CPFFCL Memo to OMB

MEMORANDUM
TO:

Robert Sivinski
Office of Statistical and Science Policy
Office of Management and Budget

THROUGH:

Kevin M. Scott, PhD
Acting Director
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Shelley Hyland, PhD
Senior Statistical Advisor
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Heather Brotsos
Deputy Director, Statistical Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Alexia Cooper, PhD
Chief, Law Enforcement Statistics Unit
Bureau of Justice Statistics

FROM:

Matt Durose
Statistician, Law Enforcement Statistics Unit
Bureau of Justice Statistics

DATE:

August 6, 2024

SUBJECT:

BJS request for Generic Clearance to conduct verification of
reporting units for the 2024 Census of Publicly Funded Forensic
Crime Laboratories (CPFFCL) under the generic clearance
agreement OMB Number 1121-0339

1

Introduction
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is planning to conduct the 2024 Census of Publicly
Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories (CPFFCL, OMB Control Number 1121-0269) in 2025. The
CPFFCL, which was first conducted in 2002, provides national statistics on the personnel,
budgets, workloads, backlogs, and quality assurance practices of crime laboratories. The goal of
the 2024 CPFFCL is 1) to continue to collect data on the forensic services provided by federal,
state, and local crime labs across the nation to report on the current state of the field and assess
trends, and 2) introduce new questions that provide a more complete picture of the operations
and resources of crime laboratories.
In preparation for the 2024 CPFFCL, BJS is seeking OMB generic clearance to verify and update
the frame using email and telephone outreach to confirm or collect contact information for the
laboratory frame.
Current Request
This generic clearance is to request approval to conduct frame verification in preparation for the
2024 Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories (CPFFCL) under the BJS generic
clearance agreement (OMB Number 1121-0339). BJS plans to submit a separate OMB clearance
application under OMB Number 1121-0269 for the collection of the 2024 CPFFCL data.
Under this clearance request, BJS and its data collection agent, RTI International, propose to
conduct outreach to update and supplement the existing roster of forensic crime laboratories
maintained by BJS. Through this outreach, the project team aims to verify or update the
following:
● Agency name, phone number, email and mailing address
● Contact information of the agency head: name, title, work phone number, email, and
mailing address
● Contact information of the agency’s designated respondent for the CPFFCL: name, title,
work phone number, email, and mailing address
The universe of the CPFFCL includes forensic crime laboratories solely operated by government
funds or whose parent organization is a government agency that have one or more full-time
scientists whose principal function is examining physical evidence in criminal matters and
providing reports and testimony to courts of law regarding such evidence. The original frame of
eligible laboratories was developed for the 2002 CPFFCL using the American Society of Crime
Laboratory Directors (ASCLD) membership list. The frame from the most recent CPFFCL in
2020 and the current ASCLD membership list will be the starting point for the 2024 CPFFCL
frame. The 2020 CPFFCL included 326 standalone laboratories and multi-laboratory systems,
totaling 423 individual federal, state, and local publicly funded forensic crime laboratories. 1
The 2024 CPFFCL frame will also be updated using several other collections:
An example of a multi-laboratory system is a state laboratory system that includes a main laboratory and three
regional labs.
1

2

•
•
•

the current BJS Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies (CSLLEA)
(OMB #1121-0346, expires on 8/31/2025) data that captures which state and local law
enforcement agencies perform forensic functions,
the current roster of federal agencies in the BJS Census of Federal Law Enforcement
Officers (CFLEO) frame, and
the DEA National Forensic Laboratory Information Management System (NFLIS)
(OMB #1117-0034, expires on 5/31/2025) to update existing information about drug
laboratories eligible for the CPFFCL.

