress a
report describing the data collected and analyzed under this section relating to crimes in Indian country.
(Pub. L. 90–351, title I, §302, as added Pub. L. 96–157, §2, Dec. 27, 1979, 93 Stat. 1176; amended Pub. L.
98–473, title II, §605(b), Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2079; Pub. L. 100–690, title VI, §6092(a), Nov. 18, 1988,
102 Stat. 4339; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330001(h)(2), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2139; Pub. L. 109–
162, title XI, §1115(a), Jan. 5, 2006, 119 Stat. 3103; Pub. L. 111–211, title II, §251(b), July 29, 2010, 124

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Stat. 2297; Pub. L. 112–166, §2(h)(1), Aug. 10, 2012, 126 Stat. 1285.)

REFERENCES IN TEXT
This Act, referred to in subsecs. (b) and (c)(11), is Pub. L. 90–351, June 19, 1968, 82 Stat.
197, known as the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. For complete
classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title of 1968 Act note set out under section
10101 of this title and Tables.
CODIFICATION
Section was formerly classified to section 3732 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare,
prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

PRIOR PROVISIONS
A prior section 302 of Pub. L. 90–351, title I, June 19, 1968, 82 Stat. 200; Pub. L. 93–83, §2,
Aug. 6, 1973, 87 Stat. 201; Pub. L. 94–503, title I, §110, Oct. 15, 1976, 90 Stat. 2412, related to
establishment of State planning agencies to develop comprehensive State plans for grants for
law enforcement and criminal justice purposes, prior to the general amendment of this chapter
by Pub. L. 96–157.

AMENDMENTS
2012—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 112–166 struck out ", by and with the advice and consent of the
Senate" before period at end of first sentence.
2010—Subsec. (c)(3) to (6). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(A), inserted "tribal," after "State,"
wherever appearing.
Subsec. (c)(7). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(B), inserted "and in Indian country" after "States".
Subsec. (c)(9). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(C), substituted "Federal Government and State
and tribal governments" for "Federal and State Governments".
Subsec. (c)(10), (11). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(D), inserted ", tribal," after "State".
Subsec. (c)(13). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(E), inserted ", Indian tribes," after "States".
Subsec. (c)(17). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(F), substituted "activities at the Federal, State,
tribal, and local" for "activities at the Federal, State and local" and "generated by Federal, State,
tribal, and local" for "generated by Federal, State, and local".
Subsec. (c)(18). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(G), substituted "State, tribal, and local" for
"State and local".
Subsec. (c)(19). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(H), inserted "and tribal" after "State" in two
places.
Subsec. (c)(20). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(I), inserted ", tribal," after "State".
Subsec. (c)(22). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(1)(J), inserted ", tribal," after "Federal".
Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(2), designated existing provisions as par. (1), inserted
par. (1) heading, substituted "To ensure" for "To insure", redesignated former pars. (1) to (6) as
subpars. (A) to (F), respectively, of par. (1), realigned margins, and added par. (2).
Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(3), substituted "subsection (d)(1)(C)" for "subsection
(d)(3)".
Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(4)(B), inserted ", tribal," after "State".
Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(4)(A), which directed insertion of ", tribal," after "State" in heading,
was executed editorially but could not be executed in original because heading had been
editorially supplied.
Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 111–211, §251(b)(5), added subsec. (g).
2006—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 109–162, §1115(a)(1), inserted after third sentence "The Director
shall be responsible for the integrity of data and statistics and shall protect against improper or
illegal use or disclosure."
Subsec. (c)(19). Pub. L. 109–162, §1115(a)(2), amended par. (19) generally. Prior to
amendment, par. (19) read as follows: "provide for research and improvements in the accuracy,
completeness, and inclusiveness of criminal history record information, information systems,

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arrest warrant, and stolen vehicle record information and information systems and support
research concerning the accuracy, completeness, and inclusiveness of other criminal justice
record information;".
Subsec. (d)(6). Pub. L. 109–162, §1115(a)(3), added par. (6).
1994—Subsec. (c)(19). Pub. L. 103–322 substituted a semicolon for period at end.
1988—Subsec. (c)(16) to (23). Pub. L. 100–690 added pars. (16) to (19) and redesignated
former pars. (16) to (19) as (20) to (23), respectively.
1984—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(1), inserted provision requiring Director to report
to Attorney General through Assistant Attorney General.
Subsec. (c)(13). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(2)(A), (C), added par. (13) and struck out former
par. (13) relating to provision of financial and technical assistance to States and units of local
government relating to collection, analysis, or dissemination of justice statistics.
Subsec. (c)(14), (15). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(2)(C), added pars. (14) and (15). Former pars.
(14) and (15) redesignated (16) and (17), respectively.
Subsec. (c)(16). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(2)(A), (B), redesignated par. (14) as (16) and struck
out former par. (16) relating to insuring conformance with security and privacy regulations
issued under section 10231 of this title.
Subsec. (c)(17). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(2)(B), redesignated par. (15) as (17). Former par.
(17) redesignated (19).
Subsec. (c)(18). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(2)(D), added par. (18).
Subsec. (c)(19). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(2)(B), redesignated former par. (17) as (19).
Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(3)(A), inserted ", and to enter into agreements with
such agencies and instrumentalities for purposes of data collection and analysis".
Subsec. (d)(5). Pub. L. 98–473, §605(b)(3)(B)–(D), added par. (5).

EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2012 AMENDMENT
Amendment by Pub. L. 112–166 effective 60 days after Aug. 10, 2012, and applicable to
appointments made on and after that effective date, including any nomination pending in the
Senate on that date, see section 6(a) of Pub. L. 112–166, set out as a note under section 113 of
Title 6, Domestic Security.

EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1984 AMENDMENT
Amendment by Pub. L. 98–473 effective Oct. 12, 1984, see section 609AA(a) of Pub. L. 98–
473, set out as an Effective Date note under section 10101 of this title.
CONSTRUCTION OF 2010 AMENDMENT
Pub. L. 111–211, title II, §251(c), July 29, 2010, 124 Stat. 2298, provided that: "Nothing in this
section [amending this section and section 41507 of this title] or any amendment made by this
section—
"(1) allows the grant to be made to, or used by, an entity for law enforcement activities
that the entity lacks jurisdiction to perform; or
"(2) has any effect other than to authorize, award, or deny a grant of funds to a federally
recognized Indian tribe for the purposes described in the relevant grant program."
[For definition of "Indian tribe" as used in section 251(c) of Pub. L. 111–211, set out above,
see section 203(a) of Pub. L. 111–211, set out as a note under section 2801 of Title 25,
Indians.]

DATA COLLECTION
Pub. L. 115–391, title VI, §610, Dec. 21, 2018, 132 Stat. 5245, provided that:
"(a) National Prisoner Statistics Program.—Beginning not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act [Dec. 21, 2018], and annually thereafter, pursuant to the authority under
section 302 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3732) [now
34 U.S.C. 10132], the Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics, with information that shall be
provided by the Director of the Bureau of Prisons, shall include in the National Prisoner

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Statistics Program the following:
"(1) The number of prisoners (as such term is defined in section 3635 of title 18, United
States Code, as added by section 101(a) of this Act) who are veterans of the Armed Forces of
the United States.
"(2) The number of prisoners who have been placed in solitary confinement at any time
during the previous year.
"(3) The number of female prisoners known by the Bureau of Prisons to be pregnant, as
well as the outcomes of such pregnancies, including information on pregnancies that result in
live birth, stillbirth, miscarriage, abortion, ectopic pregnancy, maternal death, neonatal death,
and preterm birth.
"(4) The number of prisoners who volunteered to participate in a substance abuse
treatment program, and the number of prisoners who have participated in such a program.
"(5) The number of prisoners provided medication-assisted treatment with medication
approved by the Food and Drug Administration while in custody in order to treat substance
use disorder.
"(6) The number of prisoners who were receiving medication-assisted treatment with
medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration prior to the commencement of
their term of imprisonment.
"(7) The number of prisoners who are the parent or guardian of a minor child.
"(8) The number of prisoners who are single, married, or otherwise in a committed
relationship.
"(9) The number of prisoners who have not achieved a GED, high school diploma, or
equivalent prior to entering prison.
"(10) The number of prisoners who, during the previous year, received their GED or other
equivalent certificate while incarcerated.
"(11) The numbers of prisoners for whom English is a second language.
"(12) The number of incidents, during the previous year, in which restraints were used on
a female prisoner during pregnancy, labor, or postpartum recovery, as well as information
relating to the type of restraints used, and the circumstances under which each incident
occurred.
"(13) The vacancy rate for medical and healthcare staff positions, and average length of
such a vacancy.
"(14) The number of facilities that operated, at any time during the previous year, without
at least 1 clinical nurse, certified paramedic, or licensed physician on site.
"(15) The number of facilities that during the previous year were accredited by the
American Correctional Association.
"(16) The number and type of recidivism reduction partnerships described in section 3621
(h)(5) of title 18, United States Code, as added by section 102(a) of this Act, entered into by
each facility.
"(17) The number of facilities with remote learning capabilities.
"(18) The number of facilities that offer prisoners video conferencing.
"(19) Any changes in costs related to legal phone calls and visits following
implementation of section 3632(d)(1) of title 18, United States Code, as added by section 101
(a) of this Act.
"(20) The number of aliens in prison during the previous year.
"(21) For each Bureau of Prisons facility, the total number of violations that resulted in
reductions in rewards, incentives, or time credits, the number of such violations for each
category of violation, and the demographic breakdown of the prisoners who have received
such reductions.
"(22) The number of assaults on Bureau of Prisons staff by prisoners and the number of
criminal prosecutions of prisoners for assaulting Bureau of Prisons staff.
"(23) The capacity of each recidivism reduction program and productive activity to
accommodate eligible inmates at each Bureau of Prisons facility.
"(24) The number of volunteers who were certified to volunteer in a Bureau of Prisons

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facility, broken down by level (level I and level II), and by each Bureau of Prisons facility.
"(25) The number of prisoners enrolled in recidivism reduction programs and productive
activities at each Bureau of Prisons facility, broken down by risk level and by program, and
the number of those enrolled prisoners who successfully completed each program.
"(26) The breakdown of prisoners classified at each risk level by demographic
characteristics, including age, sex, race, and the length of the sentence imposed.
"(b) Report to Judiciary Committees.—Beginning not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act [Dec. 21, 2018], and annually thereafter for a period of 7 years, the
Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics shall submit a report containing the information
described in paragraphs (1) through (26) of subsection (a) to the Committee on the Judiciary of
the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives."

INCLUSION OF HONOR VIOLENCE IN NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMIZATION SURVEY
Pub. L. 113–235, div. B, title II, Dec. 16, 2014, 128 Stat. 2191, provided in part: "That
beginning not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act [div. B of Pub. L. 113–
235, Dec. 16, 2014], as part of each National Crime Victimization Survey, the Attorney General
shall include statistics relating to honor violence".
STUDY OF CRIMES AGAINST SENIORS
Pub. L. 106–534, §5, Nov. 22, 2000, 114 Stat. 2557, provided that:
"(a) In General.—The Attorney General shall conduct a study relating to crimes against
seniors, in order to assist in developing new strategies to prevent and otherwise reduce the
incidence of those crimes.
"(b) Issues Addressed.—The study conducted under this section shall include an analysis
of—
"(1) the nature and type of crimes perpetrated against seniors, with special focus on—
"(A) the most common types of crimes that affect seniors;
"(B) the nature and extent of telemarketing, sweepstakes, and repair fraud against
seniors; and
"(C) the nature and extent of financial and material fraud targeted at seniors;
"(2) the risk factors associated with seniors who have been victimized;
"(3) the manner in which the Federal and State criminal justice systems respond to
crimes against seniors;
"(4) the feasibility of States establishing and maintaining a centralized computer database
on the incidence of crimes against seniors that will promote the uniform identification and
reporting of such crimes;
"(5) the effectiveness of damage awards in court actions and other means by which
seniors receive reimbursement and other damages after fraud has been established; and
"(6) other effective ways to prevent or reduce the occurrence of crimes against seniors."

INCLUSION OF SENIORS IN NATIONAL CRIME VICTIMIZATION SURVEY
Pub. L. 106–534, §6, Nov. 22, 2000, 114 Stat. 2557, provided that: "Beginning not later than 2
years after the date of enactment of this Act [Nov. 22, 2000], as part of each National Crime
Victimization Survey, the Attorney General shall include statistics relating to—
"(1) crimes targeting or disproportionately affecting seniors;
"(2) crime risk factors for seniors, including the times and locations at which crimes
victimizing seniors are most likely to occur; and
"(3) specific characteristics of the victims of crimes who are seniors, including age,
gender, race or ethnicity, and socioeconomic status."

CRIME VICTIMS WITH DISABILITIES AWARENESS
Pub. L. 105–301, Oct. 27, 1998, 112 Stat. 2838, as amended by Pub. L. 106–402, title IV,
§401(b)(10), Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1739, provided that:

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"SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
"This Act may be cited as the 'Crime Victims With Disabilities Awareness Act'.
"SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSES.
"(a) Findings.—Congress finds that—
"(1) although research conducted abroad demonstrates that individuals with
developmental disabilities are at a 4 to 10 times higher risk of becoming crime victims than
those without disabilities, there have been no significant studies on this subject conducted in
the United States;
"(2) in fact, the National Crime Victim's Survey, conducted annually by the Bureau of
Justice Statistics of the Department of Justice, does not specifically collect data relating to
crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities;
"(3) studies in Canada, Australia, and Great Britain consistently show that victims with
developmental disabilities suffer repeated victimization because so few of the crimes against
them are reported, and even when they are, there is sometimes a reluctance by police,
prosecutors, and judges to rely on the testimony of a disabled individual, making individuals
with developmental disabilities a target for criminal predators;
"(4) research in the United States needs to be done to—
"(A) understand the nature and extent of crimes against individuals with
developmental disabilities;
"(B) describe the manner in which the justice system responds to crimes against
individuals with developmental disabilities; and
"(C) identify programs, policies, or laws that hold promises for making the justice
system more responsive to crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities; and
"(5) the National Academy of Science Committee on Law and Justice of the National
Research Council is a premier research institution with unique experience in developing
seminal, multidisciplinary studies to establish a strong research base from which to make
public policy.
"(b) Purposes.—The purposes of this Act are—
"(1) to increase public awareness of the plight of victims of crime who are individuals with
developmental disabilities;
"(2) to collect data to measure the extent of the problem of crimes against individuals with
developmental disabilities; and
"(3) to develop a basis to find new strategies to address the safety and justice needs of
victims of crime who are individuals with developmental disabilities.
"SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY.
"In this Act, the term 'developmental disability' has the meaning given the term in section 102
of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 [42 U.S.C. 15002].
"SEC. 4. STUDY.
"(a) In General.—The Attorney General shall conduct a study to increase knowledge and
information about crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities that will be useful in
developing new strategies to reduce the incidence of crimes against those individuals.
"(b) Issues Addressed.—The study conducted under this section shall address such issues
as—
"(1) the nature and extent of crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities;
"(2) the risk factors associated with victimization of individuals with developmental
disabilities;
"(3) the manner in which the justice system responds to crimes against individuals with
developmental disabilities; and
"(4) the means by which States may establish and maintain a centralized computer
database on the incidence of crimes against individuals with disabilities within a State.
"(c) National Academy of Sciences.—In carrying out this section, the Attorney General shall

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Page 9 of 9

consider contracting with the Committee on Law and Justice of the National Research Council
of the National Academy of Sciences to provide research for the study conducted under this
section.
"(d) Report.—Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act [Oct. 27, 1998],
the Attorney General shall submit to the Committees on the Judiciary of the Senate and the
House of Representatives a report describing the results of the study conducted under this
section.
"SEC. 5. NATIONAL CRIME VICTIM'S SURVEY.
"Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, as part of each National Crime
Victim's Survey, the Attorney General shall include statistics relating to—
"(1) the nature of crimes against individuals with developmental disabilities; and
"(2) the specific characteristics of the victims of those crimes."

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Attachment 3: 2022 PPCS

2022 PPCS QUESTIONNAIRE
A. CONTACT SCREEN QUESTIONS
NOTE: The 2022 PPCS includes a verification section (V_CORRECT through V_ELSE_SP) directly
after the contact screen questions (RPT_CRIME through APPROACHED_BY_POL_SP) where
respondents can update their answers to the contact screen questions. Each contact screen question below
has two different variable names listed, with one beginning with “V_”. A respondent’s original answers to
the contact screen questions are stored in the variables RPT_CRIME through
APPROACHED_BY_POL_SP), and the responses after verification are stored in V_RPT_CRIME
through V_ APPROACHED_BY_POL_SP. These two sets of variables will have the same answers if the
respondent did not make any updates in the verification section. However, the “V_” variables will reflect
the final answers to the contact screen questions based on any changes made in the verification section,
and these variables determine the detailed questions the respondent answers later in the PPCS interview.
Note that the purple “V_” variables after the contact screen variables are not actual questions asked to the
respondent, but the variable in which the answer is stored.
INTRO_1 Now, I would like to ask some questions about any contacts you may have had with the
police. We estimate these questions will take between 4 to 8 minutes depending on your
circumstances. The U.S. Census Bureau is required by law to keep your information confidential.
INTRO_2 This next set of questions focuses on any times you may have contacted the police or the
police initiated contact with you. The term “police” refers to any law enforcement officer.
Most questions that I will be asking refer to a specific time period. During this interview, the time
period is for the past 12 months, that is, from {date fill} to today.
1. RPT_CRIME (V_RPT_CRIME) With these next questions, I’m going to ask you about 5 types of
reasons why you may have contacted the police in the past 12 months. If you contacted the police on
multiple occasions, you can say yes to more than one reason, but please choose the reason that best
fits why you contacted the police on each occasion.
1a. Have you reported any kind of crime, disturbance, or suspicious activity to the police in the past
12 months?
1=Yes
2=No (Skip to 1b)
1a1. RPT_CRIME_TIMES (V_RPT_CRIME_TIMES) How many times did this happen during
the past 12 months?
If 1 Skip to 1a2
If > 1 Skip to 1a3
1a2. RPT_CRIME_FACE (V_RPT_CRIME_FACE) Was this contact a face-to-face (in person)
interaction with police?
1=Yes
2=No (All responses skip to 1b)
1a3. RPT_CRIME_FACENUM (V_RPT_CRIME_FACENUM) How many of these contacts were
face-to-face (in person) interactions with police?
Skip to 1b
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Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS

HARD EDIT CHECK; If 1a3>1a1
You have reported more face-to-face interactions than times you reported any kind of crime, disturbance,
or suspicious activity. Please review entries.
1b. RPT_NONCRIME (V_RPT_NONCRIME) The last question asked about reporting crimes or
suspicious activity. Have you reported an EMERGENCY that was NOT a crime to the police?
These could include medical emergencies, or a traffic accident that you witnessed but were not
involved in.
1=Yes
2=No (Skip to 1c)
1b1. RPT_NONCRIME_TIMES (V_RPT_NONCRIME_TIMES) How many times did this
happen during the past 12 months?
If 1 Skip to 1b2
If > 1 Skip to 1b3

1b2. RPT_NONCRIME_FACE (V_RPT_NONCRIME_FACE) Was this contact a face-to-face (in
person) interaction with police?
1=Yes
2=No (All responses skip to 1c)
1b3. RPT_NONCRIME_FACENUM (V_RPT_NONCRIME_FACENUM) How many of these
contacts were face-to-face (in person) interactions with police?
Skip to 1c
HARD EDIT CHECK; If 1b3>1b1
You have reported more face-to-face interactions than times you reported an emergency that was not a
crime. Please review entries.
1c. RPT_NONEMERG (V_RPT_NONEMERG) In the past 12 months, have you contacted or
approached police for NON-EMERGENCY assistance such as asking directions, custody
enforcement, court orders, or any other non-emergency situation?
1=Yes
2=No (Skip to 1d)
1c1. RPT_NONEMERG_TIMES (V_RPT_NONEMERG_TIMES) How many times did this
happen during the past 12 months?
If 1 Skip to 1c2
If > 1 Skip to 1c3
1c2. RPT_NONEMERG_FACE (V_RPT_NONEMERG_FACE) Was this contact a face-to-face
(in person) interaction with police?
1=Yes
2=No (All responses skip to 1d)

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Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
1c3. RPT_NONEMERG_FACENUM (V_RPT_NONEMERG_FACENUM) How many of these
contacts were face-to-face (in person) interactions with police?
Skip to 1d
HARD EDIT CHECK; If 1c3>1c1
You have reported more face-to-face interactions than times you contacted or approached police for nonemergency assistance. Please review entries.
1d. BLK_WATCH (V_BLK_WATCH) In the past 12 months, have you participated in an
organized neighborhood watch or other anti-crime programs WITH police?
FR Note: Neighborhood watch also refers to block watch or community watch programs.
1=Yes
2=No (Skip to 1e)
1d1. BLK_WATCH_TIMES (V_BLK_WATCH_TIMES) How many times did you participate in
an organized neighborhood watch program with police during the past 12 months?
If 1 Skip to 1d2
If > 1 Skip to 1d3
1d2. BLK_WATCH_FACE (V_BLK_WATCH_FACE) Was this contact a face-to-face (in person)
interaction with police?
1=Yes
2=No (All responses skip to 1e)
1d3. BLK_WATCH_FACENUM (V_BLK_WATCH_FACENUM) How many of these contacts
were face-to-face (in person) interactions with police?
Skip to 1e
HARD EDIT CHECK; If 1d3>1d1
You have reported more face-to-face interactions than times you reported participating in an organized
neighborhood watch program. Please review entries.
1e. TRAFF_ACCID (V_TRAFF_ACCID) In the past 12 months, have you been involved in a traffic
accident in which the police came to the scene?
1=Yes
2=No (Skip to 2)
1e1. TRAFF_ACCID_TIMES (V_TRAFF_ACCID_TIMES) How many times did this happen
during the past 12 months?
____________
1e2. TRAFF_ACCID_ARREST (V_TRAFF_ACCID_ARREST) During [this contact/any of these
contacts], were you arrested?
1=Yes
2=No (All responses skip to 2)
2. USUALLY_DRIVE Before continuing with additional questions about contacts you may
have had with the police, I would like to find out how often you usually drove in the past 12
3

Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
months. Did you drive…
1=Every day or almost every day?
2=A few days a week?
3=A few days a month?
4=A few times a year?
5 = Never?
STOP_MV (V_STOP_MV) Now I’m going to ask you about 4 types of reasons why the police may
have initiated contact with you in the past 12 months. If the police initiated contact with you on
multiple occasions, you can say yes to more than one reason, but please choose the reason that best
fits why police initiated contact with you on each occasion.
1f. Have you been pulled over by the police while driving a motor vehicle, NOT including any
driving violations captured by camera and ticketed by mail?
1=Yes
2=No (Skip to 1g)
HARD EDIT CHECK; If 2=5 and 1f=1
You have reported that you never drove in the past 12 months but have been pulled over by the police
while driving in the past 12 months. Please review entries.
1f1. STOP_MV_TIMES (V_STOP_MV_TIMES) How many times did this happen during the
past 12 months?
_________
1f2. STOP_MV_ARREST (V_STOP_MV_ARREST) During [this contact/any of these contacts],
were you arrested?
1=Yes
2=No (All responses skip to 1g)
1g. STOP_PASS_MV (V_STOP_PASS_MV) Have you been riding in a motor vehicle that was
pulled over by police while someone else was driving?
1=Yes
2=No (Skip to 1h)
1g1. STOP_PASS_MV_TIMES (V_STOP_PASS_MV_TIMES) How many times did this
happen during the past 12 months?
_________
1g2. STOP_PASS_MV_ARREST (V_STOP_PASS_MV_ARREST) During [this contact/any of
these contacts], were you arrested?
1=Yes
2=No (All responses skip to 1h)
1h. STOP_PUBLIC (V_STOP_PUBLIC) In the past 12 months, have you been stopped by the
police while standing, walking, or sitting in a public place or sitting in a parked vehicle? This
could include being stopped because the police were looking for information, were asking about

4

Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
a crime or disturbance, suspected you of something, or if they stopped you for some other
reason.
1=Yes
2=No (Skip to 1i)
1h1. STOP_PUBLIC_TIMES (V_STOP_PUBLIC_TIMES) How many times did this happen
during the past 12 months?
_________
1h2. STOP_PUBLIC_ARREST (V_STOP_PUBLIC_ARREST) During [this contact/any of these
contacts], were you arrested?
1=Yes
2=No (All responses skip to 1i)
1i. ARRESTED (V_ARRESTED) In the past 12 months, have you been arrested during any contact
with the police that you have not told me about yet?
1=Yes
2=No
1j. CONTACT_OTH_REAS Other than what you have already told me about, in the past 12
months, have you contacted the police or did the police initiate contact with you for any other
reason?
1=Yes
2=No (Skip to Check Item B)
1j1. CONTACT_OTH_REAS_TIMES How many times did this happen during the past 12
months?
_______
1k. SOUGHT_HELP (V_SOUGHT_HELP) [Was this contact/Were any of these contacts]
initiated by you?
1=Yes (If 1j1 > 1, skip to 1kl. Else, skip to 1k2)
2=No (Skip to 1l)
1k1. SOUGHT_HELP_TIMES (V_SOUGHT_HELP_TIMES) How many?
If 1 Skip to 1k2
If > 1 Skip to 1k3
1k2. SOUGHT_HELP_FACE (V_SOUGHT_HELP_FACE) Was this contact a face-to-face (in
person) interaction with police?
1=Yes
2=No (All responses skip to 1k4)
1k3. SOUGHT_HELP_FACENUM (V_SOUGHT_HELP_FACENUM) Of those {fill with number
from 1k1} contacts, how many were face-to-face (in person) interactions with police?
________
HARD EDIT CHECK; If 1k3>1k1
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Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
You have reported more face-to-face interactions with police than times you reported initiating contact
with police. Please review entries.
1k4. SOUGHT_HELP_SP (V_SOUGHT_HELP_SP) {(fill if 1k1>1) Thinking only of the most
recent contact,} can you tell me about what happened?
________
CHECK ITEM A
a. (If 1j1 = 1 and 1k = yes) or (if 1j1=1k1), skip to CHECK ITEM B
b. All other responses, Go to 1l
1l. APPROACHED_BY_POL (V_APPROACHED_BY_POL) [Was this contact/Were any of these
contacts/Were any of the other contacts] initiated by the police?
1=Yes (If 1j1 > 1, go to 1l1. Else, skip to 1l2)
2=No (Skip to CHECK ITEM B)
1l1. APPROACHED_BY_POL_TIMES (V_APPROACHED_BY_POL_TIMES)
How many?
_________
1l2. APPROACHED_BY_POL_SP (V_APPROACHED_BY_POL_SP) {(fill if 1l1>1) Thinking
only of the most recent contact,} can you tell me about what happened when the police initiated
contact with you?
_________
CHECK ITEM B
1. How many times did the respondent answer ‘Yes’ to 1a-i, k, l?
None (Skip to END INTERVIEW)
One
(Skip to CHECK ITEM B1)
More than one (Skip to VERIFICATION)
VERIFICATION
If more than one of the following equal 1: 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, 1g, 1h, 1i, 1k, 1l
V1. V_CORRECT You mentioned having several contacts with the police in the past 12 months. I
am going to read you a list of what I have recorded to make sure everything is correct. Each contact
should only be counted once. You said you had the following contacts with the police,
(If 1a=1, display) You reported a crime, disturbance, or suspicious activity to the police, # of
times
(If 1b=1, display) You reported an emergency that was not a crime to the police, # of times
(If 1c=1, display) You contacted or approached the police for non-emergency assistance, # of
times
(If 1d=1, display) You participated in a neighborhood watch WITH police, # of times
(If 1e=1, display) You were involved in a traffic accident in which the police came to the scene, #
of times
(If 1f=1, display) You were stopped by the police while driving a motor vehicle, # of times
(If 1g=1, display) You were riding in a motor vehicle that was stopped by the police, # of times
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Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
(If 1h=1, display) You were stopped by the police in a public place, but not while driving or
riding in a vehicle, # of times
(If 1i=1, display) You were arrested during a contact with police not previously mentioned
(If 1k=1, display) You initiated contact with the police for something else not already mentioned,
# of times
(If 1l=1, display) The police initiated contact with you for something else not already mentioned,
# of times
Is everything that I have correct?
1. Yes (Goto 3)
2. No (Goto V2)
V2. V_NOT_CORRECT What is not correct? (Mark all)
(If 1a=1, display) You reported a crime, disturbance, or suspicious activity to the police, # of times
(If 1b=1, display) You reported an emergency that was not a crime to the police, # of times
(If 1c=1, display) You contacted or approached the police for non-emergency assistance, # of times
(If 1d=1, display) You participated in a neighborhood watch WITH police, # of times
(If 1e=1, display) You were involved in a traffic accident in which the police came to the scene, # of
times
(If 1f=1, display) You were stopped by the police while driving a motor vehicle, # of times
(If 1g=1, display) You were riding in a motor vehicle that was stopped by the police, # of times
(If 1h=1, display) You were stopped by the police in a public place, but not while driving or riding in a
vehicle, # of times
(If 1i=1, display) You were arrested during a contact with police not previously mentioned
(If 1k=1, display) You initiated contact with the police for something else not already mentioned, # of
times
(If 1l=1, display) The police initiated contact with you for something else not already mentioned, # of
times
1. Number of times for a type of contact (Goto V3)
2. Need to remove/unduplicate a type of contact (Goto V4)
3. Need to add a contact (Goto V5)
4. Something else (Goto V6)
V3. V_WRONG_TIMES Which contact or contacts have the wrong number of times reported?
(Mark all)
(If 1a=1, display) You reported a crime, disturbance, or suspicious activity to the police, #
of times (Goto V1a1)
(If 1b=1, display) You reported an emergency that was not a crime to the police, # of times
(Goto V1b1)
(If 1c=1, display) You contacted or approached the police for non-emergency assistance, #
of times (Goto V1c1)
(If 1d=1, display) You participated in a neighborhood watch WITH police # of times, # of
times (Goto V1d1)
(If 1e=1, display) You were involved in a traffic accident in which the police came to the
scene, # of times (Goto V1e1)
(If 1f=1, display) You were stopped by the police while driving a motor vehicle, # of times
(Goto V1f1)
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Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
(If 1g=1, display) You were riding in a motor vehicle that was stopped by the police, # of
times (Goto V1g1)
(If 1h=1, display) You were stopped by the police in a public place, but not while driving or
riding in a vehicle, # of times (Goto V1h1)
(If 1k=1, display) You initiated contact with the police for something else not already
mentioned, # of times (Goto V1k1)
(If 1l=1, display) The police initiated contact with you for something else not already
mentioned, # of times (Goto V1l1)
V1a1. VS_RPT_CRIME_TIMES How many times did you report any kind of crime, disturbance,
or suspicious activity to the police during the past 12 months?
If 1 Skip to V1a2
If > 1 Skip to V1a3
V1a2. VS_RPT_CRIME_FACE Was this contact a face-to-face (in person) interaction with
police?
1=Yes
2=No
If other contact type reported in V3, go to the corresponding V1 screen.
If no other contact type reported in V3, go to Check Item Va.
V1a3. VS_RPT_CRIME_FACENUM How many of these contacts were face-to-face (in person)
interactions with police?
If V1a3>V1a1, go to hard edit.
If other contact type reported in V3, go to the corresponding V1 screen.
If no other contact type reported in V3, go to Check Item Va.
HARD EDIT CHECK; If V1a3>V1a1
You have reported more face-to-face interactions than times you reported any kind of crime, disturbance,
or suspicious activity. Please review entries.
V1b1. VS_RPT_NONCRIME_TIMES How many times did you report an emergency that was
not a crime during the past 12 months?
If 1 Skip to V1b2
If > 1 Skip to V1b3
V1b2. VS_RPT_NONCRIME_FACE Was this contact a face-to-face (in person) interaction with
police?
1=Yes
2=No
If other contact type reported in V3, go to the corresponding V1 screen.
If no other contact type reported in V3, go to Check Item Va.
V1b3. VS_RPT_NONCRIME_FACENUM How many of these contacts were face-to-face (in
person) interactions with police?
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Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS

If V1b3>V1a1, go to hard edit.
If other contact type reported in V3, go to the corresponding V1 screen.
If no other contact type reported in V3, go to Check Item Va.
HARD EDIT CHECK; If V1b3>V1b1
You have reported more face-to-face interactions than times you reported an emergency that was not a
crime. Please review entries.
V1c1. VS_RPT_NONEMERG_TIMES How many times did you contact or approach the police
for non-emergency assistance during the past 12 months?
If 1 Skip to V1c2
If > 1 Skip to V1c3
V1c2. VS_RPT_NONEMERG_FACE Was this contact a face-to-face (in person) interaction with
police?
1=Yes
2=No
If other contact type reported in V3, go to the corresponding V1 screen.
If no other contact type reported in V3, go to Check Item Va.
V1c3. VS_RPT_NONEMERG_FACENUM How many of these contacts were face-to-face (in
person) interactions with police?
If V1c3>V1c1, go to hard edit check.
If other contact type reported in V3, go to the corresponding V1 screen.
If no other contact type reported in V3, go to Check Item Va.
HARD EDIT CHECK; If V1c3>V1c1
You have reported more face-to-face interactions than times you contacted or approached police for nonemergency assistance. Please review entries.

