Targeted Outreach in a Survey of Law Enforcement Agencies

• In Event: Poster Session 2

Abstract

The Bureau of Justice Statistics has administered the Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies (CSLLEA) regularly since 1986. Approximately 20,000 state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the country are asked to participate in each data collection cycle (roughly every 4 years).

Past experience on this and other studies of law enforcement agencies has indicated that tailored outreach directed at specific subgroups within the survey frame can help to boost response within those groups.

In an effort to maintain high response rates and attain as close to a full census of this population as possible on the most recent CSLLEA (2022), RTI enhanced the standard outreach protocol by expanding outreach to specific underperforming and high importance populations on the CSLLEA frame. Some examples of these efforts include mailed letters, handwritten notes, emails from RTI and law enforcement professional associations, and website postings.

The effectiveness and return on investment for these varying strategies will be presented and recommendations will be made for future law enforcement surveys. Implications for surveys of other establishment types will also be presented.

Authors

• Ryan Weber, RTI International

• Tim Smith, RTI International

• Harley Rohloff, RTI International

• Elizabeth Davis, Bureau of Justice Statistics, US DOJ