These datasets will be merged with the 2024 CPFFCL frame to ensure coverage, identify any
new or missing eligible laboratories, remove any duplicate entries, and update any contact
information in preparation for our verification effort. It is anticipated that through these
comparisons BJS will identify approximately 30 new individual laboratories to add to the frame,
increasing the total from 423 in the 2020 CPFFCL to 453 in the 2024 CPFFCL.
Among the 453 individual laboratories that are part of a multi-laboratory system, BJS expects
that in most situations the main laboratory will be able to verify the contact information and
eligibility for each lab in its system, reducing the overall number of respondents to 350.
Therefore, BJS requests clearance from OMB to collect or confirm contact information and
eligibility among approximately 350 respondents from the 453 standalone and multi-laboratory
systems. BJS plans to conduct a combined email and telephone outreach process from November
2024 to February of 2025.
Appendix A provides the templates to be used during the 2024 CPFFCL verification outreach
and the list of the proposed 13 verification questions, which include skip patterns. The online
verification form will be located at the CPFFCL data collection site, an example of which has
been provided in Appendix A (Appendix A-1). As summarized in Table 1, RTI will send an
email invitation to the 350 respondents with login credentials to complete the verification online.
The email will provide an overview of the CPFFCL and invite them to log into the portal and
verify their contact information and eligibility (Appendix A-2). The email will indicate that RTI
will call the laboratory in two weeks to verify their contact information by telephone if they opt
not to verify their information on the website or fail to do so in the designated timeframe. Based
on previous CPFFCL verification efforts and given how technologically proficient this
population is, BJS anticipates that at least half of the 350 respondents will complete the
verification process through the initial email and no additional follow up will be needed by
phone. If the respondent has not verified their information approximately one week after initial
outreach, one reminder email will be sent to reiterate the messaging (Appendix A-3).

3

Table 1: 2024 CPFFCL Verification Outreach Schedule
Approximate
Contact
Attachment
Description
Dates
Verification
Request complete
November 2024
A-2
request email
verification form online
NovemberReminder to complete
Reminder Email 1
A-3
December 2024
verification online
Call script to agencies with
December
bounced email and
2024-February
Verification calls
A-4
nonresponsive agencies to
2025
update POC

Est. #
Contacted
350
175
175

The telephone verification will involve RTI calling the laboratories that did not confirm their
contact information online or when an email address is not valid and the invitation is
undelivered. These calls will confirm information currently on record with respect to the
laboratory’s official name, address, and the name and contact information for the laboratory
director or other point of contact (Appendix A-4). Both the online and telephone verification
efforts will also help identify a point of contact (and that person’s contact information) best
suited to answer the 2024 CPFFCL survey.
Burden Hours for the Frame Verification Outreach
Table 2 provides a summary of the burden estimate for this effort. BJS anticipates at least half
(or approximately 175) of the 350 respondents will respond to the email invitation to confirm
their contact information using the online portal with no follow-up contact needed by phone. It is
estimated that the outreach via email will require an average of 5 minutes per respondent.
About half of respondents are expected to require additional outreach by phone for an
approximately 10 minutes. The telephone outreach may require about 5 minutes to identify an
appropriate person to assist with the verification and another 5 minutes for the respondent to
answer the questions by phone.
Table 2. Burden Estimate for the Frame Verification Outreach
Category of Respondent & Activity
Federal/State/Local Governments:
Laboratory director email outreach
Federal/State/Local Governments:
Laboratory director telephone outreach
Total

Number of
Participation
Respondents Time (minutes)

Total Burden
(hours)

175

5

15

175

10

29

350

44

Costs to the Federal Government

4

The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $27,000 for the RTI portion of the work
and an estimated $28,000 for the GS-14 project manager’s work, resulting in a total estimated
cost of $55,000.
Timeline
Milestone
Obtain OMB generic clearance
CPFFCL Verification Outreach
Compile and verify data
Provide frame data to BJS