V1d1. VS_BLK_WATCH_TIMES How many times did you participate in a neighborhood watch
with police during the past 12 months?
If 1 Skip to V1d2
If > 1 Skip to V1d3
V1d2. VS_BLK_WATCH_FACE Was this contact a face-to-face (in person) interaction with
police?
1=Yes
2=No
If other contact type reported in V3, go to the corresponding V1 screen.
If no other contact type reported in V3, go to Check Item Va.
V1d3. VS_BLK_WATCH_FACENUM How many of these contacts were face-to-face (in person)
interactions with police?

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Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
If V1d3>V1d1, go to hard edit.
If other contact type reported in V3, go to the corresponding V1 screen.
If no other contact type reported in V3, go to Check Item Va.
HARD EDIT CHECK; If V1d3>V1d1
You have reported more face-to-face interactions than times you reported participating in an organized
neighborhood watch program. Please review entries.

V1e1. VS_TRAFF_ACCID_TIMES How many times were you involved in a traffic accident in
which police came to the scene during the past 12 months?
____________
V1e2. VS_TRAFF_ACCID_ARREST During [this contact/any of these contacts], were you
arrested?
1=Yes
2=No
If other contact type reported in V3, go to the corresponding V1 screen.
If no other contact type reported in V3, go to Check Item Va.
V1f1. VS_STOP_MV_TIMES How many times were you stopped by the police while driving a
motor vehicle during the past 12 months?
_________
V1f2. VS_STOP_MV_ARREST During [this contact/any of these contacts], were you arrested?
1=Yes
2=No
If other contact type reported in V3, go to the corresponding V1 screen.
If no other contact type reported in V3, go to Check Item Va.
V1g1. VS_STOP_PASS_MV_TIMES How many times were you riding in a motor vehicle that
was stopped by the police during the past 12 months?
_________
V1g2. VS_STOP_PASS_MV_ARREST During [this contact/any of these contacts], were you
arrested?
1=Yes
2=No
If other contact type reported in V3, go to the corresponding V1 screen.
If no other contact type reported in V3, go to Check Item Va.
V1h1. VS_STOP_PUBLIC_TIMES How many times were you stopped by the police in a public
place, but not while driving or riding in a vehicle, during the past 12 months?
_________
V1h2. VS_STOP_PUBLIC_ARREST During [this contact/any of these contacts], were you
arrested?
1=Yes
2=No
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Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
If other contact type reported in V3, go to the corresponding V1 screen.
If no other contact type reported in V3, go to Check Item Va.
V1k1. VS_SOUGHT_HELP_TIMES How many times did you initiate contact with
the police for something else not already mentioned?
If 1 Skip to V1k2
If > 1 Skip to V1k3
V1k2. VS_SOUGHT_HELP_FACE Was this contact a face-to-face (in person) interaction with
police?
1=Yes
2=No (All responses skip to V1k4)
V1k3. VS_SOUGHT_HELP_FACENUM How many were face-to-face (in person) interactions
with police?
________ (Goto V1k4)
V1k4. VS_SOUGHT_HELP_SP {(fill if 1k1>1) Thinking only of the most recent contact,} can you
tell me about what happened?
________
If other contact type reported in V3, go to the corresponding V1 screen.
If no other contact type reported in V3, go to Check Item Va.
V1l1. VS_APPROACHED_BY_POL_TIMES How many times did the police initiate
contact with you for something else not already mentioned?
_________
V1l2. VS_APPROACHED_BY_POL_SP {(fill if 1l1>1) Thinking only of the most recent contact,}
can you tell me about what happened when the police initiated contact with you?
_________

CHECK ITEM Va
If V2=2, go to V4.
If V2=3, go to V5.
If V2=4, go to V6.
Else, go to the appropriate INTRO screen
V4. V_REMOVE Which type of contact or contacts do you need to remove? (Mark all)
(If 1a=1, display) You reported a crime, disturbance, or suspicious activity to the police
(If 1b=1, display) You reported an emergency that was not a crime to the police
(If 1c=1, display) You contacted or approached the police for non-emergency assistance
(If 1d=1, display) You participated in a neighborhood watch WITH police
(If 1e=1, display) You were involved in a traffic accident in which the police came to the
scene
(If 1f=1, display) You were stopped by the police while driving a motor vehicle
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Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
(If 1g=1, display) You were iding in a motor vehicle that was stopped by the police
(If 1h=1, display) You were stopped by the police in a public place, but not while driving or
riding in a vehicle
(If 1i=1, display) You were arrested during a contact with police not previously mentioned
(If 1k=1, display) You initiated contact with the police for something else not already
mentioned
(If 1l=1, display) The police initiated contact with you for something else not already
mentioned
CHECK ITEM Vb
If V2=3, go to V5.
If V2=4, go to V6.
Else, go to the appropriate INTRO screen.
V5. V_ADD What type of contact or contacts do you need to add? (Only display ones that haven’t
been reported)
(If 1a=2, display) You reported a crime, disturbance, or suspicious activity to the police
(Goto V1a1)
(If 1b=2, display) You reported an emergency that was not a crime to the police (Goto
V1b1)
(If 1c=2, display) You contacted or approached the police for non-emergency assistance
(Goto V1c1)
(If 1d=2, display) You participated in a neighborhood watch WITH police (Goto V1d1)
(If 1e=2, display) You were involved in a traffic accident in which the police came to the
scene (Goto V1e1)
(If 1f=2, display) You were stopped by the police while driving a motor vehicle (Goto V1f1)
(If 1g=2, display) You were riding in a motor vehicle that was stopped by the police (Goto
V1g1)
(If 1h=2, display) You were stopped by the police in a public place, but not while driving or
riding in a vehicle (Goto V1h1)
(If 1i=2, display) You were arrested during a contact with police not previously mentioned
(Goto Check Item Vc)
(If 1k=2, display) You initiated contact with the police for something else not already
mentioned (Goto V1k1)
((If 1l=2, display) The police initiated contact with you for something else not already
mentioned (Goto V1l1)
CHECK ITEM Vc
If V2=4, go to V6.
Else, go to the appropriate INTRO screen.
V6. V_ELSE_SP What is not correct?
______________
CHECK ITEM Vd
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Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
If multiple contacts reported/remain and V_NOT_CORRECT ne 1, 2, 3, go to
SQ_MULT_CONTACTS_WPOL
Else go to CONTACT_MONTH.
CHECK ITEM B1:
a. If 1a = Yes, Skip to Section B, VOLUNTARY INTRO
b. If 1b = Yes, Skip to Section B, VOLUNTARY INTRO
c. If 1c = Yes, Skip to Section B, VOLUNTARY INTRO
d. If 1d = Yes, Skip to Section B, BLOCK WATCH INTRO
e. If 1e = Yes, Skip to Section B, ACCIDENT/OTHER INVOLUNTARY CONTACT INTRO
f. If 1f = Yes, Skip to Section B, TRAFFIC STOP DRIVER INTRO
g. If 1g = Yes, Skip to Section B, TRAFFIC STOP PASSENGER INTRO
h. If 1h = Yes, Skip to Section B, STREET STOP INTRO
i. If 1i = Yes, Skip to Section B, ARRESTED INTRO
j. If 1k = Yes, Skip to Section B, VOLUNTARY INTRO
k. If 1l = Yes, Skip to Section B, ACCIDENT/OTHER INVOLUNTARY CONTACT INTRO
3. SQ_MULT_CONTACTS_WPOL We just talked about several contacts with the police. Which of
these was the most recent?
1=You reported a crime, disturbance, or suspicious activity to the police
2=You reported an emergency that was not a crime to the police
3=You contacted or approached the police for non-emergency assistance
4=You participated in a neighborhood watch WITH police
5=You were involved in a traffic accident in which the police came to the scene
6=You were stopped by the police while driving a motor vehicle
7=You were riding in a motor vehicle that was stopped by the police
8=You were stopped by the police in a public place, but not while driving or riding in a
vehicle
9=You were arrested during a contact with police not previously mentioned
10=You initiated contact with the police for something else not already mentioned
11=The police initiated contact with you for something else not already mentioned
CHECK ITEM B2: What was the most recent contact the respondent reported?
a. If 3=1. Skip to Section B INTRO 1a, then read VOLUNTARY INTRO
b. If 3=2. Skip to Section B INTRO 1a, then read VOLUNTARY INTRO
c. If 3=3. Skip to Section B INTRO 1a, then read VOLUNTARY INTRO
d. If 3=4. Skip to Section B INTRO 1a, then read BLOCK WATCH INTRO
e. If 3=5. Skip to Section B INTRO 1a, then read ACCIDENT/OTHER INVOLUNTARY
CONTACT INTRO
f. If 3=6. Skip to Section B INTRO 1a, then read TRAFFIC STOP DRIVER INTRO
g. If 3=7. Skip to Section B INTRO 1a, then read TRAFFIC STOP PASSENGER INTRO
h. If 3=8. Skip to Section B INTRO 1a, then read STREET STOP INTRO
i. If 3=9. Skip to Section B INTRO 1a, then read ARRESTED INTRO
j. If 3=10. Skip to Section B INTRO 1a, then read VOLUNTARY INTRO
k. If 3=11, Skip to Section B INTRO 1a, then read ACCIDENT/OTHER INVOLUNTARY
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Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
CONTACT INTRO
B. MOST RECENT CONTACT
READ INTRO 1A ONLY IF MORE THAN ONE CONTACT WAS REPORTED IN 1, OR IF
MORE THAN ONE OF THE SAME CONTACT WAS REPORTED IN 1a-1l.
INTRO 1a (If more than 1 contact or type of contact was reported): For the remainder of the
interview, unless I say otherwise, please tell me ONLY about the MOST RECENT contact you
had with the police.
STREET INTRO (If B1=h or 3=8): Now, I’m going to ask you some questions about the nature of
the contact and the officer or officers who stopped you when you were in a public place but not
driving or riding in a vehicle.
TRAFFIC STOP DRIVER INTRO (If B1=f or 3=6): Now, I’m going to ask you some questions
about the nature of the stop, the officer or officers who stopped you, and about why you were
stopped while driving a motor vehicle.
TRAFFIC STOP PASSENGER INTRO (If B1=g or 3=7): Now, I’m going to ask you some questions
about the nature of and reason for the stop, and about the officer or officers who pulled over the
vehicle you were riding in.
ACCIDENT/OTHER INVOLUNTARY INTRO (If B1=e or k, or, 3=5 or 11): Now I’m going to ask
you some questions about your interaction with police during this contact.
ARRESTED INTRO (If B1=i or 3=9): Now I’m going to ask you some questions about your
interactions with police in which you were arrested.
VOLUNTARY INTRO (If B1=a, b, c, j or 3=1, 2, 3, 10): Now I’m going to ask you some questions
about the time you contacted the police.
BLOCK WATCH INTRO (If B1=d or 3=4): Now I’m going to ask you about the time you
participated in an organized neighborhood watch.
3a. CONTACT_MONTH During what month and year did that contact occur?
Encourage respondent to give exact month.
Reference period: ^BEGREFMOPPCS 2019 through ^ENDREFMOPPCS 2020
1=January
2=February
3=March
4=April
5=May
6=June
7=July
8=August
9=September
10=October
11=November
12=December
14

Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
96= Outside the reference period
97=Don’t know exact month within reference period

SOFT EDIT CHECK; 3a=96
Verify with respondent that the date is outside the 12 month reference period. If another reported
contact is within the reference period, select SQ_MULT_CONTACTS_WPOL below and click 'GoTo'.
3b. CONTACT_YEAR Did you mean [MONTH] 2019, or [MONTH] 2020?
1=2019
2=2020
CHECK ITEM B2x:
If most recent contact was block watch (B1=d or 3=4), then skip to Check Item B3. Else, go to 4.
4. CONTACT_TIME About what time of day did this contact occur?
[If R says “during the day,”] Would you say it occurred between 6 a.m. and 12 noon, or between 12 noon
and 6 p.m.?
[If R says “at night,”] Would you say it occurred between 6 p.m. and 12 midnight, or between 12
midnight and 6 a.m.?
During day
1=After 6 a.m. – 12 noon
2=After 12 noon – 6 p.m.
3=Don’t know what time of day
At night
4=After 6 p.m. – 12 midnight
5=After 12 midnight – 6 a.m.
6=Don’t know what time of night
OR
7=Don’t know whether day or night
5. CONTACT_LENGTH About how many minutes would you say this contact lasted?
FR note: If respondent is unsure, ask for best estimate.
11=1-5 minutes
12=6-10 minutes
13=11-15 minutes
14=16-20 minutes
15=21-30 minutes
16=31-45 minutes
17=46-60 minutes (more than 45 minutes to an hour)
18=61-90 minutes (more than an hour to 1 1/2 hours)
19=91-120 minutes (more than 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours)
20=More than 120 minutes (more than 2 hours)
6. CONTACT_APPROP_AMOUNT Would you say the police spent an appropriate amount of
time with you?
[If R says “no”] Would you say the police spent too much time or too little time with you?
1=Yes
2=No, too much time
3=No, too little time
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Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
4=Don’t know
CHECK ITEM B3: What was the only or most recent contact the respondent reported?
a. If CHECK ITEM B1 or B2 = a. Skip to Section G. OUTCOME OF VOLUNTARY
CONTACTS
b. If CHECK ITEM B1 or B2 = b. Skip to Section G. OUTCOME OF VOLUNTARY
CONTACTS
c. If CHECK ITEM B1 or B2 = c. Skip to Section G. OUTCOME OF VOLUNTARY
CONTACTS
d. If CHECK ITEM B1 or B2 = d. Skip to Check Item K
e. If CHECK ITEM B1 or B2 = e. Skip to 27 in Section F. OUTCOME OF STOP
f. If CHECK ITEM B1 or B2 = f. Skip to Section D. CHARACTERISTICS OF TRAFFIC STOP
g. If CHECK ITEM B1 or B2 = g. Skip to 13 in Section D. CHARACTERISTICS OF TRAFFIC
STOP
h. If CHECK ITEM B1 or B2 = h. Skip to Section C. CHARACTERISTICS OF STREET STOP
i. If CHECK ITEM B1 or B2 = i. Skip to ARREST INTRO 1 in Section F. OUTCOME OF
STOP
j. If CHECK ITEM B1 or B2 = j. Skip to Section G. OUTCOME OF VOLUNTARY
CONTACTS
k. If CHECK ITEM B1 or B2 = k, Skip to 27 in Section F. OUTCOME OF STOP
C. CHARACTERISTICS OF STREET STOP
7. STRT_OTHERS_PRESENT Was anyone else with you at the time of the stop? Please
remember to include babies or small children.
1=Yes
2=No (Skip to 9)
8. STRT_NUM_PRESENT How many other people were with you at the time of the stop?
________ number of persons
9. STRT_REASON_STOP Did the police give a reason for stopping you?
1=Yes
2=No (Skip to 11)
STRT_REASON_SUSPECT With this next question, I’m going to read a list of [[if 7=2, fill “6”; if 7
ne 2, fill “8”] possible reasons that an officer may have given for stopping you. You can say yes to
more than one reason but please choose ones that best fit the reason or reasons the officer(s) gave
you during your most recent contact with police.
Did the police…
10a. say they suspected you of something?
1=Yes
2=No
10b. STRT_REASON_MTCH_DESCRIP say you matched the description of someone they
were looking for?
1=Yes
2=No

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Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
STRT_REASON_SEEK_INFO Were the police...
10c. seeking information about another person?
1=Yes
2=No
10d. STRT_REASON_INVSTGT_CRIME investigating a crime?
1=Yes
2=No
10e. STRT_REASON_PROVD_ASSIST providing a service or assistance to you?
1=Yes
2=No
CHECK ITEM C: Was the respondent alone at the time of the stop?
If Yes, Skip to 10h (7 = NO)
If No, Go to 10f (7 = YES)
10f. STRT_REASON_OTH_MATCH_DES Did someone you were with match the description
of someone the police were looking for?
1=Yes
2=No
10g. STRT_REASON_OTH_SUSPECT Was someone you were with suspected of
something?
1=Yes
2=No
10h.

STRT_REASON_OTHER Was there some other reason?
1=Yes (Go to STRT_REASON_OTHER_SPEC)
2=No
STRT_REASON_OTHER_SPEC 10h_specify. What was the other reason?
_______________

11. STRT_STOP_WARRANTED Would you say the police had a legitimate reason for stopping
you?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t Know (All responses skip to 17 (Officer Characteristics))
D. CHARACTERISTICS OF TRAFFIC STOP
12. TRFC_OTHERS_IN_CAR Was anyone else in the vehicle with you at the time of the traffic
stop? Please remember to include babies and small children.
1=Yes
2=No (Skip to 14)

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Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
13. TRFC_NUM_IN_CAR How many people OTHER than you were in the vehicle at the time of
the traffic stop? [read if passenger (CHECK ITEM B1 or 3=7): Please remember to include the driver,
babies and small children.]
_________ number of persons
14. TRFSTP_REASON_STOP Did the police give a reason for stopping the vehicle?
1=Yes
2=No (Skip to 16)
3=Don’t Know (Skip to 16)
TRFSTP_REASON_SPEED With this next question, I’m going to read a list of 11 possible reasons
that an officer may have given for stopping you. You can say yes to more than one reason but
please choose ones that best fit the reason or reasons the officer(s) gave you during your most
recent contact with police.
15. Were you stopped for…
a. Speeding?
1=Yes
2=No
b. TRFSTP_REASON_RECKLESS Aggressive or reckless driving?
1=Yes
2=No
c. TRFSTP_REASON_DEFECT Vehicle defect like headlight or tail light out, window
tinting, or obstructed plates?
1=Yes
2=No
d. TRFSTP_REASON_RECORD_CHK Issues with or check of driver’s license, license
plate, or vehicle registration?
1=Yes
2=No
e. TRFSTP_REASON_ROADSIDE_CHK Roadside check for drunk drivers?
1=Yes
2=No
f. TRFSTP_REASON_SEATBELT Seatbelt violation?
1=Yes
2=No
g. TRFSTP_REASON_ILLEGAL_LANE Illegal turn or improper lane change?
1=Yes
2=No
h. TRFSTP_REASON_STOP_SIGN Stop sign or stop light violation?
1=Yes
2=No
i. TRFSTP_REASON_CELLPHONE Using a cell phone while driving, including talking or
texting?
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Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
1=Yes
2=No
j. TRFSTP_REASON_INVESTIGATION Police conducting an investigation or suspicious
activity?
1=Yes
2=No
k. TRFSTP_OTHER_REASON Some other reason?
1=Yes
2=No
TRFSTP_OTHER_REASON_SP [If 15k=1] What was the other reason?
___________
16. TRFSTP_STOP_WARRANTED Would you say the police had a legitimate reason for stopping
you?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t Know (All responses skip to 17 (Officer Characteristics))

19

Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
E. OFFICER CHARACTERISTICS
17. OFFICERS_PRESENT_NUM How many officers were present at the beginning of the stop?
1=One officer
2=Two officers (Skip to 21)
3=More than two officers (Skip to 21)
4=Don’t know (Skip to OUTCOME INTRO)
18. OFFICER_SEX Was the police officer male or female?
1=Male
2=Female
3=Don’t Know
19. OFFICER_HISPANIC Was the police officer of Hispanic or Latino origin?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t Know
20. OFFICER_RACE What race or races was the police officer? You may select more than one.
Was the officer…
1=White?
2=Black or African American?
3=American Indian or Alaska Native?
4=Asian?
5=Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander?
6=Don’t know (All responses skip to OUTCOME INTRO)
21. OFFICERS_SEX Were the police officers male or female?
1=All male (Skip to 23)
2=All female (Skip to 23)
3=Both male and female (If 17=2, skip to 23, else, skip to 22)
4=Don’t know (skip to 23)
22. OFFICERS_SEX_MAJORITY Were most of the police officers male or female?
1=Most were male
2=Most were female
3=Evenly divided
4=Don’t know
23. OFFICERS_HISPANIC Was one or more of the police officers of Hispanic or Latino origin?
1=Yes
2=No (Skip to 25)
3=Don’t know (Skip to 25)
24. OFFICERS_HISPANIC_MAJORITY Were most of the officers Hispanic, non-Hispanic, or an
equal number of Hispanic and non-Hispanic?
1=Most were Hispanic or Latino
2=Most were non-Hispanic
3=Equal number of Hispanic and non-Hispanic
4=Don’t know
20

Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
25. OFFICERS_RACE What race or races were the officers? You may select more than one. Were
they… (enter all that apply)
1=White?
2=Black or African American?
3=American Indian or Alaska Native?
4=Asian?
5=Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander?
6=Don’t know
CHECK ITEM D.
Is more than one box marked in 25?
If Yes, Ask 26
If No, Skip to OUTCOME INTRO
26. OFFICERS_RACE_MAJORITY What race were most of the officers? Were most of the
officers…
1=White?
2=Black or African American?
3=American Indian or Alaska Native?
4=Asian?
5=Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander?
6=Equal number of each race
7=Don’t know (All responses go to OUTCOME INTRO)
F. OUTCOME OF STOP
OUTCOME INTRO (If street or traffic stop):
Now I’m going to ask you some questions about the outcome of your most recent stop and
your interaction with police.
27. OUTCM_GIVEN_TICKET During this contact were you given a ticket? Please do not include
any verbal or written warnings given to you by the police.
1=Yes
2=No (Skip to 29)
3=Don’t know (Skip to 29)
28. OUTCM_TICKET_REASON_SAME Were you ticketed for the same thing that you were
stopped for, or for something different?
1=The same thing
2=Something different
29. OUTCM_VERBAL_WARNING Were you given…
a. a verbal warning?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know

21

Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
b. OUTCM_WRITTEN_WARNING a written warning?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
CHECK ITEM E:
STREET STOP PATH: Was the respondent involved in more than one street stop during the prior 12
months and was the respondent arrested during a street stop?
If Yes, skip to 30
If No, skip to 31
TRAFFIC STOP PATH: Was the respondent involved in more than one traffic stop during the prior 12
months and was the respondent arrested during a traffic stop?
If Yes, skip to 30
If No, skip to 31
ACCIDENT/OTHER INVOLUNTARY PATH: Was the respondent involved in more than one
traffic accident during the prior 12 months and was the respondent arrested during contact
involving a traffic accident?
If Yes, skip to 30
If No, skip to 31
30. OUTCM_ARRESTED You reported earlier that you were arrested during a contact with the
police. Were you arrested during this most recent contact?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
ARREST INTRO 1 (If CHECK ITEM B1 or B2 = I (3=9):
I’m going to ask you some questions about your interactions with police during your most recent
contact with police in which you were arrested.
31. OUTCM_CONDUCT_PS At any time during this contact, did the police search you, frisk you,
or pat you down?
1=Yes
2=No (Skip to CHECK ITEM F)
3=Don’t know (Skip to CHECK ITEM F)
32. OUTCM_CAUSE_FOR_PS Do you think the police had a legitimate reason to search you, frisk
you, or pat you down?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
CHECK ITEM F:
Was the most recent contact a traffic stop or traffic accident? ((1e = 1 or 1f = 1 or 1g = 1) and
CHECK ITEM B = one) OR (3 = 5 or 6 or 7)
If Yes, go to 33
If No, skip to CHECK ITEM G

22

Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
33. OUTCM_CONDUCT_VS At any time during the contact, did the police conduct a vehicle
search?
1=Yes
2=No (Skip to CHECK ITEM G)
3=Don’t know (Skip to CHECK ITEM G)
34. OUTCM_CAUSE_FOR_VS Do you think the police had a legitimate reason to search the
vehicle?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
CHECK ITEM G:
Did the police search the respondent or the vehicle? (31 = Yes OR 33 = Yes)?
If Yes, go to 35
If No, skip to 37
35. OUTCM_FIND_ILLEGAL_ITEMS During the search, did the police find any illegal items,
such as a weapon, drugs, or an open container of alcohol?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
CHECK ITEM H:
ACCIDENT/OTHER INVOLUNTARY PATH: Was the respondent arrested and a search of vehicle or
respondent performed? ((31 = Yes OR 33 = Yes) and 30 = Yes) OR ((31 = Yes OR 33 = Yes) and 1e1=1
and 1e2 = Yes))
If Yes, go to 36
If No, skip to 37
STREET STOP PATH: Was the respondent arrested and personally searched? (31 = Yes and 30 = Yes)
OR (31 = Yes and 1h1=1 and 1h2 = Yes)
If Yes, go to 36
If No, skip to 37
TRAFFIC STOP PATH: Was the respondent arrested and a search of vehicle or respondent performed?
((31 = Yes OR 33 = Yes) and 30 = Yes) OR ((31 = Yes OR 33 = Yes) and 1f1=1 and 1f2 = Yes)) OR
((31 = Yes OR 33 = Yes) and 1g1=1 and 1g2 = Yes))?
If Yes, go to 36
If No, skip to 37
ARREST PATH: Was the respondent arrested and a search of vehicle or respondent performed? ((30
= Yes or 1i = Yes) and (31 = Yes or 33= Yes))
If Yes, go to 36
If No, skip to 37
36. OUTCM_SEARCH_B4_ARREST Earlier you said that you were arrested during the stop. Did
the search occur before you were arrested?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
23

Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
37. OUTCM_POLICE_SHOUT At any point during the contact, did the police do any of the
following:
a. Shout at you?
1=Yes
2=No
b. OUTCM_POLICE_CURSE Curse at you?
1=Yes
2=No
c. OUTCM_POLICE_ARREST Threaten to arrest you?
1=Yes
2=No
d. OUTCM_POLICE_TICKET Threaten you with a ticket (or other tickets)?
1=Yes
2=No
e. OUTCM_POLICE_THREATEN Threaten to use force against you?
1=Yes
2=No
f. OUTCM_POLICE_GRAB Push or grab you?
1=Yes
2=No
g. OUTCM_POLICE_HANDCUFF Handcuff you?
1=Yes
2=No
h. OUTCM_POLICE_KICK Kick or hit you?
1=Yes
2=No
i. OUTCM_POLICE_SPRAY Spray you with a chemical or pepper spray?
1=Yes
2=No
j. OUTCM_POLICE_STUNGUN Use an electroshock weapon against you, such as a
stun gun?
1=Yes
2=No
k. OUTCM_POLICE_GUN Point or fire a gun at you?
1=Yes
2=No
l. OUTCM_POLICE_OTH_FORCE Use any other type of force?
1=Yes
2=No
OUTCM_POLICE_FORCE_SP [If 37l=1] What other type of force did the police use?
__________
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Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
CHECK ITEM I:
Is there at least one ‘Yes’ response in 37a-l?
If Yes, go to 38
If No, skip to 40
38. OUTCM_ACTIONS_NECESSARY You mentioned that the police [read categories marked yes
in 37]. Do you feel (this action was/these actions were) necessary?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
39. OUTCM_FORCE_EXCESSIVE Do you feel any of the actions used against you were excessive?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
40. OUTCM_RESP_DISOBEY At any time during this contact, did you …
a. Disobey or interfere with the officer(s)?
1=Yes
2=No
b. OUTCM_RESP_GETAWAY Try to get away?
1=Yes
2=No
c. OUTCM_RESP_PUSH Push, grab, or hit the police officer(s)?
1=Yes
2=No
d. OUTCM_RESP_RESIST Resist being handcuffed, arrested, or searched?
1=Yes
2=No
e. OUTCM_RESP_COMPLAIN Complain to the officer(s)?
1=Yes
2=No
f. OUTCM_RESP_ARGUE Argue with the police officer(s)?
1=Yes
2=No
g. OUTCM_POLICE_CURSE Curse at, insult, or verbally threaten police officer(s)?
1=Yes
2=No
h. OUTCM_RESP_OTHER Physically do anything else?
1=Yes
2=No (Skip to INTRO FOR ALL EXCEPT BLOCK WATCH)_
OUTCM_RESP_OTHER_SP [If 40h=1] What else did you physically do?
(All responses skip to INTRO FOR ALL EXCEPT BLOCK WATCH)_

