Supporting Statement A Template - Complete

Supporting Statement for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions

New Collection

Under Attack: Assaults on Our Nation’s Law Enforcement Officers

OMB Control # 1110-xxxx

Part A. Justification

1. Necessity of Information:

Serious assaults on law enforcement in the United States are a growing problem, with both assaults with injury and felonious killings of law enforcement officers trending upward (FBI, 2022). While the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) data collection answers many questions related to these assaults and deaths, such as the who, what, when, where, and how, the data does not answer why these assaults are happening. Without knowing and understanding why these assaults are happening, we cannot begin to prevent them. Outside of the previous studies conducted by the FBI, there is a lack of research into this question of why offenders assault police officers. There is a lack of research that looks at both the officer and the offender in such incidents, and how the relationship between the two impacts the assault.

2. Needs and Uses:

This information will be used for research purposes by both the FBI and our federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners to help establish the best practices for mitigating assaults on law enforcement officers.

3. Use of Technology:

This collection will NOT involve the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology. This study will consist of oral interviews of subjects, which will be both video and audio recorded. The interviewers will complete the questionnaires, on behalf of respondents, by writing their answers on the collection instruments.

4. Efforts to Identify Duplication:

There is currently no research like this study. In reviewing the existing literature on assaults on law enforcement officers, no other studies have interviewed both the officers and offenders involved in these assaults.

5. Methods to Minimize Burden on Small Businesses:

N/A

6. Consequences of Less Frequent Collection:

This is a one-time collection.

7. Special Circumstances Influencing Collection:

This is not applicable to this study.

8. Public Comments and Consultations:

If applicable, provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency's notice, required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public comments received in response to that notice and describe actions taken by the agency in response to these comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and hour burden. Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported. Consultation with representatives of those from whom information is to be obtained or those who must compile records should occur at least once every 3 years - even if the collection of information activity is the same as in prior periods. There may be circumstances that may preclude consultation in a specific situation. These circumstances should be explained.

9. Payment of Gift to Claimants:

N/A

10. Assurance of Confidentiality:

Consent forms have been developed for this study by the FBI Office of the General Counsel. The researchers will explain these consent forms to each participant. The participant will be asked to voluntarily sign the consent form. Participants who agree to participate in the research will be separately asked to agree to video and audio recordings of their interview. As part of the agreement to record, participants will be informed that their recordings may be used for research, training, educational, and operational purposes. Participants will also be informed that if they do not agree to the recording of the interview, it will have no bearing on the research interview, and they can remain a participant in the study.

The researchers will read and explain all consent forms to the participants. Participants will also be provided with a copy of the consent forms to read prior to signing. The forms will be signed by the researchers present at the interview. The signings will be witnessed. Participants will receive a copy of the forms upon conclusion of the interview. The forms will contain the contact information of the researchers, should the participants have any questions or concerns after the researchers have left.

11. Justification for Sensitive Questions:

There are several questions that would fall into the category of sensitive in nature. These questions are necessary for this study, as this study is seeking to find the reasons why an offender assaulted a police officer. We are attempting to have as complete of a picture of all parties involved in the assault, to better understand the reason(s) the assault occurred. A major finding in our universe of research is the impact that a person’s perception has in a violent encounter. Perception is shaped, in large part, by a person’s background. Things such as religious beliefs, and other matters commonly considered private, are keys to understanding what shapes someone’s perception of the world around them. This will be explained to respondents. All the questions are completely voluntary, and respondents can refuse to answer at any time.

12. Estimate of Hour Burden:

Number of respondents - 120

Frequency of response – 1 annually. This is a one-time collection.

Total annual responses – 120. This is a one-time collection.

Minutes per response – Responses should take approximately 120 minutes per respondent.

Annual hour burden – 240 hours.

13. Estimate of Cost Burden:

There should be no cost to participants for this study. The interviewers will travel to the respondents’ locations to conduct the interviews.

14. Estimated Annualized Costs to Federal Government:

This is a one-time study and will therefore not have an annualized cost. The startup cost for this study includes the purchase of the video recording equipment, the cost of assistance on the study by West Virginia University, and travel costs for the interviewers. The total costs will be approximately $500,000. These funds have already been, or will be in the case of future costs, provided for by the FBI.

15. Reasons for Change in Burden:

This is a new ICR request with no previous burden.

16. Plans for Publication:

The results of these interviews will be tabulated and published in FY2025-2026. This is dependent upon when the interviews can be completed. Conducting the interviews will be time-consuming, as it involves travel by the researchers to the locations of the respondents. The collection of information will begin when approval is given from OMB and will continue for approximately eighteen months. It is anticipated that this period will run from July 2024 through December 2025. If approval from OMB is granted earlier, then these dates would move up accordingly. Once the information is collected, the analysis of the data will take approximately six months. When the analysis is complete, a written report will be completed and published. No complex statistical analyses will be conducted for this study because the sample size will not support such analyses. Only descriptive statistics will be used.

17. Expiration Date Approval:

N/A

18. Exceptions to the Certification Statement:

There are no exceptions to the certification statement.

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