Start Date
August 2024
November 2024
December 2024
February 2025

End Date
October 2024
February 2025
February 2025
March 2025

Data Security and Confidentiality
BJS is authorized to conduct this data collection under 34 U.S.C. § 10132. BJS may only use the
information it collects for statistical or research purposes, consistent with 34 U.S.C. § 10134.
BJS is required to protect information identifiable to a private person from unauthorized
disclosure and may not publicly release data in a way that could reasonably identify a specific
private person [34 U.S.C. § 10231]. Any person who violates these provisions may be punished
by a fine up to $10,000, in addition to any other penalties imposed by law. Further, per the
Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015 (6 U.S.C. § 151), federal information systems are
protected from malicious activities through cybersecurity screening of transmitted data.
The BJS Data Protection Guidelines provide more detailed information on how BJS and its data
collection agents will use and protect data collected under BJS’s authority. All contact
information obtained during the verification will be maintained on secure servers at BJS and RTI
and will not be shared with third parties.
Institutional Review Board
RTI Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviewed the project per 28 CFR 46 and determined that
all aspects of the project do not meet the definition of human subjects research (Appendix B).
Contact Information
Questions regarding any aspect of this project can be directed to:
Matt Durose
Bureau of Justice Statistics
U.S. Department of Justice
810 7th Street NW
Washington, DC 20531
Office Phone: 202-598-0295
E-Mail: [email protected]

5

Appendices
Appendix A:

2024 Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories Verification
Materials

Appendix B:

IRB Submission Confirmation

6

Appendix A:
2024 Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime
Laboratories (CPFFCL) Verification Materials
Appendix A-1: Verification Form
Appendix A-2: Verification Invitation Email to Forensic
Crime Laboratories
Appendix A-3: Verification Email Reminder to Forensic
Crime Laboratories
Appendix A-4: Verification Call Script

Appendix A-1: Verification Form
OMB No. XXXX-XXXX: Approval Expires XX/XX/20XX

Appendix A-2: Verification Invitation Email to Forensic Crime Laboratories
Email Subject: Verify Contact Information for the 2024 Census of Publicly Funded Forensic
Crime Laboratories
Dear [NAME],
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and RTI International are
preparing to conduct the sixth Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories
(CPFFCL) in spring 2025. This survey is designed to provide national statistics on staffing,
budgets, workload, and resources of publicly funded forensic crime laboratories.
Prior to the survey launching, we are asking laboratories to log onto our website and verify their
contact information. This request will only take about 5 minutes. If we don’t hear from your
office by MONTH, DAY, we will give you a call to confirm your information by phone.
Please verify your information online within the next 2 weeks:
URL: [HYPERLINK]
[entityname]
Username: [caseid]
Password: [password]
If you have any questions, please contact us at XXX-XXX-XXXX or at [email protected]. If you
have any general comments, please contact Matt Durose, the program manager from BJS, at 202598-0295 or [email protected]. Results from the previous 2020 CPFFCL may be viewed
on BJS’s website: https://bjs.ojp.gov/document/pffcl20.pdf.
BJS and RTI International thank you for your time and effort in providing this information
concerning your lab.
Sincerely,
CPFFCL Task Lead
RTI International

Appendix A-3: Verification Email Reminder to Forensic Crime Laboratories
Email Subject: Reminder - Verify Contact Information for the 2024 Census of Publicly Funded
Forensic Crime Laboratories (CPFFCL)
Dear [NAME],
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and RTI International are
preparing to conduct the sixth Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories
(CPFFCL) in spring 2025.
ACTION NEEDED NOW:
This is a reminder that, prior to the survey launching, we are asking you to log onto our website
and verify your contact information. We will call your office by phone soon if we do not hear
from you.
_______________________________________________________________________
REMINDER: Please verify your information online by MONTH, DAY, 2024:
URL: [HYPERLINK]
[entityname]
Username: [caseid]
Password: [password]
If you have any questions, please contact us at XXX-XXX-XXXX or at [email protected]. If you
have any general comments, please contact Matt Durose, the program manager from BJS, at 202598-0295 or [email protected]. Results from the previous 2020 CPFFCL may be viewed
on BJS’ website: https://bjs.ojp.gov/document/pffcl20.pdf.
BJS and RTI International thank you for your time in providing this information concerning your
laboratory.
Sincerely,
CPFFCL Task Lead
RTI International

Appendix A-4: Verification Call Script
Good [morning/afternoon/evening], my name is [INTERVIEWER NAME] from RTI
International, and I am calling on behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics regarding the
forthcoming Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories. This survey has been
conducted periodically since 2002 to produce national statistics on staffing, budgets, workload,
and resources of publicly funded forensic crime laboratories. BJS is preparing to conduct the
new census of crime laboratories next year. I’m reaching out to confirm that we have the correct
contact information so that we can make sure that the survey is mailed to the appropriate address.
Do you have 5 minutes to answer a few brief questions?
1 YES [GO TO 1.1]
2 NO [SET FOR CALLBACK]
3 NOT AVAILABLE NOW [SET FOR CALLBACK]
4 NOT THE DIRECTOR NAMED IN INTRO [GO TO 1.1a]
1.1