25

Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS

G. OUTCOME OF VOLUNTARY CONTACTS
41. VOL_HOW_CONTACT_POL How did you contact the police?
1= Called the police (this includes calls made to 911, 311, a sheriff’s office or any other type of
law enforcement)
2=Went to police station
3=Security alarm contacted police
4=Someone else contacted the police for me
5=Approached an officer in a public place
6=Other – Specify
7=Don’t remember
VOL_HOW_CONTACT_POL_SP [If 41=6] Please specify the other method used to contact
police.
___________
42. VOL_POL_PROMPT Did the police respond right away to your request?
1=Yes
2=No
43. VOL_SITUATION_IMPROVE Did the situation improve after you contacted the police?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
44. VOL_SATISFY_POLICE_RESP Were you satisfied with the police response during your most
recent contact?
1=Yes
2=No
45. VOL_CONTACT_POL_FUTURE Would you be more likely, less likely, or just as likely to
contact the police in the future?
1=More likely to contact
2=Less likely to contact
3=Just as likely to contact
4=Don’t know
H. FINAL QUESTIONS
INTRO FOR ALL EXCEPT BLOCK WATCH:
Now, just a few questions about the characteristics of your (most recent) contact with the police
and how you felt about the police during that contact.
46. POLBEHV_POL_ACT_PROPERLY Looking back on this contact, do you feel the police
behaved properly?
1=Yes (Skip to CHECK ITEM J)
2=No
3=Don’t know (Skip to CHECK ITEM J)
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Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS

47. POLBEHV_SLUR At any point during this contact, did the police...
a. Refer to you using a slur or call you a degrading name?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
b. POLBEHV_COMMENT Make a sexual comment to you?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
c. POLBEHV_TOUCH Touch you in a sexual way or have any physical contact with you
that was sexual in nature?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
48. POLBEHV_BIAS_RACE Do you feel that any of the police behaviors during this contact were

motivated by prejudice or bias against you, due to…
a. your actual or perceived race or ethnicity?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
b. POLBEHV_BIAS_SEX your actual or perceived gender or sexual orientation?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
c. POLBEHV_BIAS_RELIGION your actual or perceived religion?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
d. POLBEHV_DISABILITY your actual or perceived disability?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
49. POLBEHV_FILE_COMPLAINT Did you file a complaint against the police?
1=Yes
2=No (Skip to CHECK ITEM J)
50. POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_FILED_WHOM Who did you file the complaint with?
FR Note: A citizen review board is an independent agency set up to investigate citizen complaints about
improper police conduct
1=The police
2=Citizen review board
3=Other – specify
27

Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS
4=Don’t know
POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_FILED_WHOM_SP [If 50=3] Please specify who you contacted to
file the complaint.
51. POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_FILED_OUTCOME What is the current status of your complaint?
1=Still in progress
2=Withdrawn
3=Dismissed, the claim was said to be unsupported or there was insufficient evidence to make a
determination
4=The officer(s) were cleared of any wrongdoing
5=The officer(s)’s actions were found to be improper
6=Don’t know (Skip to CHECK ITEM J)
52. POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_FILED_SATISFY How satisfied are you with how the complaint [is
being/was] handled? Are you very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very
dissatisfied?
1=Very satisfied
2=Somewhat satisfied
3=Somewhat dissatisfied
4=Very dissatisfied
CHECK ITEM J: Was the respondent’s only or most recent contact with police in the prior 12 months
to report a crime, disturbance, suspicious person, non-crime emergency to the police, contact the
police for non-emergency assistance, or seek help from the police for something not mentioned; AND
was the respondent’s only or most recent contact with the police in the prior 12 months face-to-face (in
person)?
If Yes, go to 53
If No, skip to CHECK ITEM K
53. USE_FORCE During [this contact/your most recent contact] with police, did the police…
a. USE force against you?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
b. THREATEN_FORCE THREATEN TO USE force against you?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
CHECK ITEM K: Did the respondent have more than one contact with police during the prior 12
months (CHECK ITEM B > 1 OR any 1a1>1, 1b1>1, 1c1>1, 1e1>1, 1f1>1, 1g1>1, 1h1>1, 1k1>1,
1l1>1)?
Yes → Ask Q54
No → Skip to CHECK ITEM L
54. EARLIER_USE_FORCE During any of your EARLIER contacts with police in the last 12
months, did the police…
28

Attachment 3: 2020 PPCS

a. USE force against you?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
b. EARLIER_THREATEN_FORCE THREATEN TO USE force against you?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
55. POLBEHV_EARLIER_SLUR During any of your EARLIER contacts with police in the last
12 months, did the police…
a. Refer to you using a slur or call you a degrading name?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
b. POLBEHV_EARLIER_COMMENT Make a sexual comment to you?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
c. POLBEHV_EARLIER_TOUCH Touch you in a sexual way or have any physical contact
with you that was sexual in nature?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
56. POLBEHV_EARLIER_COMPLAINT Did you file a complaint against the police?
1=Yes
2=No
CHECK ITEM L:
Was the respondent arrested during the prior 12 months?
If Yes, go to 57
If No, END INTERVIEW
57. TOTAL_TIMES_ARRESTED How many total times were you arrested during the prior 12
months?
__________ times

END INTERVIEW

29

Attachment 4: Selected Nonfederal Publications Citing Data from the PPCS
2011
Higgins, G. E., Jennings, W. G., Jordan, K. L., & Gabbidon, S. L. (2011). Racial profiling in decisions to
search: A preliminary analysis using propensity-score matching. International Journal of Police Science &
Management, 13(4), 336-347.
2012
Beverlin, M. (2012). Symbolic representation in police traffic stops. Journal of ethnicity in Criminal
Justice, 10(1), 41-70.
Cochran, J. C., & Warren, P. Y. (2012). Racial, ethnic, and gender differences in perceptions of the police:
The salience of officer race within the context of racial profiling. Journal of Contemporary Criminal
Justice, 28(2), 206-227.
Gau, J. M., & Brunson, R. K. (2012). “One question before you get gone...” Consent search requests as a
threat to perceived stop legitimacy. Race and Justice, 2(4), 250-273.
2013
Briggs, J. S. (2013). Routine Justice: The intersection of race, gender and police discretion in traffic stops.
[Doctoral Dissertation], Kansas State University.
Gau, J. M. (2013). Consent searches as a threat to procedural justice and police legitimacy: An analysis of
consent requests during traffic stops. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 24(6), 759-777.
Gibbs, J. C., & Ahlin, E. M. (2013). The relationship between fairness and police-citizen hostility. JIJIS, 13,
47-64.
2014
Holloway-Beth, A. (2014). An assessment of surveillance and administrative data for law enforcementrelated injuries. [Doctoral Dissertation], University of Illinois.
2015
Lounsbury, C. J. (2015). Police-public interactions during traffic and street stops: An analysis at the
urban, suburban, and rural levels. [Doctoral Dissertation], Capella University.
2016
Alvarado, E. J. (2016). Racial profiling and traffic search: A meta-analysis. [Thesis], San Diego State
University.
Gadson, L. (2016). Examining citizen’s perception of police contact. [Thesis], North Carolina Central
University.
Kudlick, S. E. (2016). Prevalence of the perception of police unfairness in the United States. [Doctoral
Dissertation], Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

Medina, M. A. Jr. (2016). Accounting for Membership: An Examination of the effects race, sex, and age
has on police conduct and force during traffic stops. [Thesis], Rutgers.
2017
Gilliard-Matthews, S. (2017). Intersectional race effects on citizen-reported traffic ticket decisions by
police in 1999 and 2008. Race and Justice, 7(4), 299-324.
Miller, T. R., Lawrence, B. A., Carlson, N. N., Hendrie, D., Randall, S., Rockett, I. R., & Spicer, R. S. (2017).
Perils of police action: a cautionary tale from US data sets. Injury prevention, 23(1), 27-32.
Motley, R. O. & Joe, S. (2017). Police-use-of-force by ethnicity and socioeconomic class. Society for Social
Work and Research 21st Annual Conference. New Orleans, LA.
Riner, R. W. (2017). Race, class, and procedural justice during traffic stops. [Doctoral Dissertation],
University of Texas at Dallas.
Simko, A. (2017). The relationship between demographic characteristics, types of contact with police,
and perceptions of police. [Undergraduate Honors Thesis], Butler University.
https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/ugtheses/372
Stickle, B. (2017). Does the use of physical force during contact with the police affect one's perception of
procedural justice?. Journal of Behavioral and Social Sciences 4, 87-97.
Threadcraft, M. M. (2017). Examining the relationship between gender, income and perceptions of
police behavior. [Doctoral Dissertation], Texas Southern University.
2018
Elessawi, T. S. (2018). The Influence of Procedural Justice on Citizens' Perceptions of Legitimacy During
Traffic Stops. Dissertation, Widener University.
Garner, J. H., Hickman, M. J., Malega, R. W., & Maxwell, C. D. (2018). Progress toward national estimates
of police use of force. PloS one, 13(2), e0192932.
Motley, R. O. Jr. & Joe, S. (2018). Police use of force by ethnicity, sex, and socioeconomic class. Journal
of the Society for Social Work and Research. 9,(1), 49-67.
Slocum, L. A. (2018). The effect of prior police contact on victimization reporting: Results from the
police–public contact and national crime victimization surveys. Journal of Quantitative Criminology,
34(2), 535-589.
2019
Flexon, J. L., D’Alessio, S. J., Stolzenberg, L., & Greenleaf, R. G. (2019). Interracial encounters with the
police: findings from the NCVS police-public contact survey. Journal of ethnicity in criminal justice, 17(4),
299-320.
Fryer Jr, R. G. (2019). An empirical analysis of racial differences in police use of force. Journal of Political
Economy, 127(3), 1210-1261.

Henry, T. K. S. & Franklin, T. W. (2019). Police legitimacy in the context of street stops: The effects of
race, class, and procedural justice. Criminal Justice Policy Review. 30(3), 406-427.
Tregle, B., Nix, J. & Alpert, G.P. (2019). Disparity does not mean bias: Making sense of observed racial
disparities in fatal officer-involved shootings with multiple benchmarks. Journal of Crime and Justice,
42(1), 18-31.
2020
Benton, M. (2020). Representation is not enough: Symbolic representation and perceptions of the
police. Administration and Society, 52(5), 794-822.
Boateng, F. D. & Howley, C. (2020). The verdict is in: how did they decide? Using drivers’ self-reported
data to understand officers’ decision making during traffic stop encounters. Psychology, Crime & Law,
26(4), 402-417.
Carmichael, J., David, J. D., Helou, A. M., & Pereira, C. (2021). Determinants of citizens’ perceptions of
police behavior during traffic and pedestrian stops. Criminal justice review, 46(1), 99-118.
Chenane, J. L., Wright, E. M., & Gibson, C. L. (2020). Traffic stops, race, and perceptions of fairness.
Policing and society, 30(6), 720-737.
Hu, X., Zhang, X., & Lovrich, N. (2020). Public perceptions of police behavior during traffic stops: Logistic
regression and machine learning approaches compared. Journal of Computational Social Science, 4, 355380.
2021
Anderson, M. (2021). Profiling beyond race: characteristics associated with traffic stop outcomes.
[Thesis], East Tennessee State University. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3881/
Federman, P. S. (2021). Cop wisdom and the democratic consequences of citizen-state interactions.
Administration and Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/00953997211046594
Luhur, W., Meyer, I., H., & Wilson, B. D. M. (2021). Policing LGBQ people. Brief. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA
School of Law Williams Institute. https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/policing-lgbqpeople/
Plank, J. A. (2021). Police officer aggression during police-civilian encounters and effect on civilian
perception. [Doctoral Dissertation], Walden University.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/11219/
Tolliver, G. (2021). Public Perceptions of the Police: Race, Socioeconomic Status, and their Interaction.
[Undergraduate Thesis], University of Northern Iowa.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/csbsresearchconf/2021/all/38/

Attachment 5: Public comments in response to 60-day notice

December 21, 2021
Elizabeth Davis, Ph.D.
Statistician
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Office of Justice Programs
810 Seventh Street NW
Washington, DC 20531
Susannah Tapp, Ph.D.
Statistician
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Office of Justice Programs
810 Seventh Street NW
Washington, DC 20531
Re: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested;
Reinstatement, Without Change, of a Previously Approved Collection for Which Approval
Has Expired: 2022 Police Public Contact Survey (PPCS). OMB Number 1121-0260
(Published Dec. 7, 2021)
Dear Ms. Davis and Ms. Tapp:
The National Police Foundation (NPF) submits the following comments regarding the
subject proposal. Though NPF does not offer commentary on the estimated burden of the
collection, we do offer our perspective on the relevance, utility, and potential enhancements
to the collection.
Recent incidents of police brutality sparked national interest in a closer understanding of
police citizen interactions and racial disparities in policing outcomes. Data collected in the
Police-Public Contact Survey (PPCS) provides important contextual information for studying
these encounters and understanding officer behaviors. The PPCS has proven to be beneficial
for the research and practice communities; its data has been used to facilitate research on
perceptions of police during police citizen encounters123, the effect of police contact on crime

1

Engel, R. S. (2005). Citizens' perceptions of distributive and procedural injustice during traffic stops with
police. Journal of research in crime and delinquency, 42(4), 445-481.
2
Flexon, J. L., D’Alessio, S. J., Stolzenberg, L., & Greenleaf, R. G. (2019). Interracial encounters with the police:
findings from the NCVS police-public contact survey. Journal of ethnicity in criminal justice, 17(4), 299-320.
3
Langton, L., & Durose, M. R. (2013). Police behavior during traffic and street stops, 2011. Washington, DC: US
Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics.

reporting45, representative bureaucracies6, officer decision making during traffic stops7, and
police use of force89.
Data collected by the PPCS is crucial for researchers and policy makers; no other source
provides such deep insight into police-public contacts. Existing data collected by law
enforcement agencies (such as calls for service) may be used to measure certain aspects of
police-citizen contact. However, these data do not include officer-initiated contacts that are
not reported to dispatchers. As suggested in a recent study of systematic observations, a
substantial proportion of officer-initiated activities went unrecorded in official data systems,
some of which contained contact with citizens.10 In addition, calls for service data does not
provide important information such as citizen perceptions of the contact or the context in
which the encounter took place.
The continuous collection of PPCS data also enables longitudinal study on changes in policecitizen interactions over time. As of today, seven waves of PPCS survey have been
conducted gathering data on police-public encounters between 1996 and 2018. Significant
social changes have occurred in recent years, highlighting the needs for more recent data on
police citizen contact. Continuing the PPCS would create synergies between past and future
efforts by allowing for more rigorous research designs.
The PPCS should be expanded to account for the increased presence of law enforcement on
social media. The outbreak of a global pandemic, and its sustained nature, have led to
important societal changes, including increased uses of virtual communication tools and
changes in routine activities and police citizen contact. About 27% of agency respondents in
a national survey reported conducting increased proactive outreach and community
engagement through social media platforms because of Covid, and a majority of respondents
reported limiting their proactive enforcement and outreach activities in person.11 Research on

4

Gibson, C. L., Walker, S., Jennings, W. G., & Mitchell Miller, J. (2010). The impact of traffic stops on calling the
police for help. Criminal justice policy review, 21(2), 139-159.
5
Slocum, L. A. (2018). The effect of prior police contact on victimization reporting: Results from the police–
public contact and national crime victimization surveys. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 34(2), 535-589.
6
Theobald, N. A., & Haider-Markel, D. P. (2009). Race, bureaucracy, and symbolic representation: Interactions
between citizens and police. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 19(2), 409-426.
7
Engel, R. S., & Calnon, J. M. (2004). Examining the influence of drivers' characteristics during traffic stops with
police: Results from a national survey. Justice Quarterly, 21(1), 49-90.
8
Hickman, M. J., Piquero, A. R., & Garner, J. H. (2008). Toward a national estimate of police use of nonlethal
force. Criminology & Public Policy, 7(4), 563-604.
9
Miller, T. R., Lawrence, B. A., Carlson, N. N., Hendrie, D., Randall, S., Rockett, I. R., & Spicer, R. S. (2017). Perils
of police action: a cautionary tale from US data sets. Injury prevention, 23(1), 27-32.
10
Lum, C., Koper, C. S., Wu, X., Johnson, W., & Stoltz, M. (2020). Examining the empirical realities of proactive
policing through systematic observations and computer-aided dispatch data. Police Quarterly, 23(3), 283-310.
11
Lum, C., Maupin, C., & Stoltz, M. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on law enforcement agencies (wave
2). International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, George Mason
University. Washington, DC.

citizen police contact on social media is scant despite the increased prevalence of social
media usage among law enforcement agencies.12 We are uncertain of the impact of police
social media contact on citizens’ perception of trust and legitimacy or whether increased use
of social media by police has achieved any intended benefits. An added set of questions
gauging citizen virtual contact with the police can open new avenues for this line of research
and help inform future use of virtual platform by police.
Considering the considerable benefits of the PPCS, the National Police Foundation
strongly supports OJP’s effort to reinstate this important data collection.
Sincerely,

James H. Burch, II
President

12

Kim, K., Mohr, A. O. N. E., & Oglesby, A. (2017). 2016 Law enforcement use of social media survey. Report,
International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Urban Institute.

Attachment 6: NCVS-572(L)
NCVS-572(L)
(4-2019)

DC

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration

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

Dear Resident:
Your address has been selected to participate in the National Crime Victimization Survey.
The survey collects information about the type and amount of crime committed against people
in the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts this survey on behalf of the U.S.
Department of Justice.
Since many crimes are never reported to the police, information from this survey is used to get a
more complete picture of crime occurring in our country. The information you provide will give a
better understanding of crime and its impact on victims. The survey results are used to develop
programs to aid crime victims and prevent crime.
The success of this survey depends on your participation. We cannot substitute
another address for yours. Your address is part of a scientifically selected sample of addresses
chosen throughout the country. Your answers represent hundreds of other households like yours.
Your participation is important even if you have not experienced any crime. By law, the Census
Bureau can only use your responses to produce statistics. No information about you or your
household can be identified from these statistics.
Answers to frequently asked questions are on the back of this letter. If you would like further
information, visit our Web site at https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ncvs.html.
You do not need to take any action at this time. A Census Bureau representative will contact you
soon to ask your household to complete the survey.
Thank you for your participation.
Sincerely,

Steven D. Dillingham
Director

census.gov

What is the National Crime Victimization Survey?
This survey collects data about experiences with crime, both reported and not reported to the police.
Periodically, the survey includes additional topics such as crime in schools, contacts with law enforcement,
and identity theft.

How was I selected for this survey?
The U.S. Census Bureau chose your address, not you personally, to participate in this survey. We
randomly selected a sample of addresses across the country to represent the entire population. We need
a response from all persons 12 or older in sampled homes to get a complete picture of the types and
amount of crime happening in the United States.

Will information I provide be confidential? Is this survey required by law?
The Census Bureau is required by law to protect your information. The Census Bureau is not permitted
to publicly release your responses in a way that could identify you or your household. We are conducting
this survey for the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice under the authority of
law (Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 8). The Bureau of Justice Statistics is authorized to
collect this survey information by law (Title 34, U.S.C., Section 10132). Federal law protects your privacy
and keeps your answers confidential (Title 13, U.S.C., Section 9 and Title 34, U.S.C., Sections 10231
and 10134). Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, your data are protected from
cybersecurity risks through screening of the systems that transmit your data. This collection has been
approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB Number: 1121-0111; Expiration Date:
02/28/2022). If this number were not displayed, we could not conduct this survey. Your voluntary
participation in this survey is important; however, you may decline to answer any or all questions.

How are the data used?
Data from this survey 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. Examples of reports, tables, and charts that use data from the survey are on the Bureau
of Justice Statistics’ Web site at https://www.bjs.gov.

How long will it take?
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 Unit, Bureau of
Justice Statistics, Washington, DC 20531.

I thought that the Census Bureau only counts people every 10 years.
What is the Census Bureau doing now?
Besides the decennial census, we collect many different kinds of information through other censuses and
surveys. These surveys provide current information on such topics as housing, crime, unemployment
rates, health, business, economics and education.

How can I find out more about this survey?
For more information, please visit our Web site at https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ncvs.html or
contact the Regional Office for your state at the number listed below:
State

Phone Number

Regional Office

AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC
AR, IL, IN, IA, MI, MN, MO, WI
AZ, CO, KS, MT, NE, NM, ND, OK, SD, TX, UT, WY

1–800–424–6974 EXT. 53943
1–800–865–6384
1–800–852–6159
1–800–992–3530

Atlanta
Chicago
Denver
Los Angeles

1–800–991–2520
1–800–262–4236

New York
Philadelphia

AK, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, WA
CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT
DE, DC, KY, MD, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV
NCVS-572(L) (4-2019)

Attachment 7: NCVS-573(L)
NCVS-573(L)
(4-2019)

DC

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration

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

Dear Resident:
Several months ago, we contacted residents at your address to participate in the National
Crime Victimization Survey. The survey collects information about the type and amount of
crime committed against people in the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau conducts this
survey on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice. We need to interview the current residents of
this address, whether we talked with you before or you recently moved to this address.
Since many crimes are never reported to the police, information from this survey is used to get a
more complete picture of crime occurring in our country. The information you provide will give a
better understanding of crime and its impact on victims. The survey results are used to develop
programs to aid crime victims and prevent crime.
The success of this survey depends on your participation. We cannot substitute
another address for yours. Your address is part of a scientifically selected sample of addresses
chosen throughout the country. Your answers represent hundreds of other households like yours.
Your participation is important even if you have not experienced any crime. By law, the Census
Bureau can only use your responses to produce statistics. No information about you or your
household can be identified from these statistics.
Answers to frequently asked questions are on the back of this letter. If you would like further
information, visit our Web site at https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ncvs.html.
You do not need to take any action at this time. A Census Bureau representative will contact you
soon to ask your household to complete the survey.
Thank you for your participation.
Sincerely,

Steven D. Dillingham
Director

census.gov

What is the National Crime Victimization Survey?
This survey collects data about experiences with crime, both reported and not reported to the police.
Periodically, the survey includes additional topics such as crime in schools, contacts with law enforcement,
and identity theft.

How was I selected for this survey?
The U.S. Census Bureau chose your address, not you personally, to participate in this survey. We
randomly selected a sample of addresses across the country to represent the entire population. We need
a response from all persons 12 or older in sampled homes to get a complete picture of the types and
amount of crime happening in the United States.

Will information I provide be confidential? Is this survey required by law?
The Census Bureau is required by law to protect your information. The Census Bureau is not permitted
to publicly release your responses in a way that could identify you or your household. We are conducting
this survey for the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice under the authority of
law (Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 8). The Bureau of Justice Statistics is authorized to
collect this survey information by law (Title 34, U.S.C., Section 10132). Federal law protects your privacy
and keeps your answers confidential (Title 13, U.S.C., Section 9 and Title 34, U.S.C., Sections 10231
and 10134). Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, your data are protected from
cybersecurity risks through screening of the systems that transmit your data. This collection has been
approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB Number: 1121-0111; Expiration Date:
02/28/2022). If this number were not displayed, we could not conduct this survey. Your voluntary
participation in this survey is important; however, you may decline to answer any or all questions.

How are the data used?
Data from this survey 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. Examples of reports, tables, and charts that use data from the survey are on the Bureau
of Justice Statistics’ Web site at https://www.bjs.gov.

How long will it take?
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 Unit, Bureau of
Justice Statistics, Washington, DC 20531.

I thought that the Census Bureau only counts people every 10 years.
What is the Census Bureau doing now?
Besides the decennial census, we collect many different kinds of information through other censuses and
surveys. These surveys provide current information on such topics as housing, crime, unemployment
rates, health, business, economics and education.

How can I find out more about this survey?
For more information, please visit our Web site at https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ncvs.html or
contact the Regional Office for your state at the number listed below:
State

Phone Number

Regional Office

AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC
AR, IL, IN, IA, MI, MN, MO, WI
AZ, CO, KS, MT, NE, NM, ND, OK, SD, TX, UT, WY

1–800–424–6974 EXT. 53943
1–800–865–6384
1–800–852–6159
1–800–992–3530

Atlanta
Chicago
Denver
Los Angeles

1–800–991–2520
1–800–262–4236

New York
Philadelphia

AK, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, WA
CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VT
DE, DC, KY, MD, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV
NCVS-573(L) (4-2019)

Attachment 8: PPCS Training Material

PPCS-300
November 2019

2020 POLICE-PUBLIC CONTACT SURVEY:
AN NCVS SUPPLEMENT

INTERVIEWER SELF-STUDY

This document does not contain any Title 13 data or other Personally Identifiable Information. All
data are fictitious and any resemblance to actual data is coincidental. Consistent with Field Division
policy, any names referenced in practice interviews or other exercises are not meant to refer to any
actual businesses, schools, group quarters, or persons, especially any current or former Census
Bureau employees.

PPCS-300 (11/2019) PPCS Interviewer Self-Study

Table of Contents

______________________________________________________________________________

Table of Contents
Self-Study Instructions
Introduction ........................................................................................................................... i
Training Objectives ............................................................................................................... i
Completing This Self-Study ................................................................................................. i
Charging Time ......................................................................................................................ii
Materials Needed .................................................................................................................ii
Final Review Exercise .........................................................................................................iii
Lesson 1 – The Police-Public Contact Survey
Objectives……………………………………………………………………………………...1-1
Description ........................................................................................................................ 1-1
Sponsor............................................................................................................................. 1-2
Purpose............................................................................................................................. 1-3
Data Users ........................................................................................................................ 1-4
Authority ............................................................................................................................ 1-4
Confidentiality ................................................................................................................... 1-4
Debriefing Questionnaire………………………………………………………… ................ 1-5
BJS Special Report: Police Behavior .............................................................................. 1-5
Key Points to Remember ................................................................................................. 1-7
Lesson 2 – Procedures for Conducting the PPCS Interview
Objectives……………………………………………………………………………………...2-1
General Instructions ......................................................................................................... 2-1
PPCS Reference Period .................................................................................................. 2-3
General PPCS Interviewing Rules ................................................................................... 2-3
How to Ask Questions ...................................................................................................... 2-5
PPCS Interview Status ..................................................................................................... 2-8
INTRO_1 ........................................................................................................................... 2-9
Coding Supplement Noninterviews Before Transmittal ................................................ 2-10
Key Points to Remember …………………………………………………………………..2-11
Lesson 3 – The PPCS CAPI Instrument
Objectives……………………………………………………………………………………...3-1
Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 3-1
Instrument Changes Since 2018 ..................................................................................... 3-2
Overview of the PPCS ..................................................................................................... 3-2
PPCS Screener Questions ............................................................................................ 3-10
Verification Questions ....................................................................................................3-33
Most Recent Contact ......................................................................................................3-54
Street Stop ......................................................................................................................3-60
Traffic Stop .....................................................................................................................3-66
Officer Characteristics ....................................................................................................3-72
Outcome of Stop.............................................................................................................3-80
Outcome of Voluntary Contacts ..................................................................................... 3-95

PPCS-300 (11/2019) PPCS Interviewer Self-Study

Table of Contents

______________________________________________________________________________
Final Questions...............................................................................................................3-99
End of Supplement .......................................................................................................3-112
Key Points to Remember .............................................................................................3-113
Lesson 4 – PPCS Final Review Exercise
Final Review Exercise Instructions .................................................................................. 4-1

PPCS-300 (11/2019) PPCS Interviewer Self-Study

Instructions

______________________________________________________________________________

Self-Study Instructions
INTRODUCTION

As a Field Representative (FR) working on the
National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) between
January and June 2020, you will conduct interviews
for the Police-Public Contact Survey (PPCS) at each
sample address assigned to you for the NCVS.
In order for you to understand and feel comfortable
conducting PPCS interviews using the CAPI
instrument you must read and complete this selfstudy prior to January 2020 interviewing.
The PPCS-300 electronic Self-Study on your laptop is
designed to provide you with PPCS procedures,
interviewing instructions, and concept definitions.

TRAINING OBJECTIVES

There is no classroom training for the PPCS; training
consists of a self-study only. After completing this
self-study, you will:
• Understand basic facts about the PPCS so that you
can explain them to respondents.
• Follow the correct procedures while conducting a
PPCS interview using the CAPI instrument.
• Understand important PPCS concepts so you can
collect complete and accurate information from
respondents.

COMPLETING THIS SELFSTUDY

This self-study consists of four lessons. Lesson 1
provides a description of the PPCS. Lesson 2
contains the procedures for conducting the PPCS
interview. Lesson 3 introduces the PPCS CAPI
instrument. Lesson 4 contains the instructions to
access the Final Review Exercise that you will
complete on the Commerce Learning Center (CLC).

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Instructions

______________________________________________________________________________
Complete each lesson in the sequence that is
presented. Be sure to allow enough time between the
completion of this self-study and your first 2020 PPCS
assignment to resolve any questions with your
supervisor before you start interviewing.
PPCS interviewing begins on January 1, 2020.
CHARGING TIME

Charge the actual time that it takes you to complete
this self-study (up to 2.5 hours) to project number
0976000 and task code 528 (Refresher Training/
Home Study).
Charge all NCVS/PPCS interviewing to project
number 0976000, unless instructed otherwise.

