Census Bureau managers fired for creating at least 10,000 bogus questionnaires

[classicman]

Two Census Bureau managers from a Brooklyn field office were fired after their bosses found they faked household surveys to meet deadlines, the Daily News learned.

Instead of pounding the pavement and knocking on doors, the corner-cutting people-counters mined the phone book and Internet to make up answers to questionnaires, regional director Tony Farthing said.

The managers - turned in by whistleblower employees - were caught last week. Now, at least 10,000 surveys need to be done or redone, officials said.

Census officials in Washington only admitted to a string of incomplete forms and poor tracking in disclosing the firings Friday afternoon. But Farthing corroborated worker accounts to the Daily News that managers Alvin Aviles and Sonya Merritt began dummying up responses in the final crush to finish the surveys, which field workers are supposed to compile from in-person household visits.

"Basically, people were being asked to forge [questionnaires]," said one worker in the North East Brooklyn office, which covers 95,000 households.

"We went in and did a full investigation," Farthing said. "We found out two managers on the weekend of the 12th of June cheated by using phone books or Internet sources."

A worker told the Daily News that when field interviewers returned to the office with blank forms, Aviles also enlisted some of them in the scheme. "He had people fill them in," the worker said.

Aviles and Merritt could not immediately be reached for comment.

Farthing said he believes the branch's earlier work is kosher, but the pair decided to break the rules at crunch time when they were looking at a huge stack of unfinished surveys, and their bosses were pushing for results, even if it meant more night work.

"We were telling them to go back on all non-interviews and hit this stuff hard. None of this 9-to-5 stuff, go when they know someone will be home," Farthing said. It was then, Farthing said, that the managers "came up with the bright idea, or not-so-bright idea" - to save time.

The Census bureau was not able to estimate how much it will cost to redo all the work, but a spokesman said it was not an issue because the bureau was under budget on the massive project. Farthing said the honest workers left in the office are redoing 5,000 or so interviews that may be tainted.

"We're not happy about what happened," he said, noting that Aviles and Merritt were turned in by the very people they trained.

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Beyond the fact that this is pathetic, which is it 5000 or 10,000

[xoxoxoBruce]

I filled out the mailed census form and mailed it in on time. Around the first of June a woman came to the door wanting to do another form. I told her I'd mailed my form and sent her away. A few days later she was back, and I again told her I'd mailed my form, but she said this was a follow up questionnaire.

She then asked me the exact same 10 fucking questions that were on the mail form. The only difference was, I didn't have to sign this one. What a fucking waste of money.

[spudcon]

Same thing happened to me.

[classicman]

They came to my mothers house during the first period of the stanley cup playoffs to ask about the neighbor across the street. They were OBVIOUSLY having a party at the time. I shushed her away.

[SamIam]

Huh! I bet this practice was more widespread than some care to think. I tossed my census form in a basket and completely forgot to send it in. No one ever came to my place to follow up on it either. I wonder how accurate the census really is?

[classicman]

There is no way to really know. Any statistics based upon it ....

nevermind.. - I'll stay with the - There is no way to know.

[fargon]

If they show up at my door I will call the Police.

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by fargon

If they show up at my door I will call the Police.

And this is why census workers don't actually want to do their jobs, and end up forging records. Is it a huge waste of money? I can't really decide. I think useful information could come out of it in principal, but it's done so poorly that probably none does. On the other hand, it's not going away anytime soon, and making it take longer and cost more money isn't a very effective protest.

[Griff]

It seems like it should be a function of the postal service. They already know the tenants/homeowners, the actual addresses, and how many people roughly are in a house. btw- Our census form was addressed for the next town over, so much for assuring proper distribution of tax dollars.

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by fargon

If they show up at my door I will call the Police.

It's mandated by the US constitution.

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by fargon

If they show up at my door I will call the Police.

I doubt they would take your call, but even if they did, what is a rock band going to do about census workers at your door?

[Pete Zicato]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

I doubt they would take your call, but even if they did, what is a rock band going to do about census workers at your door?

Write a protest song?

[Shawnee123]

Every breath you take
Every move you make

I'll be counting you. and you. and you.