[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 21 (Thursday, January 31, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5872-5873]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-1714]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Office of Justice Programs

[OMB Number 1121-NEW]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Information 
Collection; Comment Requested

ACTION: 30-day notice of information collection under review: New 
collection; Survey of Law Enforcement's Forensic Backlogs.

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    The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs (OJP) 
will be submitting the following information collection request to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for

[[Page 5873]]

review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995. The proposed information collection is published to obtain 
comments from the public and affected agencies.
    This proposed information collection was previously published in 
the Federal Register Volume 72, Number 226, page 65985 on November 26, 
2007, allowing for a 60-day comment period. The purpose of this notice 
is to allow for an additional 30 days for public comment until February 
25, 2008. This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.10.
    If you have comments especially on the estimated public burden or 
associated response time, suggestions, or need a copy of the 
information collection instrument with instructions or additional 
information, please contact John Paul Jones, Department of Justice, 
National Institute of Justice, Office of Science and Technology, 
Investigative and Forensic Sciences Division, Phone: 202-307-5715 Fax: 
202-307-9907, E-mail: [email protected].
    Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected 
agencies concerning the proposed collection of information are 
encouraged. Your comments should address one or more of the following 
four points:

--Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is necessary 
for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
--Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used;
--Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and
--Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses.

    Overview of this Information Collection:
    (1) Type of Information Collection: New collection.
    (2) Title of the Form/Collection: Survey of Law Enforcement's 
Forensic Backlogs.
    (3) The agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of 
the Department sponsoring the collection: None; U.S. Department of 
Justice Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice.
    (4) Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as 
well as a brief abstract: State and local law enforcement officials.
    Abstract: The National Institute of Justice will use this survey to 
determine the size and nature of forensic evidence backlogs in state 
and local law enforcement agencies. For the purposes of this survey, 
these forensic backlogs are defined as the number of homicide, rape, 
and property crime cases that contain forensic evidence but that have 
not been submitted to forensic crime laboratories for analysis. The 
2005 Census of Crime Laboratories conducted by the Bureau of Justice 
Statistics details the size of forensic evidence backlogs in the 
nation's crime laboratory system. In order to develop a complete 
picture of forensic backlogs across the criminal justice system, the 
Survey of Law Enforcement's Forensic Backlogs will provide much needed 
information on forensic evidence backlogs in state and local law 
enforcement agencies.
    (5) An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount 
of time needed for an average respondent to respond is broken down as 
follows: An estimated 2,975 respondents with an average burden time of 
30 minutes--1,488 hours total.
    (6) An estimate of the total public burden (in hours) associated 
with the collection: The estimated total public burden associated with 
this collection is 1,488 hours.
    If additional information is required, contact Lynn Bryant, 
Department Clearance Officer, Policy and Planning Staff, Justice 
Management Division, Department of Justice, Patrick Henry Building, 
Suite 1600, 601 D Street, NW., Washington, DC 20530.

    Dated: January 25, 2008.
Lynn Bryant,
Department Clearance Officer, PRA, U.S. Department of Justice.
[FR Doc. E8-1714 Filed 1-30-08; 8:45 am]
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