MATERIALS NEEDED

To complete this self-study you will need:
• Your laptop.
• PPCS-300, the 2020 PPCS Interviewer Self-Study
(in electronic format only, on your laptop).
• Access to the CLC to complete the PPCS-300 Final
Review Exercise.
If you are missing any of these materials, contact your
supervisor immediately.

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FINAL REVIEW EXERCISE

Upon completion of this self-study, you will complete
the PPCS-300 Final Review Exercise on the CLC to
verify your knowledge of key concepts of the PPCS
presented throughout this self-study. The review
exercise consists of 10 questions. This review
exercise will be scored, and the results will be passed
along to your supervisor and headquarters staff. You
may retake the exercise as many times as needed to
pass.
You are required to complete the PPCS-300 CLC
Final Review Exercise.

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Lesson 1

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Lesson 1 – The Police-Public Contact Survey
OBJECTIVES

DESCRIPTION

Upon completion of Lesson 1, you will be able to:
●

Identify which NCVS household members are
eligible respondents for the PPCS.

●

Explain the primary purpose for conducting the
PPCS and some of the uses for the PPCS data.

●

Know under what authority we are allowed to
conduct this supplement.

●

Identify all of the PPCS materials you need to
conduct this supplement.

The Police-Public Contact Survey, also referred to as
the PPCS, is a supplement to the National Crime
Victimization Survey (NCVS). It will be conducted for
a six-month period – January through June 2020.
The PPCS was last conducted in 2018. If you
conducted interviews for the 2018 PPCS, you will
notice some minor changes to the survey instrument
since then.
● The 2020 PPCS collects data on the nature
and outcomes of respondents' interactions with
police, and the respondents’ perceptions of police
behavior during these interactions.
● The supplement is administered to all selfinterviewed household members who are 16
years of age or older.
● The PPCS is not conducted for NCVS interviews
completed by proxy.

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● If the NCVS interview was conducted in some
language other than English, you may also
conduct the PPCS interview in that language if
there is a reliable translator or if you know the
language well enough to translate the questions
yourself. Unlike the NCVS interview, there is no
“official” translated instrument in any other
language for the PPCS.
If you have questions about the rules and
guidelines for conducting non-English supplement
interviews, consult Part A, Chapter 2 on
conducting the NCVS interview of your NCVS-550
Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives for
general NCVS interpreter guidelines. If you have
further questions about conducting non-English
supplement interviews, contact your Field
Supervisor.
● The PPCS questions are asked IMMEDIATELY
AFTER you complete the NCVS interview for the
sample person and BEFORE proceeding to the
next eligible household member’s NCVS interview.
● The PPCS reference period is different from the
NCVS reference period. The PPCS has a 12month, NOT a 6-month, reference period like the
NCVS. The PPCS reference period starts on the
first day of the month 12 months prior to the
interview month and ends on the day of the
interview. For example, if you are interviewing a
respondent on January 11, 2020, the reference
period is January 1, 2019 through January 11,
2020. While you need to know and understand the
reference period, you will not have to calculate it
yourself. The instrument will do this for you.
SPONSOR

The U.S. Census Bureau is conducting the PPCS for
the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ). The

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sponsoring office within the USDOJ is the Bureau of
Justice Statistics (BJS).
PURPOSE

The PPCS was designed to respond to Section
210402 of the Violent Crime Control and Law
Enforcement Act of 1994, which mandates the
collection, evaluation, and publication of data on the
"use of excessive force by law enforcement officers."
This Act was initiated due to the lack of reliable data
on the extent of excessive force used by police
officers. The BJS was assigned the lead responsibility
for developing a national reporting program to
address the incidence, prevalence, characteristics,
and official response to the use of excessive force by
law enforcement officers.
The 2020 PPCS will be conducted to obtain reliable
data about:
•

Face-to-face interactions between respondents
and police officers, including:
 The number and characteristics of persons
stopped by police during traffic stops or street
stops.
 The nature of these police stops, such as:
o Why the contact occurred
o The time of day of the stop
o The outcome of the stop (ticket,
warning, arrest)
 Whether the stop involved a search of the
person or vehicle

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•

The possible use of excessive force by police
officers during face-to-face contacts with
respondents.

•

Resident perceptions regarding whether the police
behaved properly and treated them with respect.

•

How often respondents contact the police to report
crimes or other non-crime emergencies.

•

Resident satisfaction with police responses to
requests for assistance.

DATA USERS

The primary user of the PPCS data is the BJS, who is
responsible for analyzing the data from the PPCS. After
analyzing the PPCS data, the BJS will publish reports
that may be used by legislators and policy makers and
made available to the general public. You can find
additional information about BJS uses of the PPCS on
the BJS website
(https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=dcdetail&iid=251).

AUTHORITY

Because the PPCS is a supplement to the NCVS,
which is sponsored by the BJS, the supplement is
conducted under the authority of Title 34, United
States Code, Section 10132 (formerly Title 42, United
States Code, Section 3732) and by the authority of
Title 13, United States Code, section 8.

CONFIDENTIALITY

It is important that you understand and maintain strict
confidentiality of information. By law, the Census
Bureau can only use survey information for statistical
research. The Census Bureau is not permitted to
publicly release survey responses in a way that could
identify the respondent or their household.
As an FR, you should NEVER make survey
information available to anyone except sworn Census
Bureau employees who have a work related need to
know the information. Do not permit any unauthorized

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persons, even members of your own family, to see
the information that you collect.
Strict confidentiality of individual respondent and
household information is guaranteed by:
● Title 34 of the United States Code, Sections 10134
and 10231 (formerly Title 42 of the United States
Code, Sections 3735 and 3789g), and
● Title 13 of the United States Code, Section 9.
DEBRIEFING
QUESTIONNAIRE

BJS SPECIAL REPORT:
POLICE BEHAVIOR

The PPCS Debriefing Questionnaire will allow you to
provide feedback about your 2020 PPCS interviewing
experience. Information you provide on this
questionnaire will help us explore ways to improve the
survey in the future. You will receive further instruction
on this debriefing questionnaire at the end of PPCS
data collection. Therefore, please keep any notes
and/or comments documented for this purpose.
BJS publishes the results of the PPCS for the public.
The following page contains an example of a report
that uses past PPCS data. The full report is available
on the BJS website:
(https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cpp15.pdf).

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KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER

The key points to remember from Lesson 1 are:
● The objective of this supplement is to collect
information on the nature and outcomes of
respondents’ interactions with police, and the
respondents’ perceptions of police behavior during
these interactions.
● Administer the PPCS to all persons in the NCVS
sample who are 16 years of age and older and
completed an NCVS interview by self-response,
either in person or over the phone.
● If the NCVS interview was conducted in some
language other than English, you may also
conduct the PPCS interview in that language if
there is a reliable translator or if you know the
language well enough to translate the questions
yourself. Unlike the NCVS interview, there is no
“official” translated instrument in any other
language for the PPCS.
If you have questions about the rules and
guidelines for conducting non-English supplement
interviews, consult Part A, Chapter 2 on
conducting the NCVS interview of your NCVS-550
Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives for
general NCVS interpreter guidelines. If you have
further questions about conducting non-English
supplement interviews, contact your Field
Supervisor.
•

All PPCS screener questions must be completed
with a valid response to help ensure accurate
estimates of the prevalence and characteristics of
police contacts.

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● The NCVS and PPCS are both sponsored by the
BJS. The same laws that authorize the NCVS to
be conducted and protect its confidentiality also
apply to the PPCS.

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Lesson 2

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Lesson 2 – Procedures for Conducting the PPCS Interview
OBJECTIVES

GENERAL
INSTRUCTIONS

SUPP_ELIGIBLE_PPCS

Upon completion of Lesson 2, you will:
●

Understand the difference between the NCVS
reference period and the PPCS reference period.

●

Understand the PPCS rules for interviewing, such as
respondent eligibility rules, how the PPCS-CAPI
instrument handles NCVS proxy interviews, how to
record the different types of PPCS noninterviews in the
CAPI instrument, and how to set callbacks for
respondents who are willing but not available to
complete the PPCS immediately after they complete
their NCVS interview.

•

Know how to manage non-English speaking
respondents and the rules for using interpreters.

The general procedure for interviewing a household
for the PPCS is to ask all appropriate NCVS questions of
one household member and, if the respondent is 16 years
of age or older, ask all appropriate PPCS questions of that
respondent before proceeding to the next household
member’s NCVS interview. As with all NCVS supplements,
the CAPI instrument keeps track of each respondent’s PPCS
eligibility and interview status.
If the age of a respondent was not verified with the
household respondent, the CAPI instrument goes to
SUPP_ELIGIBLE_PPCS where you must enter (by
observation, or from other information discovered during the
course of this contact or a previous contact) whether or not
you feel this person is eligible for the PPCS.

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______________________________________________________________________________
The respondent's age has not been recorded.
Based on your observation or other information gathered during this contact, do you have
reason to believe that the respondent is 16 years of age or older?
1 Yes
2 No
SUPP_ELIGIBLE_PPCS

If you have information to support that the respondent
appears to be 16 years of age or older, select Precode (1) at
the SUPP_ELIGIBLE_PPCS screen and continue with the
PPCS interview. Otherwise, select Precode (2). A response
of 2 at the SUPP_ELIGIBLE_PPCS screen means that you
deem the respondent is ineligible for the PPCS based on the
information you have. In any case, you must:
● Conduct the PPCS interview with each sample
household member who is 16 years of age or older and
present during the initial interview session before
resorting to callbacks for NCVS interviews with the
remaining household members.
● Complete the NCVS interview with a sample person, then
make every attempt to complete the person’s PPCS
interview during the same contact. To help reduce survey
costs, keep to a minimum any callback appointments to
complete the PPCS.
● Pay close attention to the instructions in this self-study
and any FR instructions presented in blue text within the
PPCS CAPI instrument. Review the flow of questions
within the instrument so that you are thoroughly familiar
with it before beginning your assignment. The CAPI
instrument is designed to only ask relevant questions
based on the responses to questions already asked. If
you feel that a question is presented that doesn’t seem
relevant, note the case id and report the situation to your
RO immediately.

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● Ask all questions exactly as worded.
● Read the questions slowly. DO NOT rush when asking
the questions or when instructed to read the answer
categories aloud to the respondent.
● For additional information about performance standards,
please review Topic 3, Performance Standards, in
Chapter A4 of the National Crime Victimization Survey
Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives (Form
550).
PPCS REFERENCE
PERIOD

The PPCS reference period is different from the NCVS
reference period in both its length and in its end date.
For the NCVS, the 6-month reference period starts with the
date of their last interview or the 1st of the month [if the
respondent wasn’t previously interviewed] and ends on the
DAY BEFORE THE INTERVIEW DAY.
By contrast, during the PPCS interview you will ask
questions about a respondent’s contacts with the police
during the 12-month period starting on the first day of
the month 12 months prior to the date of interview and
ending on the day of the interview.
For example, the reference period for a PPCS interview
conducted on January 11, 2020 starts on January 1, 2019
and ends on January 11, 2020. While you need to know and
understand the reference period, you will not have to
calculate it yourself. The instrument will do this for you.

GENERAL PPCS
INTERVIEWING RULES

The following rules for PPCS interviewing cover who is
eligible for the PPCS, reinforce the confidentiality and
legitimacy of the survey, indicate whether proxy interviews
are acceptable, and provide acceptable reasons for a PPCS
noninterview.

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Eligibility

The only NCVS respondents eligible for the PPCS are
household members who are 16 years of age or older, and
must have completed their NCVS interview by self-response.

Confidentiality
of the PPCS

When administering the PPCS, apply the same rules of
confidentiality as you apply when conducting the
NCVS interview. Use your discretion if a respondent seems
hesitant answering the PPCS questions when others are
present. Ask the respondent whether another time might be
more convenient to complete the interview.
Tell respondents that the law requires that all information
collected from respondents be kept confidential so that
individual respondents or households cannot be identified
from the survey results.

Proxy Interviews

Proxy interviews are NOT acceptable for the PPCS. If a
respondent’s NCVS interview is taken by proxy, the PPCS
questions do not appear and you DO NOT conduct a PPCS
interview for that respondent. Once the NCVS proxy
interview is complete, the instrument automatically skips
over the PPCS interview for the proxy person. You are then
prompted to select the next eligible household member for
NCVS interview.

Non-English Interviews

If the NCVS interview was conducted in some language
other than English, you may also conduct the PPCS
interview in that language if there is a reliable translator or if
you know the language well enough to translate the
questions yourself. Unlike the NCVS interview, there is no
“official” translated instrument in any other language for the
PPCS.
If you have questions about the rules and guidelines for
conducting non-English supplement interviews, consult Part
A, Chapter 2 on conducting the NCVS interview of your
NCVS-550 Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives for
general NCVS interpreter guidelines. If you have further
questions about conducting non-English supplement
interviews, contact your Field Supervisor.

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Noninterviews

A noninterview means that we:
 Lose valuable information; and
 Increase the probability that the PPCS data we collect
does not provide a true picture of the types and amount
of crime happening in the United States.

Households

If an entire NCVS sample household is classified as a
noninterview, you will not have the opportunity to complete
PPCS interviews for anyone in the household.

Persons by Proxy

The PPCS instrument is designed so that the PPCS
interview only begins when a household member 16 years of
age or older completes his/her NCVS interview by selfresponse. The PPCS instrument will be unavailable for
NCVS interviews completed by proxy. If a household
member completed the NCVS interview by proxy, the
household member will be considered a PPCS noninterview.

Eligible PPCS Persons

For persons eligible to complete the PPCS, all PPCS
screener questions must be completed with a valid response
to help ensure accurate estimates of the prevalence and
type of police contacts. Ask all screener questions and
record the correct response.

HOW TO ASK
QUESTIONS

Ask each question as presented on the screen.
FR instructions are in blue text; do not read these to
respondents. All questions and answer lists that are read to
the respondent are in bold black text. You will also notice,
occasionally, some question wording in bold gray text.
Reading bold gray text to the respondent is optional. Some
answer lists are not in bold text; do NOT read these
response categories to the respondent. For these situations
ask the question and wait for the respondent to answer, then
classify the answer provided into the answer category that
best fits the response.

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The uniformity and value of the final results depend on all
FRs asking the questions in the same order and with the
same wording. When a respondent’s answer is too general
or does not completely answer a question, ask probing
questions to encourage the respondent to clarify his/her
initial response.
Ask questions
as worded

Ask each question EXACTLY as worded in the CAPI
instrument. Adding, deleting, or changing words in
questions, no matter how slight, can change the meaning of
the question.

Ask in order

The flow and continuity of the questions is worked into the
questionnaire sequence. The CAPI instrument automatically
presents the next relevant question based on responses to
questions already answered.
(If, during an interview, you feel that the CAPI instrument
presents a question out of sequence, write down the
screen name and make a note of the situation in which
this screen was presented, then continue the interview.
Once the interview is complete, document the situation
and report it to your RO or Field Supervisor. Provide as
much detail as possible about the situation along with
the caseid. The prompt reporting of issues allows us more
time to correct any problems for the next interview month.)

Speak clearly

Read each question slowly and clearly. If you rush through
the questions, the respondent may assume that you think
the questions are unimportant.

Listen to the
respondent

Listen to the respondent until he/she finishes an
answer. Failure to do so may frustrate respondents and
result in incorrect or incomplete entries.
● Do not “tune out” the respondent while recording
answers. The information the respondent is giving you
may help clarify the answer or even change its meaning.

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● Do not interrupt the respondent before they finish or if
they hesitate. A respondent often hesitates when trying to
remember; allow time for this.
● If the statements or comments given by the respondent
are not entirely clear to you, check your understanding of
what has been said by repeating the respondent’s
answer, then pausing expectantly to allow the respondent
to expand on or clarify the answer.
Probing
Techniques

When the respondent’s answer does not meet the
question’s objective, probe in order to clarify or expand the
answer. Probing is a technique in which you casually get the
respondent to provide an answer which meets the question’s
objective.
● Probing does not mean that you influence the
respondent’s answer or unnecessarily prolong the
interview.
● Probing must be as neutral as possible to ensure that the
responses are not distorted. Use the probing techniques
provided below to obtain more accurate answers,
especially if the respondent seems unsure about any of
the questions.
● For those questions that do not include an answer
category for “Don’t know” responses, probe until you get
an answer that fits the answer categories for the specific
item. If after using all probing techniques, the respondent
still answers “Don’t know” or refuses to answer a
particular question, enter CTRL + D for a “Don’t know”
response and CTRL + R for “Refused.” Only accept a
response of “Don’t know” or “Refused” as a last resort.
● When you get an answer that does not make sense to
you, use the following techniques to get more complete
answers:
 Repeat the question.

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 Pause after the respondent’s reply to give the
impression that he/she has merely begun to answer
the question.
 Question or comment in a neutral tone of voice to get
a more complete response.
 Read all answer categories that are in bold face text
to the respondent a second time. Otherwise, only
read answer categories as a probing technique when
all other probing techniques fail.
PPCS INTERVIEW STATUS

The CAPI instrument automatically maintains the interview
status of all persons listed on the household roster. Once the
household roster is captured in the CAPI instrument, NCVS
eligibility is determined based on household membership
status and respondent age. All household members on the
NCVS household roster who are 12 years of age and older
will show status “Need-self,” indicating that this respondent
is eligible for the NCVS.
Similarly, the CAPI instrument was designed to maintain
each eligible household member’s supplement interview
status; however, the supplement interview status for a
specific person is not set until that person completes their
NCVS interview. Once a person’s NCVS interview is
complete and you initiate a PPCS interview with an eligible
respondent, their supplement status changes. For instance,
upon answering the first question, the supplement status
changes to “Partial-SUP” which indicates that you have
initiated, but not fully completed, the supplement interview
with the respondent. Also, when you begin a PPCS
interview and F10 out of the PPCS interview with intentions
of completing it at a later time, a status of “Partial-SUP” will
be displayed in the interview status column on the household
roster when you re-enter the case to complete the interview.
When you answer the last supplement question, the CAPI
instrument updates the supplement status to “Done-SUP,”

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Lesson 2

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which indicates that the supplement interview was fully
completed.
The CAPI instrument also displays a status for PPCS
noninterviews. People may refuse to participate in the PPCS
or the NCVS, eligible respondents may be unavailable for
the duration of the interviewing period, we may not be able
to complete the NCVS interview, or perhaps you complete
the NCVS interview by proxy. All of these result in a PPCS
noninterview. When these situations exist the CAPI
instrument automatically changes the supplement status to
“Nonint-SUP” to indicate that the PPCS is a noninterview.
Viewing PPCS
interview status on
HH Roster tab

View the NCVS or supplement interview status for all
persons on the household roster by selecting the
Household (HH) Roster tab in the CAPI instrument. The
Household Roster tab displays the composition of the
household for the current interviewing period: full name of
the persons living or staying in the household, whether the
persons listed are household members or have a usual
residence elsewhere (are nonmembers), line numbers, ages,
sexes, relationship to the reference person, and an indicator
on the HH Roster tab that identifies who is the household
respondent.
The status column contains the interview status for both the
NCVS and the PPCS. If you select the HH Roster tab when
first entering a case to review the current composition of a
household, you will find the CAPI instrument only displays
the person’s NCVS status. The PPCS status for each eligible
PPCS person is displayed for that person only after that
person’s NCVS interview status has been resolved. A
resolved status means that the NCVS interview for a
particular person is complete or that the person was coded
out as a noninterview.

INTRO_1

After introducing the PPCS at INTRO_1, you may need to
stop conducting the PPCS interview at some point because:

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•

The respondent refuses to complete the PPCS interview,
even though he/she completed the NCVS interview by
self-response.

•

The respondent cannot currently complete the
supplement; in this case you may schedule a callback to
complete the PPCS.

The PPCS noninterview reason is captured in the CAPI
instrument based on your selections at certain screens or
the circumstances surrounding the NCVS interview. Code
the cases as noninterviews at the SUPP_TYPEZ screen.
INTRO_1 is discussed in greater detail in Lesson 3.
CODING SUPPLEMENT
NONINTERVIEWS BEFORE
TRANSMITTAL

Account for supplement noninterviews just as you normally
account for NCVS noninterviews before you transmit.
In situations where a respondent has not completed their
supplement interview you are required to code these
respondents at the supplement Type Z screen
(SUPP_TYPEZ). Similar to the NCVS, when you attempt to
transmit a case that contains incomplete supplement
interviews the CAPI instrument then goes to the supplement
Type Z screen to collect a reason for noninterview.
In situations where eligible persons listed on the household
roster remain to be interviewed, either for the NCVS and/or
the PPCS, and you attempt to transmit the case, an active
signal box appears to verify that you want to transmit the
case. If you click “Suppress” the instrument goes to the
TYPEZ or SUPP_TYPEZ screens, depending on whether
you have NCVS noninterviews (TYPEZ), PPCS
noninterviews (SUPP_TYPEZ) or both (TYPEZ and
SUPP_TYPEZ).

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No survey data were collected for (NAME)
Enter the reason that best describes why (NAME)’s survey data were not collected.
1 Never available
2 Refused – parent or other person refused for respondent
3 Refused – respondent refused for themselves
4 Physically or mentally unable to answer and no proxy available
5 Temporarily absent and no proxy available
6 Other – specify
SUPP_TYPEZ

If a case contains PPCS eligible respondents that remain to
be interviewed for the PPCS, but have completed their
NCVS interview the instrument goes to SUPP_TYPEZ.
Record the reason the PPCS interview was not completed,
just as you do at TYPEZ for NCVS noninterviews. The
noninterview reasons at SUPP_TYPEZ are the same ones
listed in TYPEZ. If more than one PPCS eligible person
remains to be interviewed, enter the noninterview reason for
each person.
If a case contains PPCS eligible respondents that remain to
be interviewed for both the NCVS and PPCS, complete both
TYPEZ and SUPP_TYPEZ.
More detailed information about coding noninterviews can be
found in Chapter A6 of the National Crime Victimization
Survey Interviewing Manual for Field Representatives (Form
550).
KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER

The key points to remember for Lesson 2 are:
●

The 2020 PPCS reference period is 12 months.

●

Conduct a PPCS interview with each sample
household member who is 16 years of age and older
whose NCVS interview was conducted by self-response.

●

The CAPI instrument does not proceed to the PPCS

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questions if:


An NCVS household member is under 16 years of
age;



An NCVS household member is 16 years of age or
older and is an NCVS noninterview person;



An NCVS interview for a household member 16
years of age or older was completed by proxy; or



An NCVS household member is in an NCVS
noninterview household.

● All PPCS screener questions must be completed with a
valid response to help ensure accurate estimates of
police contacts and their characteristics.

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Lesson 3 – The PPCS CAPI Instrument
OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVES

INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION

Upon completion of Lesson 3, you will:
●

Understand the various types of police contacts
about which the PPCS gathers information.

●

Be familiar with changes made to the PPCS
instrument since 2018.

●

Understand the importance of carefully following
all interview instructions in the PPCS instrument.

●

Know how to ask each PPCS question correctly
and enter each respondent’s answer correctly.

●

Be aware of situations that require probing for
acceptable answers.

●

Become familiar with the flow of the PPCS
interview and begin to feel comfortable using the
2020 PPCS instrument.

●

Understand other important PPCS concepts.

For all NCVS interviewed households, complete a
PPCS interview as a supplement to the NCVS for
each sample household member who is 16 years of
age or older and who completes their NCVS interview
by self-response.
The CAPI instrument prompts you to administer the
PPCS interview immediately following an NCVS selfresponse interview. NCVS persons interviewed by
proxy are not eligible for the PPCS. The CAPI
instrument automatically codes any NCVS proxy
interviews as PPCS noninterviews.
FR instructions and soft and hard error checks are
located throughout the PPCS CAPI instrument. FR

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instructions are identified in blue text in the
instrument. Follow all FR instructions so that
responses are captured accurately. During the course
of interviewing you may also encounter questions that
are intended for you, the FR, to answer. Like FR
instructions, these FR questions are in blue text and
are intended for you to answer. Read all blue text to
yourself and never to the respondent. In addition,
remember to read all bolded black text in the
question itself and in all answer categories, and
remember that bolded gray text is optional for
reading.
INSTRUMENT CHANGES SINCE 2018
INSTRUMENT CHANGES
Minor changes have been made from the 2018 PPCS
SINCE 2018
to the 2020 PPCS. The most prominent change to
the 2020 PPCS is incorporating questions about the
respondent’s actions during their most recent contact
with the police.
OVERVIEW OF THE PPCS
OVERVIEW OF THE PPCS

PPCS SCREENER
QUESTIONS

The PPCS CAPI instrument was designed as nine
modules. Each module contains a series of questions
about a specific topic. The total number of modules
asked of each eligible PPCS respondent depends on
the interviewing situation. The modules are described
below.
The first series of PPCS questions is used to screen
and determine which remaining PPCS questions the
sample person is eligible for. Responses to these
questions are used to determine the types and the
overall prevalence estimate for police contact. For this
reason, it is extremely important that you accurately
classify the types of police contacts the respondent
reports, and that you use the verification screen in the
Verification module to correct any errors.
In this module you ask about nine specific types of
police contacts. These include: the respondent
reported a crime, disturbance, or suspicious activity to

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the police (RPT_CRIME); the respondent reported a
non-crime emergency to the police
(RPT_NONCRIME); the respondent contacted the
police for non-emergency assistance
(RPT_NONEMERG); the respondent participated in a
neighborhood watch or other anti-crime program with
the police (BLK_WATCH); the respondent was in a
traffic accident in which the police came to the scene
(TRAFF_ACCID); the respondent was stopped by the
police while driving a motor vehicle (STOP_MV); the
respondent was stopped by the police while a
passenger in a motor vehicle (STOP_PASS_MV); the
respondent was stopped by the police in a public
place (but not in a moving vehicle) (STOP_PUBLIC);
and the respondent contacted the police or the police
initiated contact with the respondent for some other
reason (CONTACT_OTH_REAS). In addition,
SOUGHT_HELP and APPROACHED_BY_POL
gather more specific information about the police
contact in CONTACT_OTH_REAS.
For each of these screener questions, you ask
whether the respondent experienced a police contact
of this type during the reference period. It is critical to
get complete, accurate answers to the questions
about specific types of police contacts.
Once a respondent answers affirmatively to a
screener question, the instrument asks a short series
of follow-up questions to gather data on the number
and nature of the contacts.
Verification

The Verification module summarizes all police
contacts reported in the screener questions, and
allows the respondent to make any necessary
corrections before moving on the next section. The
respondent can add or delete a police contact, revise
the number of times a type of contact was reported, or
specify that there is a different type of error in the
verification screen. The Verification module is on path

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only for respondents who have reported at least two
different types of police contacts during the reference
period.
Most Recent
Contact

This series of questions collects information on the
timing of the most recent police contact. It determines
the month and year of the contact, the time of day, the
total length of the contact, and the respondent’s
perception of whether the length of the contact was
appropriate. The next five modules that follow (Street
Stop through Outcome of Voluntary Contacts)
address only the contact identified by the respondent
as the most recent contact, unless otherwise
specified.

Street Stop

These questions are asked if the respondent’s most
recent police contact involves having been stopped by
the police while in a public place but not a moving
vehicle. (This is referred to as a “street stop.”) The
respondent is asked whether others were present
during the stop, the reasons for the stop, and whether
the respondent believes the police had a legitimate
reason for the stop.

Traffic Stop

These questions are asked if the respondent’s most
recent police contact involves having been stopped
by the police while in a moving vehicle. (This is
referred to as a “traffic stop.”) The respondent is
asked whether other persons were in the vehicle,
the reasons for the stop, and whether the
respondent believes the police had a legitimate
reason for the stop.

Officer Characteristics

This series of questions collects information on the
number of police officers present during a traffic stop
or street stop, and the sex, Hispanic origin, and race
of the officer(s).

Outcome of Stop

For respondents whose most recent police contact
was initiated by the police, was a traffic accident, or
who report in ARREST that they were arrested in a

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police contact not captured elsewhere in the Screener
Questions module, these questions gather information
on the outcome of the interaction—whether it resulted
in a warning, ticket, or arrest. It also addresses other
police actions during the stop, such as frisking the
respondent or searching the respondent’s vehicle.
The respondent is also asked if the police engaged in
specific verbal or physical actions toward the
respondent and whether he or she believes these
police actions were necessary and/or excessive, and
what actions the respondent took during the contact.
Outcome of
Voluntary Contacts

These questions are asked if the respondent reports
having initiated contact with the police, as opposed to
having been stopped or approached by the police.
This is known as a voluntary contact. Questions are
asked about the method used to contact the police,
what effect the police contact may have had, and how
likely the respondent would be to contact police in the
future.

Final Questions

These questions are asked of all respondents, with the
exception of those whose most recent police contact
involved participating in a block watch with the police.
Questions address police behavior, use of force, and
whether or not the respondent filed a complaint
against the officer(s). For some of these questions,
the respondent is asked to provide information about
police contacts other than the most recent one.

PPCS reference period

The reference period is calculated based on the
current system date and filled by the CAPI instrument.
The reference period beginning date you see contains
the first day of the month one year ago. For example,
if you are interviewing in January 2020, the reference
period start date displayed in the CAPI instrument
should be January 1, 2019. The reference period end
date is the day of the interview.

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PPCS most recent incident For all respondents who have reported a police
contact during the reference period, the purpose of
modules Most Recent Contact through Outcome of
Voluntary Contact is to collect information about the
police contact identified by the respondent as most
recent. Be sure that the respondent is referring to and
answering the PPCS questions about this most recent
contact.
OMB No. 1121-0260

Approval Expires 05/31/2021

Now, I would like to ask some questions about any contacts you may have had with the
police. We estimate these questions will take between 3 to 10 minutes depending on your
circumstances. The U.S. Census Bureau is required by law to keep your information
confidential.
If a respondent refuses the supplement questions, enter 2 (AT THIS SCREEN ONLY) to code the
supplement as a noninterview.
If a respondent completed their NCVS interview but can not complete their PPCS interview at
this time, enter 3.
1
2
3

Enter 1 to continue
Refused supplement
Currently unable to complete the interview, but willing to complete at later date/time

INTRO_1

INTRO_1

The INTRO_1 screen introduces the PPCS
supplement to the respondent. It conveys that we
would like to ask questions about contacts they may
have had with the police. If the respondent seems
hesitant or reluctant to continue after you read the
introduction, reassure them that:
● The findings from this survey are released only in
the form of statistical summaries, and information
about specific individuals is not revealed.
● Participation is voluntary and respondents may
decline to answer any questions they are
uncomfortable answering.

