[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 179 (Monday, September 16, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48647-48648]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-19889]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

[OMB Number 1121-0260]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed eCollection 
eComments Requested; Revision of a Currently Approved Collection: 2020 
Police Public Contact Survey (PPCS)

AGENCY: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Department of Justice.

ACTION: 30-Day Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs, 
Bureau of Justice Statistics, will be submitting the following 
information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. This notice is being published to seek public 
comments on a change to the survey instrument proposed for the 2020 
collection.

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for 30 days until 
October 16, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have additional comments 
especially on the estimated public burden or associated response time, 
suggestions, or need a copy of the proposed information collection 
instrument with instructions or additional information, please contact 
Elizabeth Davis, Statistician, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 810 
Seventh Street NW, Washington, DC 20531 (email: 
[email protected]; telephone: 202-305-2667).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 Bureau of Justice 
Statistics, including whether the information will have practical 
utility;
--Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
--Evaluate whether and if so how the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected can be enhanced; 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: Revision of a currently 
approved collection.
    (2) The Title of the Form/Collection: 2020 Police Public Contact 
Survey.
    (3) The agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of 
the Department sponsoring the collection: The form number for the 
questionnaire is PPCS-1. The applicable component within the Department 
of Justice is the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in the Office of 
Justice Programs.
    (4) Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as 
well as a brief abstract: Respondents will be persons 16 years or older 
living in households located throughout the United States sampled for 
the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The PPCS will be 
conducted as a supplement to the NCVS in all sample households for a 
six (6) month period. The PPCS is typically conducted about every three 
years, with the last administration occurring in 2018. BJS is 
conducting the next PPCS one year ahead of schedule, to include an item 
on how residents reacted during police contact that was not asked in 
2018, but was asked in previous iterations of the survey. The PPCS is 
one component of the BJS effort to fulfill the mandate set forth by the 
Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 to collect, 
evaluate, and publish data on the use of excessive force by law 
enforcement personnel. The goal of the collection is to report national 
statistics that provide

[[Page 48648]]

a better understanding of the types, frequency, and outcomes of 
contacts between the police and the public, public perceptions of 
police behavior during the contact, and the conditions under which 
police force may be threatened or used. BJS plans to publish this 
information in reports and reference it when responding to queries from 
the U.S. Congress, Executive Office of the President, the U.S. Supreme 
Court, state officials, international organizations, researchers, 
students, the media, and others interested in criminal justice 
statistics.
    (5) An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount 
of time estimated for an average respondent to respond: An estimate of 
the total number of respondents is 108,806. About 75% of respondents 
(81,713) will have no police contact and will complete the short 
interview with an average burden of four minutes. Among the 25% of 
respondents (27,093) who experienced police contact, the time to ask 
the detailed questions regarding the nature of the contact is estimated 
to take an average of 8 minutes. Respondents will be asked to respond 
to this survey only once during the six-month period. The burden 
estimate is based on data from the 2018 administration of the PPCS.
    (6) An estimate of the total public burden (in hours) associated 
with the collection: There are an estimated 9,060 total burden hours 
associated with this collection.
    If additional information is required contact: Melody Braswell, 
Department Clearance Officer, United States Department of Justice, 
Justice Management Division, Policy and Planning Staff, Two 
Constitution Square, 145 N Street NE, 3E.405A, Washington, DC 20530.

    Dated: September 10, 2019.
Melody Braswell,
Department Clearance Officer for PRA, U.S. Department of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2019-19889 Filed 9-13-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4410-18-P