First, in case we get disconnected, I would like to confirm that this phone number is the
correct phone number for [NAME OF DIRECTOR OR DEPUTY DIRECTOR].
1 YES [GO TO 1.2]
2 NO [GO TO 1.1a]

1.1a

What is the correct phone number? _____________

1.2

Can you confirm that [NAME OF FORENSIC CRIME LABORATORY] is the correct
name of this agency?
1
2

1.2a

What is the correct name and spelling of the [FORENSIC CRIME LABORATORY]?
______________________________________________________________
1

1.3

YES [GO TO 1.3]
NO [GO TO 1.2a]

NOT A FORENSIC CRIME LAB [GO TO GENERIC THANK YOU SCREEN
AND TERMINATE CALL]

I have the mailing address as [street address, city, state, zip]. Is this information correct?
1 YES [GO TO 1.4]
2 NO [GO TO 1.3a]

1.3a

What is your full street address?
Street Address___________________
City, State
___________________

Zip Code
1.4

___________________

Our records indicate that [TITLE] [FIRST NAME] [LAST NAME] is the
Laboratory/Office Head. Is this information correct?
YES [GO TO 1.5]
NO [GO TO 1.4a]

1
2
1.4a

Is the head of this crime laboratory the director or deputy director? If yes (or no), who is
this person?
Title

__________________

First Name

__________________

Last Name

__________________

Professional Designation
1.5

__________________

Would [Person from 1.4] be the best point of contact for sending a survey about
laboratory operations and providing the responses and data, including administrative, budget,
and resource information?
1
2

1.5a

YES [GO TO 1.6]
NO [GO TO 1.5a]

Please provide us with the name of the best point of contact for sending a survey.
Title

__________________

First Name

__________________

Last Name

__________________

Professional Designation

__________________

1.6

What is the best phone number to contact the [Head of Office or Best Point of Contact]?
PHONE NUMBER __________________

1.7

What is the best email address to contact the [Head of Office or Best Point of Contact]?
EMAIL ADDRESS __________________@__________________

1.8

Thank you for answering these questions. In early 2025, your office will receive an
invitation to participate in the Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories
conducted by RTI International on behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics. We will
request that you complete the survey online, however, we can mail you a copy of the
survey if you would prefer to complete by hand. Would you like a copy mailed to you as
well?
1
2

Yes, mail me a paper survey
No

GENERIC THANK YOU. Thank you so much for your time.
END. Thank you. Those are all of the questions that I have. If your laboratory is eligible, RTI
International, the data collection agent for the Bureau of Justice Statistics, will send you
the survey using the contact information you’ve provided. We thank you for your help. If
you have any questions in the meantime, please call us toll free at 1-XXX-XXXX. Thank
you again for your time.

Appendix B:
IRB Submission Confirmation

NOT HUMAN RESEARCH DETERMINATION
June 13, 2024
Belinda Weimer
919-485-7706
[email protected]
Dear Belinda Weimer:
On 6/12/2024, the IRB reviewed the following submission:
Type of Review: Initial Study
Title: 2024 Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime
Laboratories (CPFFCL)
Investigator: Belinda Weimer
IRB ID: STUDY00022921
Funding Source: Dept of Justice BJS
Customer/Client Name: Dept of Justice BJS
Project/Proposal Number: 0219263
Contract/Grant Number: 15PBJS-23-GK-00836-BJSB
IND, IDE, or HDE: None
The IRB determined that the proposed activity is not research involving human subjects
as defined by DOJ regulations 28 CFR 46.
Although RTI IRB oversight of this activity is not required, this determination applies
only to the activities described in the IRB submission and may not apply should any
changes be made. If the nature or scope of the activity changes and there are questions
about whether the revised activities constitute human subjects research, you should
contact the IRB to discuss whether a new submission and determination is necessary.
Sincerely,
The RTI Office of Research Protection

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