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Precode (1)

If a respondent is available and willing to participate,
enter Precode (1) to continue with the PPCS
interview.

Precode (2)

If, after exhausting all avenues to get the
respondent’s participation, the respondent still
refuses, then enter Precode (2); code the case as a
noninterview at the SUPP_TYPEZ screen.

Precode (3)

Some respondents will be willing to participate but are
unable to complete the supplement at that moment. In
these situations, enter Precode (3) at INTRO_1.
When you select Precode (3) the instrument either
goes to the next eligible household member or exits
the case.

This next set of questions focuses on any times you may have contacted the police or the
police initiated contact with you. The term "police" refers to any law enforcement officer.
Most questions that I will be asking refer to a specific time period. During this interview, the
time period is for the past 12 months, that is, from [respondent’s reference period].
1

Enter 1 to continue

INTRO_2

INTRO_2

The PPCS instrument calculates the respondent’s
reference period and displays it on the INTRO_2
screen. The INTRO_2 screen also defines and
standardizes what the term “police” means in the
context of the PPCS.
When we use the term “police” or “police officers,” we
include city, county, state, and Federal police officers.
Other examples of police officers include sheriffs,
sheriffs’ deputies, parole officers, game wardens,
animal control officers, park rangers, and U.S.
marshals.

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Do not consider contacts with 911 dispatchers,
Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), fire chiefs,
or private security guards to be police contacts.
If a respondent is unsure if the person with whom they
had contact was a police officer or a private security
guard, offer the following distinctions to help the
respondent decide:
POLICE OFFICERS
• Wear a uniform with a patch identifying the CITY,
COUNTY, STATE, OR FEDERAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY employing the
officer. This could be any government jurisdiction
from Federal to small townships and villages.
• Wearing plain clothes would normally show
their police badge to the person.
• Have the authority to ticket and arrest persons
who break the law.
PRIVATE SECURITY GUARDS
•

Wear a uniform with a patch or decal
identifying the PRIVATE SECURITY GUARD
COMPANY EMPLOYING THEM.

•

Always wear their company uniform.

•

Do not have the authority to ticket or arrest
persons who break the law. If the situation
warrants a ticket or an arrest, the guard would
call for a police officer to take over for him/her.

Only provide this information to a respondent when
they ask a question relating to the distinction
between a police officer and a security guard.

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Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) to continue to the PPCS screener
questions.

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PPCS SCREENER QUESTIONS
PPCS SCREENER QUESTIONS
After INTRO_2, the instrument proceeds with the screener questions. These questions
address whether or not the respondent has had specific types of police contacts
during the reference period. Responses to these questions are used to determine the
respondent’s eligibility for subsequent questions in the instrument.
With these next questions, I'm going to ask you about 5 types of reasons why you may have
contacted the police in the past 12 months. If you contacted the police on multiple occasions,
you can say yes to more than one reason, but please choose the reason that best fits why
you contacted the police on each occasion.
Have you reported any kind of crime, disturbance, or suspicious activity to the police during
the past 12 months?
1
2

Yes
No

RPT_CRIME

RPT_CRIME

RPT_CRIME is asked to determine whether the
respondent has reported a crime, disturbance, or
suspicious activity to the police during the reference
period.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” response. The
instrument goes to RPT_CRIME_TIMES.

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) for a “No” response. The instrument
goes to RPT_NONCRIME.

How many times did this happen in the past 12 months?
_____
RPT_CRIME_TIMES

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Was this contact a face-to-face (in person) interaction with the police?
1
2

Yes
No

RPT_CRIME_FACE
How many of these contacts were face-to-face (in person) interactions with police?
_____
RPT_CRIME_FACENUM

RPT_CRIME_TIMES
through
RPT_CRIME_FACENUM

Items RPT_CRIME_TIMES through
RPT_CRIME_FACENUM appear when RPT_CRIME
is answered with Precode (1), “Yes,” indicating that
the respondent did report a crime, disturbance, or
suspicious activity to the police. Enter the number of
times in RPT_CRIME_TIMES, and whether it was a
face-to-face interaction in RPT_CRIME_FACE.
RPT_CRIME_FACENUM only appears if
RPT_CRIME_TIMES is answered with a number
greater than 1. Enter the number of face-to-face
contacts in RPT_CRIME_FACENUM.
If the total number of face-to-face contacts reported
in RPT_CRIME_FACENUM is greater than the
number of contacts reported in
RPT_CRIME_TIMES, the instrument shows check
item RPT_CRIME_CK. RPT_CRIME_CK directs you
to review the entries for RPT_CRIME_TIMES and
RPT_CRIME_FACENUM.

You have reported more face-to-face interactions than
times you reported any kind of crime, disturbance, or
suspicious activity. Please review entries.
RPT_CRIME_CK

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Definition of
“Face-to-face
contact”

Note that a face-to-face contact is defined as an
in-person contact in which there was direct verbal
interaction between the respondent and a police
officer who is working in the line of duty. Merely
being in the vicinity or presence of a police officer
does not constitute face-to-face contact. To be
considered a face-to-face contact the police officer
must focus his/her attention directly on the
respondent and verbally interact with the
respondent.
Example of a single contact:
The respondent calls the police to report a domestic
disturbance next door. Two officers arrive, and one of
them interviews the respondent while the other
addresses the disturbance next door. A half hour
later, one of the officers returns to the respondent to
report that the incident has been resolved. This is
considered ONE face-to-face contact with the police.
Example of multiple contacts:
Given the first example, if the respondent called the
police again later that night or the next day to report
another domestic disturbance next door, and was
interviewed again by police in person, then the first
and second examples together are considered TWO
face-to-face contacts with police.

The last question asked about reporting crimes or suspicious activity. Have you reported an
EMERGENCY that was NOT a crime to the police? These could include medical emergencies, or a
traffic accident that you witnessed but were not involved in.
1
2

Yes
No

RPT_NONCRIME

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RPT_NONCRIME

RPT_NONCRIME asks whether the respondent has
reported an emergency to the police during the
reference period that was NOT a crime.
Be careful that the respondent understands the
differences between a crime emergency and a noncrime emergency.
Example of a non-crime emergency:
A respondent flags down a nearby police officer
because her child has asthma and is having trouble
breathing.
Example of a crime emergency:
A respondent flags down a nearby police officer after
her son is injured from an assault by a stranger.
Example of a non-crime emergency:
A respondent witnesses a traffic accident, and stays
so that he can give the police officer an eye-witness
account.
Example of a crime emergency:
A respondent witnesses a traffic accident in which a
suspected drunk driver runs a stop sign, hits another
vehicle, and then flees the scene. The respondent
calls the police to report the event and serve as an
eye witness.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” response. The
instrument goes to RPT_NONCRIME_TIMES.

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) for a “No” response. The instrument
goes to RPT_NONEMERG.

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____________________________________________________________________________
How many times did this happen during the past 12 months?
_____
RPT_NONCRIME_TIMES

Was this contact a face-to-face (in person) interaction with police?
1 Yes
2 No
RPT_NONCRIME_FACE

How many of these contacts were face-to-face (in person) interactions with police?
_____
RPT_NONCRIME_FACENUM

RPT_NONCRIME_TIMES
through
RPT_NONCRIME_FACENUM

Items RPT_NONCRIME_TIMES through
RPT_NONCRIME_FACENUM appear when
RPT_NONCRIME is answered with Precode
(1), “Yes,” indicating that the respondent did
report an emergency that was not a crime.
Enter the number of times in
RPT_NONCRIME_TIMES, and whether it was a
face-to-face interaction in
RPT_NONCRIME_FACE.
RPT_NONCRIME_FACENUM only appears if
RPT_NONCRIME_TIMES is answered with a
number greater than 1. Enter the number of
face-to-face contacts in
RPT_NONCRIME_FACENUM.
If the total number of face-to-face contacts
reported in RPT_NONCRIME_FACENUM is
greater than the number of contacts reported in
RPT_NONCRIME_TIMES, the instrument
shows check item RPT_NONCRIME_CK, which
directs you to review the entries for
RPT_NONCRIME_TIMES and
RPT_NONCRIME_FACENUM.

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You have reported more face-to-face interactions
than times you reported an emergency that was not a
crime. Please review entries.
RPT_NONCRIME_CK
In the past 12 months, have you contacted or approached police for NON-EMERGENCY assistance
such as asking directions, custody enforcement, court orders, or any other non-emergency
situation?
1
2

Yes
No

RPT_NONEMERG

RPT_NONEMERG

RPT_NONEMERG asks whether the respondent has
contacted the police during the reference period for
non-emergency assistance.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” response. The
instrument goes to RPT_NONEMERG_TIMES.

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) for a “No” response. The instrument
goes to BLK_WATCH.

How many times did this happen during the past 12 months?
_____
RPT_NONEMERG_TIMES
Was this contact a face-to-face (in person) interaction with police?
1
2

Yes
No

RPT_NONEMERG_FACE

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____________________________________________________________________________
How many of these contacts were face-to-face (in person) interactions with police?
_____
RPT_NONEMERG_FACENUM

RPT_NONEMERG_TIMES
through
RPT_NONEMERG_FACENUM

Items RPT_NONEMERG_TIMES through
RPT_NONEMERG_FACENUM appear when
RPT_NONEMERG is answered with Precode
(1), “Yes,” indicating that the respondent did
contact or approach the police for nonemergency assistance. Enter the number of
times in RPT_NONEMERG_TIMES, and
whether it was a face-to-face interaction in
RPT_NONEMERG_FACE.
RPT_NONEMERG_FACENUM only appears if
RPT_NONEMERG_TIMES is answered with a
number greater than 1. Enter the number of
face-to-face contacts in
RPT_NONEMERG_FACENUM.
If the total number of face-to-face contacts
reported in RPT_NONEMERG_FACENUM is
greater than the number of contacts reported in
RPT_NONEMERG_TIMES, the instrument
shows check item RPT_NONEMERG_CK,
which directs you to review the entries for
RPT_NONEMERG_TIMES and
RPT_NONEMERG_FACENUM.

You have reported more face-to-face interactions
than times you contacted or approached police for
non-emergency assistance. Please review entries.
RPT_NONEMERG_CK

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In the past 12 months, have you participated in an organized neighborhood watch or
other anti-crime programs WITH police?
Neighborhood watch also refers to block watch or community watch programs.
1
2

Yes
No

BLK_WATCH

BLK_WATCH

BLK_WATCH asks whether the respondent has
participated with the police in an organized
neighborhood watch or other anti-crime programs,
during the reference period.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” response. The
instrument goes to BLK_WATCH_TIMES.

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) for a “No” response. The
instrument goes to TRAFF_ACCID.

How many times did you participate in an organized neighborhood watch program with police
during the past 12 months?
_____
BLK_WATCH_TIMES

Was this contact a face-to-face (in person) interaction with police?
1
2

Yes
No

BLK_WATCH_FACE

How many of these contacts were face-to-face (in person) interactions with police?
_____
BLK_WATCH_FACENUM

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BLK_WATCH_TIMES through
BLK_WATCH_FACENUM

Items BLK_WATCH_TIMES through
BLK_WATCH_FACENUM appear when
BLK_WATCH is answered with Precode (1),
“Yes,” indicating that the respondent did
participate in an organized neighborhood watch or
other anti-crime programs with police. Enter the
number of times in BLK_WATCH_TIMES, and
whether it was a face-to-face interaction in
BLK_WATCH_FACE. BLK_WATCH_FACENUM
only appears if BLK_WATCH_TIMES is answered
with a number greater than 1. Enter the number of
face-to-face contacts in
BLK_WATCH_FACENUM.
If the total number of face-to-face contacts
reported in BLK_WATCH_FACENUM is greater
than the number of contacts reported in
BLK_WATCH_TIMES, the instrument shows
check item BLK_WATCH_CK, which directs you
to review the entries for BLK_WATCH_TIMES
and BLK_WATCH_FACENUM.

You have reported more face-to-face interactions than
times you reported participating in an organized
neighborhood watch program. Please review entries.
BLK_WATCH_CK

In the past 12 months, have you been involved in a traffic accident in which the police came to
the scene?
1 Yes
2 No
TRAFF_ACCID

TRAFF_ACCID

TRAFF_ACCID asks whether the respondent has
been involved in a traffic accident during the
reference period in which the police came to the
scene.

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____________________________________________________________________________

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” response. The
instrument goes to TRAFF_ACCID_TIMES.

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) for a “No” response. The instrument
goes to USUALLY_DRIVE.

How many times did this happen during the past 12 months?
_____
TRAFF_ACCID_TIMES
During [this contact/any of these contacts], were you arrested?
1
2

Yes
No

TRAFF_ACCID_ARREST

TRAFF_ACCID_TIMES and
TRAFF_ACCID_ARREST

Items TRAFF_ACCID_TIMES and
TRAFF_ACCID_ARREST appear when
TRAFF_ACCID is marked with Precode (1), “Yes,”
indicating that the respondent was involved in a
traffic accident in which the police came to the
scene.
Enter the number of times in
TRAFF_ACCID_TIMES, and whether the
respondent was arrested in
TRAFF_ACCID_ARREST.
All responses go to USUALLY_DRIVE.

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Before continuing with additional questions about contacts you may have had with the police, I
would like to find out how often you usually drove in the past 12 months. Did you drive...
1
2
3
4
5

Every day or almost every day?
A few days a week?
A few days a month?
A few times a year?
Never?

USUALLY_DRIVE

USUALLY_DRIVE

USUALLY_DRIVE is asked to determine how often
the respondent currently drives a motor vehicle,
which could range from “Every day or almost every
day” to “Never.” As you ask this question, include
each category as part of the question until you get a
“Yes” answer from the respondent. Remember to
pause briefly between each category to allow the
respondent time to answer. If a respondent answers
with a specific number of days/weeks/months, follow
the instructions for each precode listed below.
If you get a “Don’t know” response, use probing
techniques to determine the correct precode. If
multiple responses apply, choose the response
that reflects the respondent’s driving behavior in
the time period closest to the interview month.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) if you get a “Yes” answer to
“Every day or almost every day?” or the
respondent tells you that he/she currently
drives every day or 4 or more days a week.

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) if you get a “Yes” answer to “A
few days a week?” or the respondent tells you
that he/she currently drives between 1 and 3
days a week.

Precode (3)

Enter Precode (3) if you get a “Yes” answer to “A few
days a month?” or the respondent tells you that

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he/she currently drives between 2 to 4 days a month.
Precode (4)

Enter Precode (4) if you get a “Yes” answer to
“A few times a year?” or the respondent tells
you that he/she currently drives only a very
limited amount of time throughout a year.

Precode (5)

Enter Precode (5) if you get a “Yes” answer to
“Never?”
All responses go to STOP_MV.

Now I'm going to ask you about 4 types of reasons why the police may have initiated contact
with you in the past 12 months. If the police initiated contact with you on multiple occasions,
you can say yes to more than one reason, but please choose the reason that best fits why police
initiated contact with you on each occasion.
Have you been pulled over by the police while driving a motor vehicle, NOT including any driving
violations captured by camera and ticketed by mail?
1
2

Yes
No

STOP_MV

STOP_MV

STOP_MV asks whether the respondent has been
pulled over while driving a motor vehicle during the
reference period.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” response. The
instrument goes to STOP_MV_TIMES.

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) for a “No” response. The instrument
goes to STOP_PASS_MV.
If the respondent reports having been pulled over
while driving (1) in STOP_MV, and also reports that
he or she never drives (5) in USUALLY_DRIVE, the
instrument shows check item DRIVING_ERROR,
which directs you to review the entries for STOP_MV
and USUALLY DRIVE.

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____________________________________________________________________________
You have reported that you never drove in the past 12
months but have been pulled over by the police while
driving in the past 12 months. Please correct this
response. Probe the respondent to see if they were
actually pulled over while driving a motor vehicle, or ask
if they had occasionally driven during the past year.
DRIVING_ERROR
How many times did this happen during the past 12 months?
_____
STOP_MV_TIMES
During [this contact/any of these contacts], were you arrested?
1
2

Yes
No

STOP_MV_ARREST

STOP_MV_TIMES and
STOP_MV_ARREST

Items STOP_MV_TIMES and STOP_MV_ARREST
appear when STOP_MV is marked with Precode (1),
“Yes,” indicating that the respondent was pulled over
by the police while driving a motor vehicle.
Enter the number of times in STOP_MV_TIMES, and
whether the respondent was arrested in
STOP_MV_ARREST.

Have you been riding in a motor vehicle that was pulled over by police while someone else was
driving?
1
2

Yes
No

STOP_PASS_MV

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STOP_PASS_MV

STOP_PASS_MV asks whether the respondent was
riding in a motor vehicle that was pulled over by the
police, during the reference period.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” response. The
instrument goes to STOP_PASS_MV_TIMES.

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) for a “No” response. The instrument
goes to STOP_PUBLIC.

How many times did this happen during the past 12 months?
_____
STOP_PASS_MV_TIMES

During [this contact/any of these contacts], were you arrested?
1
2

Yes
No

STOP_PASS_MV_ARREST

STOP_PASS_MV_TIMES
and
STOP_PASS_MV_ARREST

Items STOP_PASS_MV_TIMES and
STOP_PASS_MV_ARREST appear when
STOP_PASS_MV is marked with Precode (1), “Yes,”
indicating that the respondent was a passenger in a car
that was pulled over by the police.
Enter the number of times in
STOP_PASS_MV_TIMES, and whether the
respondent was arrested in
STOP_PASS_MV_ARREST.

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In the past 12 months, have you been stopped by the police while standing, walking, or sitting in
a public place or sitting in a parked vehicle? This could include being stopped because the police
were looking for information, were asking about a crime or disturbance, suspected you of
something, or if they stopped you for some other reason.
1
2

Yes
No

STOP_PUBLIC

STOP_PUBLIC

STOP_PUBLIC asks whether the respondent was
stopped by the police in a public place, but not while
riding in or driving a motor vehicle.
Since street stops can occur while the respondent is
in a car, make sure the respondent is correctly
differentiating between a street stop and a traffic stop.
Example of a street stop:
The respondent is in his parked car waiting for his
child to be released from school. An officer
approaches the respondent’s car to ask if he has
seen a suspected criminal running through the area.
Example of a traffic stop:
The respondent is in his car and pulling away from the
school pick-up area, having retrieved his child. An
officer on foot flags him down to ask if he has seen a
suspected criminal running through the area.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” response. The
instrument goes to STOP_PUBLIC_TIMES.

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) for a “No” response. The instrument
goes to ARRESTED.

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How many times did this happen during the past 12 months?
_____
STOP_PUBLIC_TIMES
During [this contact/any of these contacts], were you arrested?
1
2

Yes
No

STOP_PUBLIC_ARREST

STOP_PUBLIC_TIMES and
STOP_PUBLIC_ARREST

Items STOP_PUBLIC_TIMES and
STOP_PUBLIC_ARREST appear when STOP_PUBLIC
is marked with Precode (1), “Yes,” indicating that the
respondent was stopped by the police while standing,
walking, or sitting in a public place or sitting in a parked
vehicle. Enter the number of times in
STOP_PUBLIC_TIMES, and whether the respondent
was arrested in STOP_PUBLIC_ARREST.

In the past 12 months, have you been arrested during any contact with the police that you have
not told me about yet?
1
2

Yes
No

ARRESTED

ARRESTED

ARRESTED collects information about arrests in the
prior 12 months that were not captured in previous
screener questions.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” response.

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) for a “No” response.

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____________________________________________________________________________
Other than what you have already told me about, in the past 12 months, have you contacted the
police or did the police initiate contact with you for any other reason?
1
2

Yes
No

CONTACT_OTH_REAS

CONTACT_OTH_REAS

CONTACT_OTH_REAS asks whether in the past 12
months the respondent either sought help from the
police or had a police-initiated contact, for something
not mentioned in any of the items RPT_CRIME
through ARRESTED.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” response. The
instrument goes to CONTACT_OTH_REAS_TIMES.

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) for a “No” response.
If the respondent has reported no police contacts in
the screener questions, the interview ends.
If the respondent has reported only one type of police
contact in the screener questions, the instrument
goes to CONTACT_MONTH in the Most Recent
Contact module.
If the respondent has reported more than one type of
police contact in the screener questions, the
instrument goes to V_CORRECT in the Verification
module.

How many times did this happen during the past 12 months?
_____
CONTACT_OTH_REAS_TIMES

CONTACT_OTH_REAS_
TIMES

Enter the number of times for the other contact in
CONTACT_OTH_REAS_TIMES.

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____________________________________________________________________________
[Was this contact/Were any of these contacts] initiated by you?
1
2

Yes
No

SOUGHT_HELP

How many?
_____
SOUGHT_HELP_TIMES

Was this contact a face-to-face (in person) interaction with police?
1 Yes
2 No
SOUGHT_HELP_FACE

Of those [number] contacts, how many were face-to-face (in person) interactions with police?
_____
SOUGHT_HELP_FACENUM
[Thinking only of the most recent contact], can you tell me about what happened?
SOUGHT_HELP_SP

SOUGHT_HELP_ through
SOUGHT_HELP_SP

Items SOUGHT_HELP through
SOUGHT_HELP_SP collect information on the
contact(s) reported under CONTACT_OTH_REAS,
if any, that were initiated by the respondent.
Use SOUGHT_HELP to indicate whether any of the
“other” contacts were initiated by the respondent. If
the respondent selects Precode (1), “Yes,” the
instrument continues to SOUGHT_HELP_TIMES.

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If the respondent selects Precode (2), “No,” the
instrument skips all subsequent questions about
respondent-initiated “other” contacts, and continues
to APPROACHED_BY_POL.
Indicate the number of respondent-initiated contacts
in SOUGHT_HELP_TIMES. If the respondent
reports only one respondent-initiated “other”
contact, the instrument goes to
SOUGHT_HELP_FACE. If the respondent reports
more than one respondent-initiated “other” contact,
the instrument goes to
SOUGHT_HELP_FACENUM.
Use SOUGHT_HELP_FACE to indicate whether
the contact reported in SOUGHT_HELP_TIMES
was a face-to-face contact. Both Precode (1)
(“Yes”) and Precode (2) (“No) go to
SOUGHT_HELP_SP.
Use SOUGHT_HELP_FACENUM to collect
information on the number of contacts reported in
SOUGHT_HELP that were face-to-face contacts. If
the number of contacts reported in
SOUGHT_HELP_FACENUM is greater than the
number of contacts reported in SOUGHT_HELP,
the item SOUGHT_HELP_FACENUM_CK
appears, which directs you to review the entries.
Otherwise, the instrument goes to
SOUGHT_HELP_SP.

You have reported more face-to-face interactions
with police than times you reported initiating
contact with police. Please review entries.
SOUGHT_HELP_FACENUM_CK

Use SOUGHT_HELP_SP to summarize the reason
for the respondent’s most recent, self-initiated
“other” contact with the police. Describe the

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respondent’s reason as completely as possible in
250 characters or fewer.
NOTE: If the respondent’s reason for initiating
contact with the police is consistent with one of the
reasons for police contact specified in RPT_CRIME,
RPT_NONCRIME, RPT_NONEMERG,
BLK_WATCH, TRAFF_ACCID, STOP_MV,
STOP_PASS_MV, or STOP_PUBLIC, do not
document the contact in the SOUGHT_HELP
through SOUGHT_HELP_SP screens. Instead,
back up to report the contact in the appropriate
screener question.
Example: A respondent’s response in
SOUGHT_HELP_SP is that “I called the police
because my neighbors were setting off illegal
fireworks.” This response is consistent with
RPT_CRIME, contacting the police to report a
crime, disturbance, or suspicious activity, and
should not be reported as an “other” police contact.
Use the up arrow key to back up to the
RPT_CRIME screen. Select Precode (1), “Yes,”
and revise the responses to RPT_CRIME_TIMES,
RPT_CRIME_FACE, and RPT_CRIME_FACENUM
so that they DO include this police contact. Then,
return to the CONTACT_OTH_REAS screen, and
revise the responses to CONTACT_OTH_REAS,
CONTACT_OTH_REAS_TIMES, SOUGHT_HELP,
SOUGHT_HELP_TIMES, SOUGHT_HELP_FACE,
SOUGHT_HELP_FACENUM, and
SOUGHT_HELP_SP as appropriate, so that they
do NOT include this contact.
If the respondent reported only one “other” police
contact in CONTACT_OTH_REAS_TIMES, or if the
number of “other” police contacts reported in
CONTACT_OTH_REAS_TIMES is equal to the
number reported in SOUGHT_HELP_TIMES, the
instrument goes to a new module depending on the

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total number of contacts reported in screener
questions RPT_CRIME_TIMES through
SOUGHT_HELP_TIMES. If the respondent
reported only one type of contact in the screener
questions, the instrument goes to
CONTACT_MONTH in the Most Recent Contact
module. If the respondent has reported more than
one type of contact in the screener questions, the
instrument goes V_CORRECT in the Verification
module.
If the questions SOUGHT_HELP through
SOUGHT_HELP_SP do NOT address all of the
respondent’s “other” contacts with the police, the
instrument goes to APPROACHED_BY_POL.
[Was this contact/Were any of these contacts] initiated by the police?
1
2

Yes
No

APPROACHED_BY_POL
How many?
_____
APPROACHED_BY_POL_TIMES

[Thinking only of the most recent contact], can you tell me about what happened when the
police initiated contact with you?
APPROACHED_BY_POL_SP

APPROACHED_BY_POL
through APPROACHED
_BY_POL_SP

Items APPROACHED_BY_POL through
APPROACHED_BY_POL_SP collect information
on the contact(s) reported under
CONTACT_OTH_REAS, if any, that were initiated
by the police.

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Use APPROACHED_BY_POL to indicate whether
any of the “other” contacts were initiated by the
police. If the respondent selects Precode (1), “Yes,”
the instrument continues to
APPROACHED_BY_POL_TIMES. If the
respondent selects Precode (2), “No,” the
instrument goes to a new module depending on the
total number of contacts reported in screener
questions RPT_CRIME_TIMES through
SOUGHT_HELP_TIMES. If the respondent
reported only one type of contact in the screener
questions, the instrument goes to
CONTACT_MONTH in the Most Recent Contact
module.
If the respondent has reported more than one type
of contact in the screener questions, the instrument
goes to V_CORRECT in the Verification module.
Indicate the number of police-initiated “other”
contacts in APPROACHED_BY_POL_TIMES. The
instrument goes to APPROACHED_BY_POL_SP.
Use APPROACHED_BY_POL_SP to summarize
the reason for the respondent’s most recent, policeinitiated “other” contact. Describe the respondent’s
reason as completely as possible in 250 characters
or fewer.
NOTE: If the respondent’s reason the police
initiated contact is consistent with one of the
reasons for police contact specified in
TRAFF_ACCID, STOP_MV,
STOP_PASS_MV,STOP_PUBLIC, RPT_CRIME,
RPT_NONCRIME, RPT_NONEMERG, or
BLK_WATCH, do not document the contact in the
APPROACHED_BY_POL through
APPROACHED_BY_POL_SP screens. Instead,
report the contact in the appropriate screener
question.

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Example: A respondent’s response in
APPROACHED_BY_POL_SP is that “I was pulled
over for speeding.” This response is consistent with
STOP_MV, being pulled over by the police while
driving a motor vehicle, and should not be reported
as an “other” police contact. Use the up arrow key
to return to the CONTACT_OTH_REAS screen,
and revise the responses to
CONTACT_OTH_REAS,
CONTACT_OTH_REAS_TIMES, SOUGHT_HELP,
APPROACHED_BY_POL, and
APPROACHED_BY_POL_SP as appropriate, so
that they do NOT include this contact. Next, use the
up arrow key to back up to the STOP_MV screen.
Select Precode (1), “Yes,” and revise the
responses to STOP_MV_TIMES and
STOP_MV_ARREST so that they DO include this
police contact.
The instrument goes to a new module depending
on the total number of contacts reported in
screener questions RPT_CRIME_TIMES through
APPROACHED_BY_POL_TIMES. If the
respondent reported only one contact in the
screener questions, the instrument goes to
CONTACT_MONTH in the Most Recent Contact
module. If the respondent has reported more than
one contact in the screener questions, the
instrument goes to V_CORRECT in the Verification
module.

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____________________________________________________________________________

VERIFICATION QUESTIONS
VERIFICATION QUESTIONS
The Verification module appears for respondents who have had two or more types of
police contacts during the reference period. The Verification module allows the
respondent to review a summary of the information reported in the screener questions,
and to make any necessary changes before moving on to the next module.

You mentioned having several contacts with the police in the past 12 months. I am going to
read you a list of what I have recorded to make sure everything is correct. Each contact should
only be counted once. You said you had the following contacts with the police,
You reported a crime, disturbance, or suspicious activity to the police, [#] of times
You reported an emergency that was not a crime to the police, [#] of times
You contacted or approached the police for non-emergency assistance, [#] of times
You participated in a neighborhood watch WITH police, [#] of times
You were involved in a traffic accident in which the police came to the scene, [#] of times
You were stopped by the police while driving a motor vehicle, [#] of times
You were riding in a motor vehicle that was stopped by the police, [#] of times
You were stopped by the police in a public place, but not while driving or riding in a motor
vehicle, [#] of times
You were arrested during a contact with police not previously mentioned
You initiated contact with the police for something else not already mentioned, [#] of times
The police initiated contact with you for something else not already mentioned, [#] of times
Is everything that I have correct?
1 Yes
2 No
V_CORRECT

V_CORRECT

The V_CORRECT screen displays a summary of all
categories of police contacts previously reported by
the respondent, along with the number of times
reported for each. If a respondent has not reported a
particular type of police contact, it will NOT appear
on the V_CORRECT screen. For each type of police
contact appearing on the V_CORRECT screen, the
instrument automatically fills in the number of times
the respondent reported having experienced it.

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Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” response. The
instrument goes to SQ_MULT_CONTACTS_WPOL.

