[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 226 (Monday, November 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 82915-82916]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-26091]


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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

[OMB Number 1110-0NEW]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection 
eComments Requested; New Collection; Under Attack: Assaults on Our 
Nation's Law Enforcement

AGENCY: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice.

ACTION: 60-Day notice.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Criminal Justice 
Information Services Division, Department of Justice (DOJ) 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.

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted for 60 days until 
January 26, 2024

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 
Kevin Harris/FBI CJIS, 1000 Custer Hollow Road, Clarksburg, WV 26306, 
(304) 625-2000, [email protected].

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.


[[Page 82916]]


    Abstract: 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. 
In particular, 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.
    The purposes of this qualitative study are to examine the 
possibility of predicting assaults on officers and to use this 
information to prevent future assaults. To date, very few studies 
outside of the FBI's Officer Safety Awareness Training (OSAT) research 
projects, have looked at these assaults from the perspectives of both 
the officer and the offender. By interviewing officers and offenders, 
this study seeks to gain a more thorough understanding of why these 
incidents take place, and the context surrounding them. Based on the 
recent trends and the modicum of previous research, it is expected the 
current study would make a large contribution to what is currently 
known about these attacks, and would play a substantial role in the 
preparedness, prevention, and mitigation of these incidents by 
informing those who develop training and operational practices.
    This mixed method research effort will use the Perpetrator-Motive 
Research Design (PMRD). PMRD is a 12-step methodological design that 
focuses on gaining a thorough understanding of the motivations of 
offenders. Interviewing incarcerated offenders allows for increased 
accessibility, increased sample size, interviewer security, and 
avoidance of ethical or potential legal entanglements which 
interviewers might be exposed to while questioning offenders still at 
large or whose cases have not yet exhausted the criminal legal process. 
Because PMRD is suited to identify and understand offender motives, the 
findings can be used in the development of training interventions for 
law enforcement officials which could improve officer safety. As part 
of the study, researchers will also seek to examine the incident 
reports associated with the assaults and the FBI criminal history 
record information of offenders. Researchers will also seek to obtain, 
examine, and use any body-worn camera or dashboard camera recordings 
associated with the assaults for research and training purposes.

Overview of This Information Collection

    1. Type of Information Collection: New Collection.
    2. The Title of the Form/Collection: Under Attack: Assaults on Our 
Nation's Law Enforcement.
    3. The agency form number, if any, and the applicable component of 
the Department sponsoring the collection: There is no form number. The 
forms are titled ``Officer Protocol Questionnaire'' and ``Offender 
Protocol Questionnaire''/FBI CJIS Division.
    4. Affected public who will be asked or required to respond, as 
well as the obligation to respond: State, local, and tribal 
governments. The obligation to respond is voluntary.
    5. An estimate of the total number of respondents and the amount of 
time estimated for an average respondent to respond: A total of 120 
respondents. The time per response will be 2 hours per survey. Each 
participant will fill out either the officer form or the offender form. 
One questionnaire per respondent. The estimated response time will be 2 
hours per respondent.
    6. An estimate of the total annual burden (in hours) associated 
with the collection: This is not an annual collection. This is a one-
time study.
    7. An estimate of the total annual cost burden associated with the 
collection, if applicable: $0.

                                                                   Total Burden Hours
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                                                                                                                               Time per
                    Activity                      Number of                     Frequency                     Total annual     response    Total annual
                                                 respondents                                                    responses      (hours)    burden (hours)
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Officer Protocol Questionnaire.................           60  1 per respondent.............................              60            2             120
Offender Protocol Questionnaire................           60  1 per respondent.............................              60            2             120
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    Unduplicated Totals........................          120  1 per respondent.............................             120  ...........             240
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    If additional information is required contact: Darwin Arceo, 
Department Clearance Officer, United States Department of Justice, 
Justice Management Division, Policy and Planning Staff, Two 
Constitution Square, 145 N Street NE, 4W-218, Washington, DC.

    Dated: November 21, 2023.
Darwin Arceo,
Department Clearance Officer for PRA, U.S. Department of Justice.
[FR Doc. 2023-26091 Filed 11-24-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-02-P