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) for a “No” response. The instrument
goes to V_NOT_CORRECT.

What is not correct?
You reported a crime, disturbance, or suspicious activity to the police, [#] of times
You reported an emergency that was not a crime to the police, [#] of times
You contacted or approached the police for non-emergency assistance, [#] of times
You participated in a neighborhood watch WITH police, [#] of times
You were involved in a traffic accident in which the police came to the scene, [#] of times
You were stopped by the police while driving a motor vehicle, [#] of times
You were riding in a motor vehicle that was stopped by the police, [#] of times
You were stopped by the police in a public place, but not while driving or riding in a motor
vehicle, [#] of times
You were arrested during a contact with police not previously mentioned
You initiated contact with the police for something else not already mentioned, [#] of times
The police initiated contact with you for something else not already mentioned, [#] of times
1
2
3
4

Number of times for a type of contact
Need to remove/unduplicate a type of contact
Need to add a contact
Something else

V_NOT_CORRECT

V_NOT_CORRECT

Precode (1)

V_NOT_CORRECT appears when the respondent
indicates that the information in V_CORRECT
contains at least one error (V_CORRECT Precode
(2), “No”). The V_NOT_CORRECT screen displays a
summary of all categories of police contacts
previously reported by the respondent, along with
the number of times reported for each. Select as
many of the responses to V_NOT_CORRECT
(Precodes 1-4) as apply.
Enter Precode (1) if the V_NOT_CORRECT screen
incorrectly displays the number of times the
respondent reported a specific type of contact.

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Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) if a police contact needs to be
removed or unduplicated from the
V_NOT_CORRECT screen.
NOTE: Select Precode (2) ONLY when there is a total
of one incident in the screener category the
respondent wishes to remove or unduplicate, that is,
when the respondent wants to change the number of
incidents in the screener category from one to zero.
Use Precode (1) when the respondent wishes to
remove or unduplicate incidents in a screener
category in which he or she has reported two or more
incidents.

Precode (3)

Enter Precode (3) if the respondent needs to add a
type of police contact not shown on the
V_NOT_CORRECT screen.

Precode (4)

Enter Precode (4) if there is something else incorrect
on the V_NOT_CORRECT screen, not already
captured in Precodes 1-3.

VERIFICATION MODULE
FLOW

The Verification Module allows the respondent to
correct any errors in the PPCS Screener Questions
Module. It cycles through each of the categories
selected in the V_NOT_CORRECT screen, and asks
a series of questions that allows the respondent to
correct or document the error(s). Once all of the
questions associated with the last marked category
in V_NOT_CORRECT have been asked, the
instrument proceeds to
SQ_MULT_CONTACTS_WPOL if the respondent
has had two or more types of police contact during
the reference period, or the instrument proceeds to
CONTACT_MONTH if the respondent has had only
one type of police contact.

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____________________________________________________________________________

Which contact or contacts have the wrong number of times reported?
Mark all that apply
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

You reported a crime, disturbance, or suspicious activity to the police, [#] of times
You reported an emergency that was not a crime to the police, [#] of times
You contacted or approached the police for non-emergency assistance, [#] of times
You participated in a neighborhood watch WITH police, [#] of times
You were involved in a traffic accident in which the police came to the scene, [#] of times
You were stopped by the police while driving a motor vehicle, [#] of times
You were riding in a motor vehicle that was stopped by the police, [#] of times
You were stopped by the police in a public place, but not while driving or riding in a motor
vehicle, [#] of times
You initiated contact with the police for something else not already mentioned, [#] of
times
The police initiated contact with you for something else not already mentioned, [#] of
times

V_WRONG_TIMES

V_WRONG_TIMES

V_WRONG_TIMES appears when the respondent
indicates in V_NOT_CORRECT that at least one of
the police contacts on the V_NOT_CORRECT
screen shows the wrong number of times. The
V_WRONG_TIMES screen displays a summary of
all categories of police contacts previously reported
by the respondent, along with the number of times
originally reported for each. Select all of the police
contact categories that have an incorrect number of
times displayed.

How many times did you report any kind of crime, disturbance, or suspicious activity to the
police during the past 12 months?
_____
VS_REPORT_CRIME_TIMES

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Was this contact a face-to-face (in person) interaction with police?
1
2

Yes
No

VS_RPT_CRIME_FACE

How many of these contacts were face-to-face (in person) interactions with police?
_____
VS_RPT_CRIME_FACENUM

VS_RPT_CRIME_TIMES
through VS_RPT_CRIME_
FACENUM

Items VS_RPT_CRIME_TIMES through
VS_RPT_CRIME_FACENUM are used to correct
information about the number of times a
respondent contacted the police to report a crime,
disturbance, or suspicious activity. This series of
questions appears if the respondent has indicated
in V_WRONG_TIMES that the information about
the number of times he or she contacted police for
this reason is incorrect, or if the respondent has
indicated in V_ADD that this type of contact needs
to be added.
Use VS_RPT_CRIME_TIMES to record the
(corrected) number of times the respondent
contacted the police to report a crime,
disturbance, or suspicious activity. If the
respondent reports only one contact of this type,
the instrument goes to VS_RPT_CRIME_FACE. If
the respondent reports two or more contacts of
this type, the instrument goes to
VS_RPT_CRIME_FACENUM.
In VS_RPT_CRIME_FACE, indicate whether the
respondent reported the crime, disturbance, or

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suspicious activity in a face-to-face contact with
police.
Use VS_RPT_CRIME_FACENUM to indicate the
number of times the respondent reported a crime,
disturbance, or suspicious activity in a face-to-face
contact with police. This item appears only if the
respondent indicates in VS_RPT_CRIME_TIMES
that he or she reported a crime, disturbance, or
suspicious activity at least twice during the
reference period.
The item VS_RPT_CRIME_CK appears when the
respondent reports a greater number of face-toface police contacts in
VS_RPT_CRIME_FACENUM, than the total
number of police contacts reported in
VS_RPT_CRIME_TIMES. Review the entries for
these two questions and make corrections.

You have reported more face-to-face interactions than
times you reported any kind of crime, disturbance, or
suspicious activity. Please review entries.
VS_RPT_CRIME_CK

How many times did you report an emergency that was not a crime during the past 12
months?
_____
VS_RPT_NONCRIME_TIMES
Was this contact a face-to-face (in person) interaction with police?
1
2

Yes
No

VS_RPT_NONCRIME_FACE

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How many of these contacts were face-to-face (in person) interactions with police?
_____
VS_RPT_NONCRIME_FACENUM

VS_RPT_NONCRIME_
TIMES through VS_RPT_
NONCRIME_FACENUM

Items VS_RPT_NONCRIME_TIMES through
VS_RPT_NONCRIME_FACENUM are used to
correct information about the number of times a
respondent reported an emergency to the police
that the respondent did not consider a crime. This
series of questions appears if the respondent has
indicated in V_WRONG_TIMES that the
information about the number of times he or she
contacted police for this reason is incorrect, or if
the respondent has indicated in V_ADD that this
type of contact needs to be added.
Use VS_RPT_NONCRIME_TIMES to record the
(corrected) number of times the respondent
contacted the police to report an emergency that
was not a crime. If the respondent reports only one
contact of this type, the instrument goes to
VS_RPT_NONCRIME_FACE. If the respondent
reports two or more contacts of this type, the
instrument goes to
VS_RPT_NONCRIME_FACENUM.
In VS_RPT_NONCRIME_FACE, indicate whether
the respondent reported the non-crime emergency
in a face-to-face contact with police.
Use VS_RPT_NONCRIME_FACENUM to indicate
the number of times the respondent reported a
non-crime emergency in a face-to-face contact with
police. This item appears only if the respondent
indicates in VS_RPT_NONCRIME_TIMES that he
or she reported an emergency that was not a crime
at least twice during the reference period.

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The item VS_RPT_NONCRIME_CK appears when
the respondent reports a greater number of faceto-face police contacts in
VS_RPT_NONCRIME_FACENUM, than the total
number of police contacts reported in
VS_RPT_NONCRIME_TIMES. Review the entries
for these two questions and make corrections.
You have reported more face-to-face interactions than
times you reported an emergency that was not a
crime. Please review entries.
VS_RPT_NONCRIME_CK

How many times did you contact or approach the police for non-emergency assistance during the
past 12 months?
_____
VS_RPT_NONEMERG_TIMES

Was this contact a face-to-face (in person) interaction with police?
1
2

Yes
No

VS_RPT_NONEMERG_FACE
How many of these contacts were face-to-face (in person) interactions with police?
_____
VS_RPT_NONEMERG_FACENUM

VS_RPT_NONEMERG_
TIMES through VS_RPT_
NONEMERG_FACENUM

Items VS_RPT_NONEMERG_TIMES through
VS_RPT_NONEMERG_FACENUM are used to
correct information about the number of times a
respondent contacted or approached the police
for non-emergency assistance.

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This series of questions appears if the
respondent has indicated in V_WRONG_TIMES
that the information about the number of times
he or she contacted police for this reason is
incorrect, or if the respondent has indicated in
V_ADD that this type of contact needs to be
added.
Use VS_RPT_NONEMERG_TIMES to record
the (corrected) number of times the respondent
contacted or approached the police for nonemergency assistance. If the respondent reports
only one contact of this type, the instrument goes
to VS_RPT_NONEMERG_FACE. If the
respondent reports two or more contacts of this
type, the instrument goes to
VS_RPT_NONEMERG_FACENUM.
In VS_RPT_NONEMERG_FACE, indicate
whether the respondent contacted or
approached the police for non-emergency
assistance in a face-to-face contact with police.
Use VS_RPT_NONEMERG_FACENUM to
indicate the number of times the respondent
contacted or approached the police for nonemergency assistance in a face-to-face contact
with police. This item appears only if the
respondent indicates in
VS_RPT_NONEMERG_TIMES that he or she
contacted the police for non-emergency
assistance at least twice during the reference
period.
The item VS_RPT_NONEMERG_CK appears
when the respondent reports a greater number
of face-to-face police contacts in
VS_RPT_NONEMERG_FACENUM, than the
total number of police contacts reported in
VS_RPT_NONEMERG_TIMES. Review the

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entries for these two questions and make
corrections.

You have reported more face-to-face
interactions than times you contacted or
approached police for non-emergency
assistance. Please review entries.
VS_RPT_NONEMERG_CK

How many times did you participate in an organized neighborhood watch program with police
during the past 12 months?
_____
VS_BLK_WATCH_TIMES

Was this contact a face-to-face (in person) interaction with police?
1
2

Yes
No

VS_BLK_WATCH_FACE
How many of these contacts were face-to-face (in person) interactions with police?
_____
VS_BLK_WATCH_FACENUM

VS_BLK_WATCH_TIMES
through VS_BLK_WATCH_
FACENUM

Items VS_BLK_WATCH_TIMES through
VS_BLK_WATCH_FACENUM are used to
correct information about the number of times a
respondent participated in an organized block
watch with the police. This series of questions
appears if the respondent has indicated in
V_WRONG_TIMES that the information about
the number of times he or she was in contact
with the police for this reason is incorrect, or if

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the respondent has indicated in V_ADD that this
type of contact needs to be added.
Use VS_BLK_WATCH_TIMES to record the
(corrected) number of times the respondent
participated in an organized block watch with
police. If the respondent reports only one contact
of this type, the instrument goes to
VS_BLK_WATCH_FACE. If the respondent
reports two or more contacts of this type, the
instrument goes to
VS_BLK_WATCH_FACENUM.
In VS_BLK_WATCH_FACE, indicate whether
the respondent’s participation in an organized
block watch with police involved a face-to-face
contact with police.
Use VS_BLK_WATCH_FACENUM to indicate
the number of times the respondent’s
participation in an organized block watch with
police involved face-to-face contact with police.
This item appears only if the respondent
indicates in VS_BLK_WATCH_TIMES that he or
she participated with police in an organized block
watch at least twice during the reference period.
The item VS_BLK_WATCH_CK appears when
the respondent reports a greater number of faceto-face police contacts in
VS_BLK_WATCH_FACENUM, than the total
number of police contacts reported in
VS_BLK_WATCH_TIMES. Review the entries
for these two questions and make corrections.

You have reported more face-to-face interactions
than times you reported participating in an
organized neighborhood watch program. Please
review entries.
VS_BLK_WATCH_CK

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How many times were you involved in a traffic accident in which police came to the scene during
the past 12 months?
_____
VS_TRAFF_ACCID_TIMES
During [this contact/any of these contacts] were you arrested?
1
2

Yes
No

VS_TRAFF_ACCID_ARREST

VS_TRAFF_ACCID_TIMES
and VS_TRAFF_ACCID_
ARREST

Items VS_TRAFF_ACCID_TIMES and
VS_TRAFF_ACCID_ARREST are used to correct
information about the number of times a respondent
was involved in a traffic accident in which the police
came to the scene. This series of questions
appears if the respondent has indicated in
V_WRONG_TIMES that the information about the
number of times he or she was in contact with the
police for this reason is incorrect, or if the
respondent has indicated in V_ADD that this type of
contact needs to be added.
Use VS_TRAFF_ACCID_TIMES to record the
(corrected) number of times the respondent was
involved in a traffic accident in which the police
came to the scene. For all responses the instrument
goes to VS_TRAFF_ACCID_ARREST.
In VS_TRAFF_ACCID_ARREST, record whether or
not the respondent was arrested during one or more
of these contacts.

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How many times were you stopped by the police while driving a motor vehicle during the past
12 months?
_____
VS_STOP_MV_TIMES

During [this contact/any of these contacts] were you arrested?
1
2

Yes
No

VS_STOP_MV_ARREST

VS_STOP_MV_TIMES and
VS_STOP_MV_ARREST

Items VS_STOP_MV_TIMES and
VS_STOP_MV_ARREST are used to correct
information about the number of times a respondent
was stopped by the police while driving a motor
vehicle. This series of questions appears if the
respondent has indicated in V_WRONG_TIMES that
the information about the number of times he or she
was in contact with the police for this reason is
incorrect, or if the respondent has indicated in
V_ADD that this type of contact needs to be added.
Use VS_STOP_MV_TIMES to record the (corrected)
number of times the respondent was stopped by the
police while driving a motor vehicle. For all
responses the instrument goes to
VS_STOP_MV_ARREST.
In VS_STOP_MV_ARREST, record whether or not
the respondent was arrested during one or more of
these contacts.

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How many times were you riding in a motor vehicle that was stopped by the police during the
past 12 months?
_____
VS_STOP_PASS_MV_TIMES

During [this contact/any of these contacts] were you arrested?
1 Yes
2 No
VS_STOP_PASS_MV_ARREST

VS_STOP_PASS_MV_
TIMES and
VS_STOP_PASS_
MV_ARREST

Items VS_STOP_PASS_MV_TIMES through
VS_STOP_PASS_MV_ARREST are used to correct
information about the number of times a respondent
was stopped by the police while riding in a motor
vehicle. This series of questions appears if the
respondent has indicated in V_WRONG_TIMES that
the information about the number of times he or she
was in contact with the police for this reason is
incorrect, or if the respondent has indicated in
V_ADD that this type of contact needs to be added.
Use VS_STOP_PASS_MV_TIMES to record the
(corrected) number of times the respondent was
stopped by the police while riding in a motor vehicle.
For all responses the instrument goes to
VS_STOP_PASS_MV_ARREST.
In VS_STOP_MV_ARREST, record whether or not
the respondent was arrested during one or more of
these contacts.

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How many times were you stopped by the police in a public place, but not while driving or riding
in a vehicle, during the past 12 months?
_____
VS_STOP_PUBLIC_TIMES

During [this contact/any of these contacts] were you arrested?
1
2

Yes
No

VS_STOP_PUBLIC_ARREST

VS_STOP_PUBLIC_TIMES
and VS_STOP_PUBLIC_
ARREST

Items VS_STOP_PUBLIC_TIMES and
VS_STOP_PUBLIC_ARREST are used to correct
information about the number of times a respondent
was stopped by the police in a public place, but not
while driving or riding in a motor vehicle. This series
of questions appears if the respondent has
indicated in V_WRONG_TIMES that the information
about the number of times he or she was in contact
with the police for this reason is incorrect, or if the
respondent has indicated in V_ADD that this type of
contact needs to be added.
Use VS_STOP_PUBLIC_TIMES to record the
(corrected) number of times the respondent was
stopped by the police in a public place, but not while
driving or riding in a motor vehicle. For all
responses the instrument goes to
VS_STOP_PUBLIC_ARREST.
In VS_STOP_PUBLIC_ARREST, record whether or
not the respondent was arrested during one or more
of these contacts.

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How many times did you initiate contact with the police for something else not already
mentioned?
_____
VS_SOUGHT_HELP_TIMES

Was this contact a face-to-face (in person) interaction with police?
1
2

Yes
No

VS_SOUGHT_HELP_FACE
How many of these contacts were face-to-face (in person) interactions with police?
_____
VS_SOUGHT_HELP_FACENUM

[Thinking only of the most recent contact], can you tell me about what happened?
VS_SOUGHT_HELP_SP

VS_SOUGHT_HELP_
TIMES through
VS_SOUGHT_
HELP_FACENUM

Items VS_SOUGHT_HELP_TIMES through
VS_SOUGHT_HELP_FACENUM are used to
correct information about the number of times a
respondent initiated contact with the police for
something else not already mentioned. This series
of questions appears if the respondent has
indicated in V_WRONG_TIMES that the information
about the number of times he or she contacted
police for this reason is incorrect, or if the
respondent has indicated in V_ADD that this type of
contact needs to be added.

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Use VS_SOUGHT_HELP_TIMES to record the
(corrected) number of times the respondent initiated
contact with the police for something else not
already mentioned. If the respondent reports only
one contact of this type, the instrument goes to
VS_SOUGHT_HELP_FACE. If the respondent
reports two or more contacts of this type, the
instrument goes to
VS_SOUGHT_HELP_FACENUM.
In VS_SOUGHT_HELP_FACE, indicate whether
the respondent initiated contact with the police for
something else not already mentioned, in a face-toface contact with police. The instrument goes to
VS_SOUGHT_HELP_SP.
Use VS_SOUGHT_HELP_SP to describe, in 250
characters or fewer, what happened during the
respondent’s most recent police contact of this type.
Use VS_SOUGHT_HELP_FACENUM to indicate
the number of times the respondent initiated contact
with the police for something else not already
mentioned, in a face-to-face contact with police.
This item appears only if the respondent indicates
in VS_SOUGHT_HELP_TIMES that he or she
initiated contact with the police for something else
not already mentioned, at least twice during the
reference period.
The item VS_SOUGHT_HELP_FACENUM_CK
appears when the respondent reports a greater
number of face-to-face police contacts in
VS_SOUGHT_HELP_FACENUM, than the total
number of police contacts reported in
VS_SOUGHT_HELP_TIMES. Review the entries
for these two questions and make corrections. The
instrument goes to VS_SOUGHT_HELP_SP.

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You have reported more face-to-face interactions with
police than times you reported initiating contact with
police. Please review entries.
VS_SOUGHT_HELP_FACENUM_CK

How many times did the police initiate contact with you for something else not already
mentioned?
_____
VS_APPROACHED_BY_POL_TIMES

[Thinking only of the most recent contact], can you tell me about what happened when the
police initiated contact with you?
VS_APPROACHED_BY_POL_SP

VS_APPROACHED_BY_
POL_TIMES and VS_
APPROACHED_
BY_POL_SP

Items VS_APPROACHED_BY_POL_TIMES and
VS_APPROACHED_BY_POL_SP are used to
correct information about the number of times the
police initiated contact with the respondent for
something else not already mentioned. These
questions appear if the respondent has indicated in
V_WRONG_TIMES that the information about the
number of times he or she was in contact with the
police for this reason is incorrect, or if the respondent
has indicated in V_ADD that this type of contact
needs to be added.
Use VS_APPROACHED_BY_POL_TIMES to record
the (corrected) number of times the police initiated
contact with the respondent for something else not
already mentioned. For all responses the instrument
goes to VS_APPROACHED_BY_POL_SP.

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Use VS_APPROACHED_BY_POL_SP to
summarize, in 250 characters or fewer, what
happened when the police initiated contact with the
respondent during the most recent incident of this
type.

Which type of contact or contacts do you need to remove?
Mark all that apply
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21

You reported a crime, disturbance, or suspicious activity to the police
You reported an emergency that was not a crime to the police
You contacted or approached the police for non-emergency assistance
You participated in a neighborhood watch WITH police
You were involved in a traffic accident in which the police came to the scene
You were stopped by the police while driving a motor vehicle
You were riding in a motor vehicle that was stopped by the police
You were stopped by the police in a public place, but not while driving or riding in a motor
vehicle
You were arrested during a contact with police not previously mentioned
You initiated contact with the police for something else not already mentioned
The police initiated contact with you for something else not already mentioned

V_REMOVE

V_REMOVE

V_REMOVE appears when the respondent indicates
in V_NOT_CORRECT that there are one or more
entries that need to be removed or unduplicated
(Precode (2)). The V_REMOVE screen displays a
summary of all categories of police contacts
previously reported by the respondent. Select as
many of the V_REMOVE categories as need to be
removed or unduplicated.

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Which type of contact or contacts do you need to add?
Mark all that apply
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21

You reported a crime, disturbance, or suspicious activity to the police
You reported an emergency that was not a crime to the police
You contacted or approached the police for non-emergency assistance
You participated in a neighborhood watch WITH police
You were involved in a traffic accident in which the police came to the scene
You were stopped by the police while driving a motor vehicle
You were riding in a motor vehicle that was stopped by the police
You were stopped by the police in a public place, but not while driving or riding in a motor
vehicle
You were arrested during a contact with police not previously mentioned
You initiated contact with the police for something else not already mentioned
The police initiated contact with you for something else not already mentioned

V_ADD

V_ADD

V_ADD appears when the respondent indicates in
V_NOT_CORRECT that there are one or more
entries that need to be added (Precode (3)). The
V_ADD screen displays a summary of all categories
of police contacts NOT previously reported by the
respondent.
NOTE: V_WRONG_TIMES should be used if the
respondent needs to report an additional contact with
police for a type of contact that was initially reported
in the screener section.
Select as many of the categories in V_ADD as need
to be added. For Precodes 11-18, 20, and 21, the
instrument goes to VS_RPT_CRIME_TIMES,
VS_RPT_NONCRIME_TIMES,
VS_RPT_NONEMERG_TIMES,
VS_BLKWATCH_TIMES,
VS_TRAFF_ACCID_TIMES, VS_STOP_MV_TIMES,
VS_STOP_PASS_MV_TIMES,
VS_STOP_PUBLIC_TIMES,
VS_SOUGHT_HELP_TIMES, or

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VS_APPROACH_BY_POL_TIMES depending on the
type(s) of contact(s) the respondent indicates to add.
For Precode 19, the instrument may go to
V_ELSE_SP or SQ_MULT_CONTACTS_WPOL
depending on previous answers.

What is not correct?
V_ELSE_SP

V_ELSE_SP

V_ELSE_SP appears when the respondent indicates
in V_NOT_CORRECT that there was something else
was not correct (Precode (4)). Enter the other reason
to explain what is not correct. This item allows 50
characters.

We just talked about several contacts with the police. Which of these was the most recent?
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21

You reported a crime, disturbance, or suspicious activity to the police
You reported an emergency that was not a crime to the police
You contacted or approached the police for non-emergency assistance
You participated in a neighborhood watch WITH police
You were involved in a traffic accident in which the police came to the scene
You were stopped by the police while driving a motor vehicle
You were riding in a motor vehicle that was stopped by the police
You were stopped by the police in a public place, but not while driving or riding in a motor
vehicle
You were arrested during a contact with police not previously mentioned
You initiated contact with the police for something else not already mentioned
The police initiated contact with you for something else not already mentioned

SQ_MULT_CONTACTS_WPOL

SQ_MULT_CONTACTS_
WPOL

SQ_MULT_CONTACTS_WPOL appears only for
respondents who have reported at least two types of
contacts with the police. Once the respondent has
selected the most recent police contact, the instrument
goes to CONTACT_MONTH in the Most Recent
Contact module.

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MOST RECENT CONTACT
MOST RECENT CONTACT
The Most Recent Contact module appears for all respondents who reported any contact
with police. The questions in this module allow the respondent to establish the month,
year and time of day for the most recent police contact, as well as to report on its length.
For the remainder of the interview, unless I say otherwise, please tell me ONLY about the MOST
RECENT contact you had with the police.
Now, I'm going to ask you:
-- some questions about the nature of the contact and the officer or officers who stopped you
when you were in a public place but not driving or riding in a vehicle.
-- some questions about the nature of the stop, the officer or officers who stopped you, and
about why you were stopped while driving a motor vehicle.
-- some questions about the nature of and reason for the stop, and about the officer or officers
who pulled over the vehicle you were riding in.
-- some questions about your interaction with police during this contact.
-- some questions about your interactions with police in which you were arrested.
-- some questions about the time you contacted the police.
-- about the time you participated in an organized neighborhood watch.
During what month and year did that contact occur?
Encourage respondent to give exact month.
Reference period: [instrument fills reference period]
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
96
97

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Outside reference period
Don’t know exact month within reference period

CONTACT_MONTH

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Did you mean ^ENDREFMOPPCS, 2019 or ^ENDREFMOPPCS, 2020?
1
2

2019
2020

CONTACT_YEAR

CONTACT_MONTH and
CONTACT_YEAR

Items CONTACT_MONTH and CONTACT_YEAR
establish the month and year in which the most recent
police contact took place. In CONTACT_MONTH, the
sentence “For the remainder of the interview, unless I
say otherwise, please tell me ONLY about the MOST
RECENT contact you had with the police” appears
only for respondents who have reported more than
one contact during the reference period. The
instrument also tailors the information following “Now,
I’m going to ask you some questions about” to match
the respondent’s most recent type of police contact.
Enter the precode for the month the respondent
reports for the police contact specified.
For a response of Precode (96), “Outside the
reference period,” an error message appears: “Verify
with respondent that the date is outside the 12
month reference period. If another reported
contact is within the reference period, select
SQ_MULT_CONTACTS_WPOL below and click
'GoTo'.” If you verify that the date is outside the
reference period, suppress the error message and the
instrument goes to SUPPLEMENTEND_PPCS if this
is the only contact reported. Otherwise, the
instrument allows you to go back and choose a new
most recent contact, change the date of the most
recent contact, or end the supplement if the most
recent contact is outside the reference period. If you
verify that the date is inside the reference period,
back up to the screens specified in the error box and
correct the entries.

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Note that, once you have entered a response for
CONTACT_MONTH, you will no longer be able to
make corrections to information in the screener
questions.
If the month reported in CONTACT_MONTH is
different from the current (interview) month, the
instrument goes to CONTACT_TIME.
If the respondent answered the same month the
interview is taking place, the instrument goes to
CONTACT_YEAR and asks what year the police
contact occurred. The instrument then goes to
CONTACT_TIME.

About what time of day did this contact occur?
If respondent says "during the day," Would you say it occurred between 6 a.m. and 12 noon, or
between 12 noon and 6 p.m.?
If respondent says "at night," Would you say it occurred between 6 p.m. and 12 midnight, or
between 12 midnight and 6 a.m.?
During day
11 After 6 a.m. – 12 noon
12 After 12 noon – 6 p.m.
13 Don’t know what time of day
At night
14 After 6 p.m. – 12 midnight
15 After 12 midnight – 6 a.m.
16 Don’t know what time of night
17 Don’t know whether day or night
CONTACT_TIME

CONTACT_TIME

CONTACT_TIME is asked to find out what time of
day the contact occurred. Enter the appropriate
precode for the time of day specified by the
respondent. The instrument then proceeds to item
CONTACT_LENGTH.

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About how many minutes would you say this contact lasted?
If respondent is unsure, ask for best estimate.
11 1-5 minutes
12 6-10 minutes
13 11-15 minutes
14 16-20 minutes
15 21-30 minutes
16 31-45 minutes
17 46-60 minutes (more than 45 minutes to an hour)
18 61-90 minutes (more than an hour to 1 ½ hours)
19 91-120 minutes (more than 1 ½ hours to 2 hours)
20 More than 120 minutes (more than 2 hours)
CONTACT_LENGTH

CONTACT_LENGTH

CONTACT_LENGTH is asked to find out how long
the contact lasted. Enter the appropriate precode for
the length of time specified by the respondent. The
instrument goes to CONTACT_APPROP_AMOUNT.

Would you say the police spent an appropriate amount of time with you?
If respondent says "no", Would you say the police spent too much time or too little time with
you?
1 Yes
2 No, too much time
3 No, too little time
4 Don’t know
CONTACT_APPROP_AMOUNT

CONTACT_APPROP_
AMOUNT

CONTACT_APPROP_AMOUNT is asked to
determine whether the respondent believes the
contact lasted an appropriate amount of time. Enter
Precode (1), “Yes,” if the respondent feels that the
contact lasted an appropriate amount of time;
Precode (2), “No, too much time” if the respondent
feels that the contact was too long; Precode (3) “No,
too little time,” if the respondent feels that the contact

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was too short; and enter Precode (4) if the
respondent answers “Don’t know.”
If the respondent just answers “No”, probe to
determine if they feel the contact took too much or too
little time. Enter Precode (2) or Precode (3) as
appropriate.
Depending on the nature of the respondent’s most
recent contact, the instrument goes:
•

To VOL_HOW_CONTACT_POL in the Outcome
of Voluntary Contacts module, if the respondent’s
most recent police contact was to report a crime,
disturbance, or suspicious activity; to report an
emergency that was not a crime; to contact or
approach the police for non-emergency
assistance; or to initiate contact with the police for
something else not already mentioned.

•

To OUTCM_GIVEN_TICKET in the Outcome of
Stop module, if the respondent’s most recent
police contact was when the respondent was
involved in a traffic accident in which the police
came to the scene; or when the police initiated
contact with the respondent for something not
already mentioned.

•

To OUTCM_CONDUCT_PS when the respondent
was arrested during a contact with police not
previously mentioned

•

To TRFC_OTHERS_IN_CAR or
TRFC_NUM_IN_CAR in the Traffic Stop module if
the most recent police contact is when the
respondent was stopped by the police while
driving a motor vehicle; or when the respondent
was stopped by police while riding in a motor
vehicle.

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•

To STRT_OTHERS_PRESENT in the Street Stop
module if the most recent police contact is when
the respondent was stopped by the police in a
public place, but not while driving or riding in a
vehicle.

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STREET STOP
STREET STOP
The Street Stop module appears for respondents whose most recent police contact
involves having been stopped by police while in a public place but not in a moving
vehicle.
Was anyone else with you at the time of the stop? Please remember to include babies or small
children.
1 Yes
2 No
STRT_OTHERS_PRESENT

STRT_OTHERS_PRESENT

STRT_OTHERS_PRESENT asks whether there
were other persons present with the respondent
during the stop. Precode (1), “Yes,” goes to
STRT_NUM_PRESENT. Precode (2), “No,” goes to
STRT_REASON_STOP.

How many other people were with you at the time of the stop?
_____
STRT_NUM_PRESENT

STRT_NUM_PRESENT

STRT_NUM_PRESENT asks how many other
persons were with the respondent at the time of the
stop. Enter the number as specified by the
respondent. The instrument goes to
STRT_REASON_STOP.

Did the police give a reason for stopping you?
1 Yes
2 No
STRT_REASON_STOP

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STRT_REASON_STOP

Item STRT_REASON_STOP is asked to find out
whether the police provided the respondent with a
reason for the stop. Be sure to collect information
only about the most recent contact the respondent
had with police, unless the instrument instructs
otherwise. Enter Precode (1) for “Yes,” and the
instrument goes to STRT_REASON_SUSPECT.
Enter Precode (2), “No,” and the instrument goes to
STRT_STOP_WARRANTED.

With this next question, I'm going to read a list of [6 or 8] possible reasons that an officer may
have given for stopping you. You can say yes to more than one reason but please choose ones
that best fit the reason or reasons the officer(s) gave you during your most recent contact with
police.
Did the police...
say they suspected you of something?
1 Yes
2 No
STRT_REASON_SUSPECT
Did the police...
say you matched the description of someone they were looking for?
1 Yes
2 No
STRT_REASON_MTCH_DESCRIP

Were the police...
seeking information about another person?
1 Yes
2 No
STRT_REASON_SEEK_INFO

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Were the police...
investigating a crime?
1 Yes
2 No
STRT_REASON_INVSTGT_CRIME
Were the police...
providing a service or assistance to you?
1 Yes
2 No
STRT_REASON_PROVD_ASSIST
Did someone you were with match the description of someone the police were looking for?
1 Yes
2 No
STRT_REASON_OTH_MATCH_DES
Was someone you were with suspected of something?
1 Yes
2 No
STRT_REASON_OTH_SUSPECT
Was there some other reason?
1 Yes
2 No
STRT_REASON_OTHER

STRT_REASON_SUSPECT

STRT_REASON_SUSPECT is asked to find out
whether the reason for the street stop was that the
police suspected the respondent of something. Enter
Precode (1) for a “Yes” response, (2) for “No.” The

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instrument goes to
STRT_REASON_MTCH_DESCRIP.
STRT_REASON
MTCH_DESCRIP

STRT_REASON_MTCH_DESCRIP is asked to find
out whether the reason for the street stop was that the
police matched the respondent to the description of
someone they were looking for. Enter Precode (1) for
a “Yes” response, (2) for “No.” The instrument goes to
STRT_REASON_SEEK_INFO.

STRT_REASON_SEEK_INFO STRT_REASON_SEEK_INFO is asked to find out
whether the reason for the street stop was that the
police were seeking information about another person
from the respondent. Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes”
response, (2) for “No.” The instrument goes to
STRT_REASON_INVSTGT_CRIME.
STRT_REASON
INVSTGT_CRIME

STRT_REASON_ INVSTGT_CRIME is asked to find
out whether the reason for the street stop was that the
police were investigating a crime. Enter Precode (1)
for a “Yes” response, (2) for “No.” The instrument goes
to STRT_REASON_PROVD_ASSIST.

STRT_REASON
PROVD_ASSIST

STRT_REASON_PROVD_ASSIST is asked to find
out whether the reason for the street stop was that the
police were providing a service or assistance to the
respondent. Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” response,
(2) for “No.”
The instrument continues to
STRT_REAS_OTH_MATCH_DES if
STRT_OTHERS_PRESENT was answered “Yes,”
indicating that others were present during the stop.
Otherwise the instrument skips to
STRT_REASON_OTHER.

STRT_REAS_OTH_
MATCH_DES

STRT_REAS_OTH_MATCH_DES is asked to find out
whether the reason for the street stop was that
someone the respondent was with matched the
description of someone the police were looking for.

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This item appears only if others were present during
the stop. Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” response, (2)
for “No.” All entries go to
STRT_REAS_OTH_SUSPECT.
STRT_REAS_OTH_
SUSPECT

STRT_REASON_OTHER

STRT_REAS_OTH_SUSPECT is asked to find out
whether the reason for the street stop was that the
police suspected someone the respondent was with
of something. It only appears if others were present
during the stop. Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes”
response, (2) for “No.” All entries go to
STRT_REASON_OTHER.
STRT_REASON_OTHER is asked to find out whether
the reason for the street stop was for some other
reason besides the ones already mentioned. Enter
Precode (1) for a “Yes” response; the instrument goes
to STRT_REASON_OTHER_SPEC. Enter (2) for
“No;” the instrument goes to
STRT_STOP_WARRANTED.

What was the other reason?
STRT_REASON_OTHER_SPEC

STRT_REASON_OTH_SPEC

STRT_REASON_OTH_SPEC appears when the
respondent answered “Yes” to
STRT_REASON_OTHER. Enter the other reason
police gave to the respondent for the stop. This item
allows 50 characters. The instrument continues with
STRT_STOP_WARRANTED.

Would you say the police had a legitimate reason for stopping you?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
STRT_STOP_WARRANTED

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STRT_STOP_WARRANTED

STRT_STOP_WARRANTED asks whether the
respondent feels the police had a legitimate
reason for making the stop. Enter Precode (1) for
“Yes,” Precode (2) for “No.” The instrument goes
to OFFICERS_PRESENT_NUM in the Officer
Characteristics module.

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TRAFFIC STOP
TRAFFIC STOP
Questions in the Traffic Stop module appear if the most recent police contact was when
the respondent was pulled over while driving or riding in a motor vehicle.

Was anyone else in the vehicle with you at the time of the traffic stop? Please remember to
include babies and small children.
1 Yes
2 No
TRFC_OTHERS_IN_CAR

TRFC_OTHERS_IN_CAR

Item TRFC_OTHERS_IN_CAR is asked to determine
whether there were any other persons in the vehicle
with the respondent at the time of the traffic stop. This
question appears only if the respondent was the
driver (rather than a passenger) of the vehicle that
was stopped by police.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) if the respondent indicates
there were other people in the vehicle at the time of
the traffic stop. The instrument goes to
TRFC_NUM_IN_CAR.

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) if the respondent indicates that
there were NOT any other people in the vehicle at the
time of the traffic stop. The instrument goes to
TRFSTP_REASON_STOP.

How many people OTHER than you were in the vehicle at the time of the traffic stop? Please
remember to include the driver, babies, and small children.
_____ number of persons.
TRFC_NUM_IN_CAR

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TRFC_NUM_IN_CAR

Item TRFC_NUM_IN_CAR is asked to find out how
many passengers were in the vehicle with the
respondent at the time of the traffic stop. The
reminder “Please remember to include the driver,
babies, and small children” appears only if the
respondent was a passenger in the vehicle that was
stopped by police. Enter a number from 1-96 to
specify how many other persons were in the vehicle.
For all responses, the instrument goes to
TRFSTP_REASON_STOP.

Did the police give a reason for stopping the vehicle?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
TRFSTP_REASON_STOP

TRFSTP_REASON_STOP

Item TRFSTP_REASON_STOP is asked to find out
if the officer(s) gave the respondent a reason for
stopping the vehicle.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) if the respondent answers “Yes”
because the police officer(s) provided a reason for
stopping the vehicle. After entering Precode (1) for
a “Yes” answer, the instrument goes to Item
TRFSTP_REASON_SPEED.

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) if the respondent answers
“No” because the police officer(s) did NOT
provide a reason for stopping the vehicle. After
entering Precode (2) for a “No” answer, the
instrument goes to Item
TRFSTP_STOP_WARRANTED.

Precode (3)

After entering Precode (3) for a “Don’t know”
answer, the instrument goes to Item
TRFSTP_STOP_WARRANTED.

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With this next question, I'm going to read a list of 11 possible reasons that an officer may have
given for stopping you. You can say yes to more than one reason but please choose ones that
best fit the reason or reasons the officer(s) gave you during your most recent contact with
police.
Were you stopped for...
Speeding?
Aggressive or reckless driving?
Vehicle defect like headlight or tail light out, window tinting, or obstructed plates?
Issues with or check of driver’s license, license plate, or vehicle registration?
Roadside check for drunk drivers?
Seatbelt violation?
Illegal turn or lane change?
Stop sign or stop light violation?
Using a cell phone while driving, including talking or texting?
Police conducting an investigation or suspicious activity?
Some other reason?
1 Yes
2 No
TRFSTOP_REASON_SPEED, TRFSTP_REASON_RECKLESS, TRFSTOP_REASON_DEFECT,
TRFSTOP_REASON_RECORD_CHK, TRFSTOP_REASON_ROADSIDE_CHK,
TRFSTOP_REASON_SEATBELT, TRFSTOP_REASON_ILLEGAL_LANE, TRFSTOP_REASON_STOP_SIGN,
TRFSTOP_REASON_CELLPHONE, TRFSTOP_REASON_INVESTIGATION, TRFSTOP_OTHER_REASON

TRFSTP_REASON_SPEED
through TRFSTOP_
OTHER_REASON

This series of questions is intended to find out the
reason for the traffic stop. Each of the questions
shares the same stem, but asks about a different
reason for the traffic stop.

TRFSTP_REASON
_SPEED

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if speeding was the
reason for the police stopping the motor vehicle.
Select Precode (2) if this was not the reason for
police stopping the vehicle.

TRFSTP_REASON
_RECKLESS

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if aggressive or reckless
driving was the reason for the police stopping the
motor vehicle. Select Precode (2) if this was not
the reason for police stopping the vehicle.

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TRFSTP_REASON
_DEFECT

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if a vehicle defect was
the reason for the police stopping the motor
vehicle. Select Precode (2) if this was not the
reason for police stopping the vehicle.

TRFSTP_REASON
_RECORD_CHK

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if a check of the
respondent’s driving record was the reason for the
police stopping the motor vehicle. Select Precode
(2) if this was not the reason for police stopping the
vehicle.

TRFSTP_REASON
_ROADSIDE_CHK

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if a roadside check for
drunk drivers was the reason for the police
stopping the motor vehicle. Select Precode (2) if
this was not the reason for police stopping the
vehicle.

TRFSTP_REASON
_SEATBELT

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if a seatbelt violation was
the reason for the police stopping the motor
vehicle. Select Precode (2) if this was not the
reason for police stopping the vehicle.

TRFSTP_REASON
_ILLEGAL_LANE

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if an illegal turn or
improper lane change was the reason for the
police stopping the motor vehicle. Select Precode
(2) if this was not the reason for police stopping the
vehicle.

TRFSTP_REASON
_STOP_SIGN

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if a stop sign or stop
light violation was the reason for the police
stopping the motor vehicle. Select Precode (2) if
this was not the reason for police stopping the
vehicle.

TRFSTP_REASON
_CELLPHONE

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if using a cell phone was
the reason for the police stopping the motor
vehicle. Select Precode (2) if this was not the
reason for police stopping the vehicle.

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TRFSTP_REASON
_INVESTIGATION

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the police stopped the
vehicle because they were conducting an
investigation or because of suspicious activity.
Select Precode (2) if this was not the reason for
police stopping the vehicle.

TRFSTP_OTHER
_REASON

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the police stopped
the vehicle because of some other reason not
already specified. Select Precode (2) if this was
not the reason for police stopping the vehicle.
If the respondent’s answer to
TRFSTP_OTHER_REASON was Precode (1),
“Yes,” item TRFSTP_OTHER_REASON_SP
appears. Otherwise, the instrument goes to
TRFSTP_STOP_WARRANTED.

What was the other reason?
TRFSTOP_OTHER_REASON_SP

TRFSTP_OTHER_
REASON_SP

Use the most descriptive words possible to
describe the reason for the traffic stop; you are
allotted 50 characters. If the respondent mentions a
reason which identifies any previous reason in
Items TRFSTP_REASON_SPEED through
TRFSTP_REASON_STOP_SIGN, go back to the
appropriate item and correct the answer.
For example, when you ask, “Was there some
other reason?” in Item
TRFSTP_OTHER_REASON, the respondent
answers “Yes” and tells you that she was stopped
because another passenger in the car was not
wearing her seatbelt. In this case, use the up
arrow key to return to Item
TRFSTP_REASON_SEATBELT and change the
“No” answer to “Yes.”

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After correcting that answer, the instrument skips
over Item TRFSTP_OTHER_REASON and
continues with Item
TRFSTP_STOP_WARRANTED.

Would you say the police had a legitimate reason for stopping you?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
TRFSTP_STOP_WARRANTED

TRFSTP_STOP_WARRANTED

TRFSTP_STOP_WARRANTED is asked to
determine whether the respondent feels that the
officer(s) had a legitimate reason for stopping the
vehicle.
Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” response, Precode
(2) for a “No” response, or Precode (3) for “Don’t
know.” All responses continue to
OFFICERS_PRESENT_NUM in the Officer
Characteristics section.

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OFFICER CHARACTERISTICS
OFFICER CHARACTERISTICS
Questions in the Officer Characteristics module appear if the most recent police contact
was when the respondent was pulled over while driving or riding in a motor vehicle, or
when the respondent was stopped in a public place but not while driving or riding in a
motor vehicle.

How many officers were present at the beginning of the stop?
1 One officer
2 Two officers
3 More than two officers
4 Don’t know
OFFICERS_PRESENT_NUM

OFFICERS_PRESENT_NUM

Item OFFICERS_PRESENT_NUM is asked to
determine if one or more than one police officer was
present during the respondent’s contact. Be sure to
collect information only about the most recent
contact the respondent had with police, unless the
instrument instructs otherwise.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) if only a single officer was
present during the contact; the instrument
continues with Item OFFICER_SEX.

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) if two police officers were
present during the contact; the instrument
continues with Item OFFICERS_SEX.

Precode (3)

Enter Precode (3) if more than two police
officers were present during the contact; the
instrument continues with Item
OFFICERS_SEX.

Precode (4)

Enter Precode (4) if the respondent does not know
or remember how many officers were present. The

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instrument goes to OUTCM_GIVEN_TICKET in
the Outcome of Stop module.

Was the police officer male or female?
1 Male
2 Female
3 Don’t know
OFFICER_SEX

OFFICER_SEX

OFFICER_SEX is asked in cases where the
respondent reported contact with only one officer,
to find out whether the police officer was male or
female. Enter Precode (1) for a “Male” response,
Precode (2) for a “Female” response, Precode (3)
for “Don’t know.” The instrument goes to Item
OFFICER_HISPANIC for all responses.

Was the police officer of Hispanic or Latino origin?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
OFFICER_HISPANIC

OFFICER_HISPANIC

OFFICER_HISPANIC is asked in cases where the
respondent reported contact with only one officer,
to find out whether the police officer was Latino or
Hispanic.
Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” response, Precode
(2) for a “No” response, or Precode (3) for a “Don’t
know” response. The instrument goes to Item
OFFICER_RACE for all responses.

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What race or races was the police officer? You may select more than one. Was the officer…
1 White?
2 Black or African American?
3 American Indian or Alaska Native?
4 Asian?
5 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander?
6 Don’t know
OFFICER_RACE

OFFICER_RACE

Item OFFICER_RACE is asked to determine the race
of the police officer that stopped the respondent.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) for “White.”

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) for “Black or African American.”

Precode (3)

Enter Precode (3) for “American Indian or Alaska
Native.” (including Aleut, Eskimo, etc.)

Precode (4)

Enter Precode (4) for “Asian.”

Precode (5)

Enter Precode (5) for “Native Hawaiian or Other
Pacific Islander.”

Precode (6)

Enter Precode (6) for “Don’t know.”
For all responses the instrument goes to
OUTCM_GIVEN_TICKET in the Outcome of Stop
module.

Were the police officers male or female?
1 All male
2 All female
3 Both male and female
4 Don’t know
OFFICERS_SEX

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OFFICERS_SEX

OFFICERS_SEX asks the sex of the officers
making the street stop or traffic stop. It is asked
only if the respondent reports that there were at
least two officers present at the beginning of the
stop. Enter Precode (1) for “All male,” Precode (2)
for “All female,” Precode (3) for “Both male and
female,” or Precode (4) for “Don’t know.”
Precodes (1), (2), and (4) go to
OFFICERS_HISPANIC.
If Precode (3) is selected, and
OFFICERS_PRESENT_NUM is answered with
Precode (2), the instrument goes to
OFFICERS_HISPANIC. If Precode (3) is selected,
and OFFICERS_PRESENT_NUM is answered with
Precode (3), the instrument goes to
OFFICERS_SEX_MAJORITY.

Were most of the police officers male or female?
1 Most were male
2 Most were female
3 Evenly divided
4 Don’t know
OFFICERS_SEX_MAJORITY

OFFICERS_SEX_MAJORITY

OFFICERS_SEX_MAJORITY is asked when the
respondent answers Precode (3) in
OFFICERS_SEX, and
OFFICERS_PRESENT_NUM is answered with
Precode (3). Enter the appropriate precode as
specified by the respondent. The instrument goes
to OFFICERS_HISPANIC.

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Was one or more of the police officers of Hispanic or Latino origin?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
OFFICERS_HISPANIC

OFFICERS_HISPANIC

OFFICERS_HISPANIC is asked in cases where the
respondent reported contact with more than one
officer, to find out whether any of the police
officers were Latino or Hispanic.
Enter Precode (1) for a “Yes” response; the
instrument goes to
OFFICERS_HISPANIC_MAJORITY. Enter
precode (2) for a “No” response, and Precode (3)
for “Don’t know,” the instrument goes to
OFFICERS_RACE.

Were most of the officers Hispanic, non-Hispanic, or an equal number of Hispanic and nonHispanic?
1 Most were Hispanic or Latino
2 Most were non-Hispanic
3 Equal number of Hispanic and non-Hispanic
4 Don’t know
OFFICERS_HISPANIC_MAJORITY

OFFICERS_HISPANIC_
MAJORITY

OFFICERS_HISPANIC_MAJORITY is asked
when there was one or more police officer of
Hispanic or Latino origin present during the traffic
stop. Enter Precode (1) for “Mostly Hispanic or
Latino,” Precode (2) for “Mostly non-Hispanic,”
Precode (3) for “Equal number of Hispanic and
non-Hispanic,” and Precode (4) for “Don’t know.”
All responses go to OFFICERS_RACE.

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What race or races were the officers? You may select more than one. Were they ….
Enter all that apply
1 White?
2 Black or African American?
3 American Indian or Alaska Native?
4 Asian?
5 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander?
6 Don’t know
OFFICERS_RACE

OFFICERS_RACE

Item OFFICERS_RACE is asked when there was
more than one police officer present during the stop.
This item is asked to determine the race or races of
the police officers who were present during the stop.
You can select multiple precodes to answer this
question.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) when any of the officers were
White.

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) when any of the officers were
Black or African American.

Precode (3)

Enter Precode (3) when any of the officers were
American Indian, Alaska Native (including Aleut,
Eskimo, etc.).

Precode (4)

Enter Precode (4) when any of the officers were
Asian.

Precode (5)

Enter Precode (5) when any of the officers were
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.

Precode (6)

Enter Precode (6) if the respondent cannot
identify the race for any or all of the police officers
who were present during the traffic stop.
When you complete this item, the instrument goes

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to OFFICERS_RACE_MAJORITY if more than
one response was selected. If only one response
was selected, the instrument goes to
OUTCM_GIVEN_TICKET in the Outcome of Stop
module.

What race were most of the officers? Were most of the officers…
11 White?
12 Black or African American?
13 American Indian or Alaska Native?
14 Asian?
15 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander?
16 Equal number of each race
17 Don’t know
OFFICERS_RACE_MAJORITY

OFFICERS_RACE_
MAJORITY

OFFICERS_RACE_MAJORITY is asked to find out
the race of the majority of the officers.

Precode (11)

Enter Precode (11) when the majority of the officers
were white.

Precode (12)

Enter Precode (12) when the majority of the officers
were black or African-American.

Precode (13)

Enter Precode (13) when the majority of the officers
were American Indian or Alaska Native (including
Aleut, Eskimo, etc.)

Precode (14)

Enter Precode (14) when the majority of the officers
were Asian.

Precode (15)

Enter Precode (15) when the majority of the
officers were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific
Islander.

Precode (16)

Enter Precode (16) when there was an equal number
of officers of the races selected in
OFFICERS_RACES.

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Precode (17)

Enter Precode (17) if the respondent cannot identify
the race for most of the police officers who were
present during the traffic stop.
All responses go to OUTCM_GIVEN_TICKET.

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OUTCOME OF STOP
OUTCOME OF STOP
Questions in the Outcome of Stop section are asked if the most recent police contact
occurred when: the respondent was involved in a traffic accident in which police came
to the scene; the respondent was stopped by the police while riding in or driving a motor
vehicle; the respondent was stopped in a public place (but not while riding in or driving a
motor vehicle); the respondent was arrested for some other reason; or the police
initiated contact with the respondent for some other reason.

Now I’m going to ask you some questions about the outcome of your most recent stop and
interaction with police.
During this contact were you given a ticket? Please do not include any verbal or written
warnings given to you by the police.
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
OUTCM_GIVEN_TICKET

OUTCM_GIVEN_TICKET

OUTCM_GIVEN_TICKET is asked to find out
whether the respondent was given a ticket during the
contact. The first sentence (“Now I am going to ask
you some questions about the outcome of your most
recent stop and interaction with the police”) appears
only when the contact was a street stop or a traffic
stop. Note that work orders or requirements for
vehicle maintenance and changes do NOT count as
tickets or warnings.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) for “Yes” to indicate that the
respondent was given a ticket. After entering
Precode (1) the instrument continues with
OUTCM_TICKET_REASON_SAME.

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) for “No” to indicate that the
respondent was NOT given a ticket. The instrument
goes to OUTCM_VERBAL_WARNING.

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Precode (3)

Enter Precode (3) for a “Don’t know” response.
After entering Precode (3) or “Refused,” the
instrument goes to
OUTCM_VERBAL_WARNING.

Were you ticketed for the same thing that you were stopped for, or for something different?
1 The same thing
2 Something different
OUTCM_TICKET_REASON_SAME

OUTCM_TICKET_
REASON_SAME

OUTCM_TICKET_REASON_SAME appears only for
respondents who report having been issued a ticket,
and is asked to determine whether or not the reason
for the ticket is the same as the initial reason for the
contact.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) for “The same thing.”

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) for “Something different.”
All responses go to OUTCM_VERBAL_WARNING.

Were you given…
a verbal warning?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
OUTCOM_VERBAL_WARNING

OUTCM_VERBAL_
WARNING

Precode (1)

OUTCM_VERBAL_WARNING is asked to determine
whether the respondent was given a verbal warning
during the contact.
Enter Precode (1) for “Yes.”

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Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) for “No.”

Precode (3)

Enter Precode (3) for “I don’t know.”
All responses go to OUTCM_WRITTEN_WARNING.

Were you given…
a written warning?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
OUTCOM_WRITTEN_WARNING

OUTCM_WRITTEN_
WARNING

OUTCM_WRITTEN_WARNING is asked to
determine whether the respondent was given a
written warning during the contact.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) for “Yes.”

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) for “No.”

Precode (3)

Enter Precode (3) for “I don’t know.”
The instrument goes to OUTCM_ARRESTED if any
of the following are true. The respondent:

• was stopped by the police more than once while
standing, walking, or sitting in a public place or
while sitting in a parked vehicle AND was arrested
during at least one of these stops.

• was stopped by the police more than once while
driving a motor vehicle AND was arrested during
at least one of these stops.

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• was stopped by the police more than once while a
passenger in a motor vehicle AND was arrested
during at least one of these stops.

• was involved more than once in a traffic accident
in which the police came to the scene AND was
arrested during at least one of these stops.
Otherwise, the instrument goes to
OUTCM_CONDUCT_PS.

You reported earlier that you were arrested during a contact with the police. Were you
arrested during this most recent contact?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
OUTCOM_ARRESTED

OUTCM_ARRESTED

OUTCM_ARRESTED is asked to determine whether
the respondent was arrested during the most recent
contact.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) for “Yes.”

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) for “No.”

Precode (3)

Enter Precode (3) for “I don’t know.”
All responses go to OUTCM_CONDUCT_PS.

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I'm going to ask you some questions about your interactions with police during your most
recent contact with police in which you were arrested.
At any time during the contact, did the police search you, frisk, or pat you down?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
OUTCM_CONDUCT_PS

OUTCM_CONDUCT_
PS

OUTCM_CONDUCT_PS asks if police searched,
frisked, or patted down the respondent. The
statement “I’m going to ask you some questions
about your interactions with police during your most
recent contact with the police in which you were
arrested” appears only if the respondent was arrested
during a police contact not already mentioned.
Precode (1), “Yes,” goes to
OUTCM_CAUSE_FOR_PS. If the respondent’s most
recent contact was a traffic stop or a traffic accident,
Precodes (2) and (3) go to OUTCM_CONDUCT_VS.
If the respondent’s most recent contact was a street
stop, Precodes (2) and (3) go to
OUTCM_POLICE_SHOUT.

Do you think the police had a legitimate reason to search you, frisk, or pat you down?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
OUTCM_CAUSE_FOR_PS

OUTCM_CAUSE_FOR_PS

OUTCM_CAUSE_FOR_PS is asked to find out if the
respondent feels that the police officer(s) had a
legitimate reason to search, frisk, or pat them down.
Enter Precode (1) for “Yes,” (2) for “No,” (3) for
“Don’t know”.

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If the respondent’s most recent contact was a
traffic stop or a traffic accident, the instrument
goes to OUTCM_CONDUCT_VS. If the most
recent contact was not a traffic stop or traffic
accident AND the respondent was arrested with a
search of the respondent’s person or vehicle, the
instrument goes to
OUTCM_FIND_ILLEGAL_ITEMS. If the most
recent contact was not a traffic stop or traffic
accident AND the respondent was not arrested
and/or did not have his or her vehicle or person
searched, the instrument goes to
OUTCM_POLICE_SHOUT.

At any time during the contact, did the police conduct a vehicle search?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
OUTCM_CONDUCT_VS

OUTCM_CONDUCT_VS

OUTCM_CONDUCT_VS is asked to find out
whether the officer(s) searched the vehicle at any
time during the contact.
Enter Precode (1) for “Yes,” (2) for “No,” (3) for “Don’t
know.”
For Precode (1), the instrument, goes to
OUTCM_CAUSE_FOR_VS.
For Precodes (2) and (3), if the respondent was
arrested during the most recent contact AND the
respondent or his/her vehicle was searched, the
instrument goes to OUTCM_FIND_ILLEGAL_ITEMS.
If the respondent was not arrested during the most
recent police contact and/or did not experience a
personal or vehicle search, the instrument goes to
OUTCM_POLICE_SHOUT.

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Do you think the police had a legitimate reason to search the vehicle?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know

OUTCM_CAUSE_FOR_VS
OUTCM_CAUSE_FOR_VS

OUTCM_CAUSE_FOR_VS is asked to find out if the
respondent feels that the police officer(s) had a
legitimate reason to search the vehicle.
Enter Precode (1) for “Yes,” (2) for “No,” (3) for
“Don’t know.”
If the contact involved a search of the respondent’s
vehicle or person, the instrument goes to
OUTCM_FIND_ILLEGAL_ITEMS.
If the contact did not involve a search of the
respondent’s vehicle or person, or if the respondent
doesn’t know if there was a search, the instrument
goes to OUTCM_POLICE_SHOUT.

During the search, did the police find any illegal items, such as a weapon, drugs, or an open
container of alcohol?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
OUTCM_FIND_ILLEGAL_ITEMS

OUTCM_FIND_ILLEGAL_
ITEMS

Precode (1)

OUTCM_FIND_ILLEGAL_ITEMS asks if the
police found any weapons, drugs, or an open
container of alcohol while conducting the search
of the respondent.
Enter Precode (1) to indicate that the police found
an illegal item, such as a weapon, drugs, or an

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open container of alcohol, on the respondent’s
person or in the vehicle during the search.
Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) to indicate that the police did
NOT find any illegal items while conducting a
search of the respondent.

Precode (3)

Enter Precode (3) to indicate that the respondent
does NOT know or does NOT remember whether
the police found any illegal items during the
search.
For all responses, if the respondent was arrested
during the most recent contact AND the
respondent or his/her vehicle was searched, the
instrument goes to
OUTCM_SEARCH_B4_ARREST.
If the respondent was not arrested during the most
recent police contact and/or did not experience a
personal or vehicle search, the instrument goes to
OUTCM_POLICE_SHOUT.

Earlier you said that you were arrested during the stop. Did the search occur before you were
arrested?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
OUTCM_SEARCH_B4_ARREST

OUTCM_SEARCH_
B4_ARREST

OUTCM_SEARCH_B4_ARREST is asked to find
out if the respondent or the vehicle were searched
prior to the respondent being arrested. This item is
only asked if the respondent was arrested and the
respondent or the vehicle were searched.

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Enter Precode (1) for “Yes,” (2) for “No,” (3) for
“Don’t know.” All responses go to
OUTCM_POLICE_SHOUT.

At any point during the contact, did the police do any of the following:
Shout at you?
Curse at you?
Threaten to arrest you?
Threaten you with a ticket (or other tickets)?
Threaten to use force against you?
Push or grab you?
Handcuff you?
Kick or hit you?
Spray you with a chemical or pepper spray?
Use an electroshock weapon against you, such as a stun gun?
Point or fire a gun at you?
Use any other type of force?
1 Yes
2 No
OUTCM_POLICE_SHOUT, OUTCM_POLICE_CURSE, OUTCM_POLICE_ARREST, OUTCM_POLICE_TICKET,
OUTCM_POLICE_THREATEN, OUTCM_POLICE_GRAB, OUTCM_POLICE_HANDCUFF,
OUTCM_POLICE_KICK, OUTCM_POLICE_SPRAY, OUTCM_POLICE_STUNGUN, OUTCM_POLICE_GUN,
OUTCM_POLICE_OTH_FORCE
What other type of force did the police use?
OUTCM_POLICE_FORCE_SP

OUTCM_POLICE_SHOUT
through
OUTCM_POLICE_OTH_
FORCE_SP
OUTCM_POLICE_
SHOUT

This series of questions is intended to find out what
actions the police took during the contact. Each of
the questions shares the same stem, but asks about
a different type of police action.
Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the police yelled at or
used any disparaging words or comments when
speaking with the respondent during the contact.
Select Precode (2) if there was no police action of
this type.

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OUTCM_POLICE_
CURSE

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the police cursed or
swore at the respondent during the contact. Select
Precode (2) if there was no police action of this
type.

OUTCM_POLICE_
ARREST

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if police threatened to
arrest the respondent during the contact. Select
Precode (2) if there was no police action of this
type.

OUTCM_POLICE_
TICKET

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if police threatened the
respondent with a ticket or tickets during the
contact. Select Precode (2) if there was no police
action of this type.

OUTCM_POLICE_
THREATEN

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the police threatened to
use force against the respondent during the contact.
Select Precode (2) if there was no police action of
this type.

OUTCM_POLICE_
GRAB

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” police physically pushed
or grabbed the respondent during the contact.
Select Precode (2) if there was no police action of
this type.

OUTCM_POLICE_
HANDCUFF

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the police handcuffed
the respondent to subdue or restrain during the
contact. Select Precode (2) if there was no police
action of this type.

OUTCM_POLICE_
KICK

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if police kicked or hit the
respondent during the contact. This includes police
hitting the respondent with a baton or any other type
of weapon. Select Precode (2) if there was no
police action of this type.

OUTCM_POLICE_
SPRAY

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if police pointed and
discharged a chemical or pepper spray to subdue or
restrain the respondent during the contact.

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Select Precode (2) if there was no police action of
this type.
OUTCM_POLICE_
STUNGUN

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if police used a stun gun
or any kind of electroshock weapon to subdue or
restrain the respondent during the contact. Select
Precode (2) if there was no police action of this
type.

OUTCM_POLICE_
GUN

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if police pointed a gun at
the respondent during the contact. This includes
taking the gun out of the holster and pointing the
barrel of the gun at the respondent. It does NOT
include the police officer resting a hand on the gun
while it is in the holster. Select Precode (2) if there
was no police action of this type.

OUTCM_POLICE_
OTH_FORCE

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if police used any other
type of force during the contact. Select Precode (2)
if there was no other type of police force during the
contact.
When you are unsure from the respondent’s answer
whether the force was actually used or just
threatened, probe to make sure you enter the
answer correctly.
Do NOT mark Precode (1) for Item
OUTCM_POLICE_OTH_FORCE if the
respondent’s answer fits any of the previous items
OUTCM_POLICE_SHOUT through
OUTCM_POLICE_GUN.

OUTCM_POLICE_
OTH_FORCE_SP

If the respondent’s answer to Item
OUTCM_POLICE_OTH_FORCE was Precode (1),
“Yes,” Item OUTCM_POLICE_OTH_FORCE_SP
appears.
Describe the type of force and make sure to identify
whether force was actually used or just threatened

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against the respondent. Enter the most descriptive
words and be concise; this field allows only 50
characters.
If this description fits into any of the categories
already mentioned in OUTCM_POLICE_SHOUT
through OUTCM_POLICE_GUN, back up to the
appropriate question and mark it with Precode (1),
“Yes.”
If there is at least one “Yes” (Precode (1)) response in
items OUTCM_POLICE_SHOUT through
OUTCOM_POLICE_OTH_FORCE, the instrument
goes to OUTCM_ACTIONS_NECESSARY. If every
response to items OUTCM_POLICE_SHOUT through
OUTCOM_POLICE_OTH_FORCE is “No” (Precode
(2)), the instrument goes to
OUTCM_RESP_DISOBEY.

You mentioned that the police: (fill from OUTCM_POLICE_SHOUT through
OUTCOM_POLICE_FORCE_SP).
Do you feel (this action was/these actions were) necessary?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
OUTCM_ACTIONS_NECESSARY

Do you feel any of the actions used against you were excessive?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
OUTCM_FORCE_EXCESSIVE

OUTCM_ACTIONS
_NECESSARY

OUTCM_ACTIONS_NECESSARY asks whether
the respondent feels the actions used or
threatened by police reported in Items
OUTCM_POLICE_SHOUT through

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OUTCOM_POLICE_OTH_FORCE were
necessary. (This item fills with the responses from
OUTCM_POLICE_SHOUT through
OUTCOM_POLICE_OTH_FORCE that were
marked “Yes.”)
OUTCM_FORCE
_EXCESSIVE

OUTCM_FORCE_EXCESSIVE asks whether the
respondent felt that the actions taken by police
were excessive, if any of the questions about
police force (OUTCM_POLICE_SHOUT through
OUTCOM_POLICE_OTH_FORCE were
answered with Precode (1), “Yes.”
Since we are asking about the respondent’s
opinion about the force or threat of force used, do
not probe.

At any time during the contact, did you:
Disobey or interfere with the officer(s)?
Try to get away?
Push, grab, or hit the police officer(s)?
Resist being handcuffed, arrested, or searched?
Complain to the officer(s)?
Argue with the police officer(s)?
Curse at, insult, or verbally threaten the police officer(s)?
Physically do anything else?
1 Yes
2 No
OUTCM_RESP_DISOBEY, OUTCM_RESP_GETAWAY, OUTCM_RESP_PUSH, OUTCM_RESP_RESIST,
OUTCM_RESP_COMPLAIN, OUTCM_RESP_ARGUE, OUTCM_RESP_CURSE, OUTCM_RESP_OTHER
What else did you physically do?
OUTCM_RESP_OTHER_SP

OUTCM_RESP_
DISOBEY through
OUTCM_RESP_
OTHER_SP

Items OUTCM_RESP_DISOBEY through
OUTCM_RESP_OTHER_SP are asked to find out
about the respondent’s actions during the police
contact. Each of the questions shares the same

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stem, but asks about a different type of action
from the respondent.

OUTCM_RESP_
DISOBEY

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the respondent
disobeyed or interfered with the police officer(s)
during the contact. Select Precode (2) if there was
no respondent action of this type.

OUTCM_RESP_
GETAWAY

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the respondent tried to
get away from the police officer(s) during the
contact. Select Precode (2) if there was no
respondent action of this type.

OUTCM_RESP_
PUSH

OUTCM_RESP_
RESIST

OUTCM_RESP_
COMPLAIN

OUTCM_RESP_
ARGUE

OUTCM_RESP_
CURSE

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the respondent
pushed, grabbed, or hit the police officer(s) during
the contact. Select Precode (2) if there was no
respondent action of this type.
Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the respondent
resisted being handcuffed, arrested, or searched
by the police officer(s) during the contact. Select
Precode (2) if there was no respondent action of
this type.
Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the respondent
complained to the police officer(s) during the
contact. Select Precode (2) if there was no
respondent action of this type.
Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the respondent argued
with the police officer(s) during the contact. Select
Precode (2) if there was no respondent action of
this type.
Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the respondent cursed
at, insulted, or verbally threatened the police
officer(s) during the contact. Select Precode (2) if
there was no respondent action of this type.

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OUTCM_RESP_
OTHER

OUTCM_RESP_
OTHER_SP

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the respondent did
anything else physically to the police officer(s)
during the contact. Select Precode (2) if there was
no respondent action of this type. Precode (1)
goes to OUTCM_RESP_OTHER_SP. Precode (2)
goes to POLBEHV_POL_ACT_PROPERLY.
OUTCM_RESP_OTHER_SP is asked when the
respondent answered OUTCM_RESP_OTHER
with Precode (1), “Yes.” Use this item to specify
the other physical action used by the respondent.
You may use up to 50 characters for this
description. The instrument goes to
POLBEHV_POL_ACT_PROPERLY.
If this description fits into any of the categories
already mentioned in OUTCM_RESP_DISOBEY
through OUTCM_RESP_CURSE, back up to the
appropriate question and mark it with Precode (1),
“Yes.”

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OUTCOME OF VOLUNTARY CONTACTS
OUTCOME OF VOLUNTARY CONTACTS
These questions are asked of respondents whose most recent police contact was
voluntary (reported a crime, disturbance or suspicious activity, reported an emergency
that was not a crime, contacted or approached the police for non-emergency
assistance, or initiated contact with the police for something else not already
mentioned).
How did you contact the police?
11 Called the police (this includes calls made to 911, 311, a sheriff’s office or any other type of
law enforcement)
12 Went to police station
13 Security alarm contacted police
14 Someone else contacted the police for me
15 Approached an officer in a public place
16 Other—Specify
17 Don’t remember
VOL_HOW_CONTACT_POL

VOL_HOW_CONTACT_POL

VOL_HOW_CONTACT_POL is asked to find out
how the respondent contacted the police. All
responses go to VOL_POL_PROMPT, except
Precode (6), “Other-specify,” which goes to
VOL_HOW_CONTACT_POL_SP.

Precode (11)

Enter Precode (11) if respondent called the police,
including calls made to 911, 311, a sheriff’s office,
or any other type of law enforcement.

Precode (12)

Enter Precode (12) if respondent contacted police
by going to a police station.

Precode (13)

Enter Precode (13) if police officer was contacted
by way of a security alarm.

Precode (14)

Enter Precode (14) if someone else contacted
the police on behalf of the respondent.

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Precode (15)

Enter Precode (15) if the respondent approached an
officer in a public place.

Precode (16)

Enter Precode (16) if the respondent contacted the
police some other way. The instrument goes to
VOL_HOW_CONTACT_POL_SP.

Precode (17)

Enter Precode (17) if respondent does not
remember how they contacted the police.
All responses except Precode (16) go to
VOL_POL_PROMPT.

Please specify the other method used to contact police.
VOL_HOW_CONTACT_POL_SP

VOL_HOW_CONTACT_
POL _SP

VOL_HOW_CONTACT_POL_SP is asked when the
respondent answered VOL_HOW_CONTACT_POL
with Precode (6), “Other- specify.” Use this item to
specify the other method used to contact the police.
You may use up to 50 characters for this description.

Did the police respond right away to your request?
1 Yes
2 No
VOL_POL_PROMPT

VOL_POL_PROMPT

VOL_POL_PROMPT asks whether the police
responded promptly to the respondent’s request.
Enter Precode (1) for “Yes,” (2) for “No”. All
responses go to VOL_SITUATION_IMPROVE.

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Did the situation improve after you contacted the police?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
VOL_SITUATION_IMPROVE

VOL_SITUATION_IMPROVE

VOL_SITUATION_IMPROVE is asked to find out
whether the respondent feels the situation (that
caused them to contact police) improved after the
respondent contacted the police.
Enter Precode (1) for “Yes,” (2) for “No,” or (3) for
“Don’t know.” All responses go to
VOL_SATISFY_POLICE_RESP.

Were you satisfied with the police response during your most recent contact?
1 Yes
2 No
VOL_SATISFY_POLICE_RESP

VOL_SATISFY_POLICE_RESP VOL_SATISFY_POLICE_RESP is asked to find out
if the respondent was satisfied with the police
response during the contact. Enter Precode (1) for
“Yes,” Precode (2) for “No.” All responses go to
Item VOL_CONTACT_POL_FUTURE.
Would you be more likely, less likely, or just as likely to contact the police in the future?
1 More likely to contact
2 Less likely to contact
3 Just as likely to contact
4 Don’t know
VOL_CONTACT_POL_FUTURE

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VOL_CONTACT_POL_
FUTURE

VOL_CONTACT_POL_FUTURE asks how likely
the respondent would be to contact police in the
future. Enter Precode (1) for “More likely to
contact,” Precode (2) for “Less likely to contact,”
Precode (3) for “Just as likely to contact,” or
Precode (4) for “Don’t know.” The instrument goes
to POLBEHV_POL_ACT_PROPERLY.

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FINAL QUESTIONS
FINAL QUESTIONS
Questions in the Final Questions section address police behavior—including force—
and complaints about police behavior, for all respondents except those whose most
recent contact was participating with police in a block watch.

Now, just a few MORE questions about the characteristics of your (most recent) contact with
the police and how you felt about the police during that contact. Looking back on this contact,
do you feel the police behaved properly?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
POLBEHV_POL_ACT_PROPERLY

POLBEHV_POL_ACT_
PROPERLY

Precode (1)

Item POLBEHV_POL_ACT_PROPERLY asks if
the respondent feels that the police behaved
properly or improperly during the contact.
Enter Precode (1) if the respondent feels that the
police behaved properly during the contact.
If the most recent police contact was a face-toface interaction in which the respondent reported
a crime, reported a non-crime emergency, sought
non-emergency assistance, or approached the
police for some other reason, the instrument goes
to USE_FORCE.
If the respondent answered more than one
screener question with Precode (1), “Yes,” the
instrument goes to EARLIER_USE_FORCE.
If the respondent answered any of the following
questions ARRESTED,
TRAFF_ACCID_ARREST, STOP_MV_ARREST,
STOP_PASS_MV_ARREST,
STOP_PUBLIC_ARREST with Precode (1),

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“Yes,” indicating that they had been arrested, the
instrument goes to TOTAL_TIMES_ARRESTED.
Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) if the respondent indicates
feeling that the police behaved improperly during
the contact. The instrument goes to Item
POLBEHV_SLUR.

Precode (3)

Enter Precode (3) if the respondent does NOT
know whether the police behaved properly or
improperly during the contact. The skip pattern for
Precode (3) is the same as shown for Precode (1)
above.

At any point during this contact, did the police...
Refer to you using a slur or call you a degrading name?
Make a sexual comment to you?
Touch you in a sexual way or have any physical contact with you that was sexual in nature?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
POLBEHV_SLUR, POLBEHV_COMMENT, POLBEHV_TOUCH

POLBEHV_SLUR through
POLBEHV_TOUCH

This series of questions is intended to find out some
ways the police may have behaved during the
contact. Each of the questions shares the same
stem, but asks about a different type of police
action.

POLBEHV_SLUR

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the police referred to the
respondent using a slur or by calling the respondent
a degrading name. Select Precode (2) if there was
no police behavior of this type, or Precode (3) if the
respondent doesn’t know whether the police
behaved in this way.

POLBEHV_
COMMENT

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the police made a
sexual comment to the respondent. Select Precode
(2) if there was no police behavior of this type, or

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Precode (3) if the respondent doesn’t know whether
the police behaved in this way.
POLBEHV_TOUCH

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if police touched the
respondent in a sexual way, or had any physical
contact with the respondent that was sexual in
nature. Select Precode (2) if there was no police
behavior of this type, or Precode (3) if the
respondent doesn’t know whether the police
behaved in this way.
All responses go to POLBEHV_BIAS_RACE.

Do you feel that any of the police behaviors during this contact were motivated by prejudice or
bias against you, due to…
Your actual or perceived race or ethnicity?
Your actual or perceived gender or sexual orientation?
Your actual or perceived religion?
Your actual or perceived disability?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
POLBEHV_BIAS_RACE, POLBEHV_BIAS_SEX, POLBEHV_BIAS_RELIGION, POLBEHV_DISABILITY

POLBEHV_BIAS_RACE
through
POLBEHV_DISABILITY

POLBEHV_BIAS
_RACE

This series of questions is intended to find out how
the respondent perceives the motivation for police
behavior during the contact. Each of the questions
shares the same stem, but asks about a different
type of perceived motivation.
Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the respondent feels
that any of the police behaviors during the contact
were motivated by prejudice or bias due to the
respondent’s actual or perceived race or ethnicity.
Select Precode (2) if respondent does not feel any
of the police behaviors were motivated by this
reason, or Precode (3) if the respondent doesn’t

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know whether any of the police behaviors were
motivated by this reason.
POLBEHV_BIAS
_SEX

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the respondent feels
that any of the police behaviors during the contact
were motivated by prejudice or bias due to the
respondent’s actual or perceived gender or sexual
orientation. Select Precode (2) if respondent does
not feel any of the police behaviors were motivated
by this reason, or Precode (3) if the respondent
doesn’t know whether any of the police behaviors
were motivated by this reason.

POLBEHV_BIAS_
RELIGION

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the respondent feels
that any of the police behaviors during the contact
were motivated by prejudice or bias due to the
respondent’s actual or perceived religion. Select
Precode (2) if respondent does not feel any of the
police behaviors were motivated by this reason, or
Precode (3) if the respondent doesn’t know
whether any of the police behaviors were
motivated by this reason.

POLBEHV_
DISABILITY

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the respondent feels
that any of the police behaviors during the contact
were motivated by prejudice or bias due to the
respondent’s actual or perceived disability. Select
Precode (2) if respondent does not feel any of the
police behaviors were motivated by this reason, or
Precode (3) if the respondent doesn’t know
whether any of the police behaviors were
motivated by this reason.
For all responses, the instrument goes to
POLBEHV_FILE_COMPLAINT.

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Did you file a complaint against the police for any reason following the contact?
1 Yes
2 No
POLBEHV_FILE_COMPLAINT

POLBEHV_FILE_COMPLAINT

Item POLBEHV_FILE_COMPLAINT is asked to
determine whether a respondent took any formal
action against the police or the police department,
such as filing a complaint or lawsuit. This question is
only asked when the respondent feels that the police
behaved improperly during the contact.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) if respondent indicates
that they filed a complaint or lawsuit. The
instrument then goes to Item
POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_FILED_WHOM .

Precode (2)

If the most recent police contact was a face-to-face
interaction in which the respondent reported a
crime, reported a non-crime emergency, sought
non-emergency assistance, or approached the
police for some other reason, the instrument goes to
USE_FORCE.
If the respondent answered more than one screener
question with Precode (1), “Yes,” the instrument
goes to EARLIER_USE_FORCE.
If the respondent answered any of the following
questions ARRESTED, TRAFF_ACCID_ARREST,
STOP_MV_ARREST, STOP_PASS_MV_ARREST,
STOP_PUBLIC_ARREST with Precode (1), “Yes,”
indicating that they had been arrested, the
instrument goes to TOTAL_TIMES_ARRESTED.

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Who did you file the complaint with?
A citizen review board is an independent agency set up to investigate citizen complaints about
improper police conduct
1 The police
2 Citizen review board
3 Don’t know
4 Other
POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_FILED_WHOM

POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_
FILED_WHOM

POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_FILED_WHOM is asked
to find out with what organization the respondent
filed a complaint.

Precode (1)

Enter Precode (1) for “The police.”

Precode (2)

Enter Precode (2) for “Citizen review board.” (A
citizen review board is an independent agency set
up to investigate citizen complaints about improper
police conduct.)

Precode (3)

Enter Precode (3) if the respondent filed the
complaint with some other person or
organization. The instrument then goes to
POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_FILED_WHOM_SP.
Precodes (1), (2), and (4) all go to
POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_FILED_OUTCOME.

Precode (4)

Enter Precode (4) to indicate that the
respondent does NOT know or does NOT
remember.
Precodes (1), (2), and (4) all go to
POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_FILED_OUTCOME.

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Please specify who you contacted to file the complaint.
POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_FILED_WHOM_SP

POLBEHV_COMPLAINT
FILED_WHOM_SP

POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_FILED_WHOM_SP
appears if Precode (3) is marked in
POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_FILED_WHOM. Enter
the name of the other party the respondent
contacted to file the complaint. person or
organization This field allows 50 characters.
The instrument goes to
POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_FILED_OUTCOME.

What is the current status of your complaint?
1 Still in progress
2 Withdrawn
3 Dismissed, the claim was said to be unsupported or there was insufficient evidence to make a
determination
4 The officer(s) were cleared of any wrongdoing
5 The officer(s)’s actions were found to be improper
6 Don’t know
POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_FILED_OUTCOME

POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_
FILED_OUTCOME

POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_FILED_OUTCOME asks
about the outcome of the respondent’s complaint.
Enter Precode (1) if the complaint is still in
progress, Precode (2) if the complaint was
withdrawn, Precode (3) if the complaint was
dismissed because the claim was unsupported or if
there was insufficient evidence to make a
determination, Precode (4) if the officers were
cleared of any wrongdoing, or Precode (5) if the
officer(s)’s actions were found to be improper. Enter
Precode (6) for a “Don’t know” response.

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Precodes (1), (2), (3), (4), and (5) go to
POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_FILED_SATISFY.
Otherwise, if the most recent police contact was a
face-to-face interaction in which the respondent
reported a crime, reported a non-crime emergency,
sought non-emergency assistance, or approached
the police for some other reason, the instrument
goes to USE_FORCE.
If the respondent answered more than one screener
question with Precode (1), “Yes,” the instrument
goes to EARLIER_USE_FORCE.
If the respondent answered any of the following
questions ARRESTED, TRAFF_ACCID_ARREST,
STOP_MV_ARREST, STOP_PASS_MV_ARREST,
STOP_PUBLIC_ARREST with Precode (1), “Yes,”
indicating that they had been arrested, the
instrument goes to TOTAL_TIMES_ARRESTED.

How satisfied are you with how the complaint [is being/was] handled? Are you very satisfied,
somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied?
1 Very satisfied
2 Somewhat satisfied
3 Somewhat dissatisfied
4 Very dissatisfied
POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_FILED_SATISFY

POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_
FILED_SATISFY

POLBEHV_COMPLAINT_FILED_SATISFY asks
about how satisfied the respondent is with how the
complaint was handled. Enter Precode (1) for “Very
satisfied,” Precode (2) for “Somewhat satisfied,”
Precode (3) for “Somewhat dissatisfied,” or Precode
(4) for “Very dissatisfied.”
If the most recent police contact was a face-to-face
interaction in which the respondent reported a crime,

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reported a non-crime emergency, sought nonemergency assistance, or approached the police for
some other reason, the instrument goes to
USE_FORCE.
If the respondent answered more than one screener
question with Precode (1), “Yes,” the instrument
goes to EARLIER_USE_FORCE.
If the respondent answered any of the following
questions ARRESTED, TRAFF_ACCID_ARREST,
STOP_MV_ARREST, STOP_PASS_MV_ARREST,
STOP_PUBLIC_ARREST with Precode (1), “Yes,”
indicating that they had been arrested, the
instrument goes to TOTAL_TIMES_ARRESTED.

During [this contact/your most recent contact] with police, did the police...
USE force against you?
THREATEN TO USE force against you?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
USE_FORCE, THREATEN_FORCE

USE_FORCE and
THREATEN_FORCE

USE_FORCE

This series of questions is intended to find out
whether the police used, or threatened to use, force
during the respondent’s most recent police contact.
Each of the two questions shares the same stem.
Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the police used force
during the respondent’s most recent police contact.
Select Precode (2) if the police did not use force
during the respondent’s most recent police contact.
Select Precode (3) if the respondent doesn’t know
whether the police used force during the most recent
police contact.

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THREATEN_FORCE

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the police threatened to
use force during the respondent’s most recent police
contact. Select Precode (2) if the police did not
threaten to use force during the respondent’s most
recent police contact, or Precode (3) if the
respondent doesn’t know whether the police
threatened to use force during the most recent police
contact.
If the respondent reported more than one incident, the
instrument goes to EARLIER_USE_FORCE.
If the respondent answered any of the following
questions ARRESTED, TRAFF_ACCID_ARREST,
STOP_MV_ARREST, STOP_PASS_MV_ARREST,
STOP_PUBLIC_ARREST with Precode (1), “Yes,”
indicating that they had been arrested, the instrument
goes to TOTAL_TIMES_ARRESTED.
Otherwise, the instrument goes to
SUPPLEMENTEND_PPCS.

During any of your EARLIER contacts with police in the last 12 months, did the police...
USE force against you?
THREATEN TO USE force against you?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
EARLIER_USE_FORCE, EARLIER_THREATEN_FORCE

EARLIER_USE_FORCE and
EARLIER_THREATEN_
FORCE

This series of questions is intended to find out
whether the police used, or threatened to use, force
during any of the respondent’s earlier contacts with
the police in the previous 12 months. Each of the
two questions shares the same stem. Do not include
the most recent police contact when answering this
question. These items are asked only when the

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respondent reported more than one police contact
in the 12 month reference period.

EARLIER_USE_
FORCE

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the police used force in
other police contacts other than the most recent
one. Select Precode (2) if the police DID NOT use
force against the respondent in other police
contacts besides the most recent one, or Precode
(3) if the respondent does not know or does not
remember.

EARLIER_THREATEN_
FORCE

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the police threatened to
use force in other police contacts other than the
most recent one. Select Precode (2) if the police
DID NOT threaten to use force against the
respondent in other police contacts besides the
most recent one, or Precode (3) if the respondent
does not know or does not remember.
The instrument goes to
POLBEHV_EARLIER_SLUR.

During any of your EARLIER contacts with police in the last 12 months, did the police…
Refer to you using a slur or call you a degrading name?
Make a sexual comment to you?
Touch you in a sexual way or have any physical contact with you that was sexual in nature?
1 Yes
2 No
3 Don’t know
POLBEHV_EARLIER_SLUR, POLBEHV_EARLIER_COMMENT, POLBEHV_EARLIER_TOUCH

POLBEHV_EARLIER_
SLUR through
POLBEHV__EARLIER_
TOUCH

This series of questions is intended to find out some
ways the police may have behaved during any of
the respondent’s earlier contacts with the police in
the previous 12 months. Each of the questions
shares the same stem, but asks about a different
type of police behavior. Do not include the most

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recent police contact when answering these
questions. These items are asked only when the
respondent reported more than one police contact
in the 12 month reference period.
POLBEHV_EARLIER_
SLUR

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the police referred to the
respondent using a slur or by calling the respondent
a degrading name, during any of the respondent’s
earlier contacts with the police in the previous 12
months. Select Precode (2) if there was no police
behavior of this type, or Precode (3) if the
respondent doesn’t know or doesn’t remember.

POLBEHV_EARLIER_
COMMENT

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the police made a
sexual comment to the respondent, during any of
the respondent’s earlier contacts with the police in
the previous 12 months. Select Precode (2) if there
was no police behavior of this type, or Precode (3) if
the respondent doesn’t know or doesn’t remember.

POLBEHV_EARLIER_
TOUCH

Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if police touched the
respondent in a sexual way or had any physical
contact with the respondent that was sexual in
nature, during any of the respondent’s earlier
contacts with the police in the previous 12 months.
Select Precode (2) if there was no police behavior
of this type, or Precode (3) if the respondent doesn’t
know or doesn’t remember.
All responses go to
POLBEHV_EARLIER_COMPLAINT.

Did you file a complaint against the police for any reason following an earlier contact with
police?
1 Yes
2 No
POLBEHV_EARLIER_COMPLAINT

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POLBEHV_FILE_
EARLIER_COMPLAINT

Item POLBEHV_FILE_EARLIER_COMPLAINT is
asked to determine whether the respondent took
any formal action against the police or the police
department, such as filing a complaint or lawsuit,
during any of the respondent’s earlier contacts with
the police in the previous 12 months. Do not include
the most recent police contact when answering this
question. This item is asked only when the
respondent reported more than one police contact
in the 12 month reference period.
Enter Precode (1), “Yes,” if the respondent took
formal action against the police or police
department during an earlier contact in the past 12
months. Select Precode (2) if the respondent did not
take formal action against the police in any of the
earlier contacts, or Precode (3) if the respondent
doesn’t know or doesn’t remember.
If the respondent was arrested during the most
recent police contact, the instrument goes to
TOTAL_TIMES_ARRESTED. Otherwise the
instrument goes to SUPPLEMENTEND_PPCS.

How many total times were you arrested during the prior 12 months?
_____
TOTAL_TIMES_ARRESTED

TOTAL_TIMES_ARRESTED

TOTAL_TIMES_ARRESTED asks about how
many times the respondent has been arrested in
the last twelve months, if they have indicated that
they had been arrested during at least one police
contact. Enter the number of times; entries from 1
up to 96 are permitted. The instrument then goes to
SUPPLEMENTEND_PPCS.

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END OF SUPPLEMENT
END OF SUPPLEMENT
This completes your interview. Thank you for your cooperation.
You have completed the Police-Public Contact Survey.
Enter 1 to Continue
SUPPLEMENTEND_PPCS

SUPPLEMENTEND_PPCS

SUPPLEMENTEND_PPCS indicates that you have
completed the PPCS for this respondent. Enter (1) to
continue.

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KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER
KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER

The key points to remember for Lesson 3 are:
● Ask each question and record each answer
correctly and follow the correct path through the
PPCS instrument.
● The PPCS collects information about nine specific
types of police contacts. Some of these are
interactions in which the respondent has initiated
contact with the police, and some are interactions
in which the police have initiated contact with the
respondent.
● The purpose of modules Most Recent Contact
through Outcome of Voluntary Contact is to collect
information about the police contact identified by
the respondent as most recent. When completing
these modules be sure that the respondent is
referring to and answering the PPCS questions
about the most recent contact.

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Lesson 4 – PPCS Final Review Exercise
FINAL REVIEW
EXERCISE
INSTRUCTIONS

All FRs conducting PPCS interviews are required to
complete the PPCS-300 CLC Final Review Exercise
to verify your knowledge and understanding of key
concepts of the PPCS presented throughout this selfstudy.
You can access the PPCS-300 Final Review Exercise
by clicking the CLC link under the Training/Manuals
tab on your laptop.
The PPCS-300 CLC Final Review Exercise contains
10 questions. This exercise will be scored and results
will be passed along to your Field Supervisor and
headquarters staff. The minimum passing score is
80%. You may retake the exercise as many times as
needed to pass.
If you cannot access the CLC or you do not see
the final PPCS review exercise in your CLC
transcript, contact your Field Supervisor
immediately.
Once you have successfully completed the Final
Review Exercise on the CLC, this self-study is
complete.

____________________________________________________________________________________
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