Legal Definitions - false report

A false report is a criminal offense committed when an individual knowingly provides untrue information to law enforcement agencies, claiming that a crime has occurred when it has not. This action is illegal because it wastes valuable public resources, diverts emergency personnel from genuine incidents, and can lead to unnecessary investigations.

Here are some examples:

• Imagine a person, upset with their neighbor over a property line dispute, calls the police to report that the neighbor broke into their garage and stole expensive tools. If the police investigate and find no evidence of a break-in or theft, and it's determined the report was fabricated out of malice, this would constitute a false report. The individual intentionally informed law enforcement about a crime (burglary and theft) that never actually happened.

• Consider a student who wants to avoid taking a difficult exam. They call the school administration and then the local police department, falsely claiming there is a bomb threat in the school building. This forces an evacuation and a thorough search by emergency services. This act would be a false report because the student knowingly reported a serious crime (a bomb threat) that was entirely fictitious, causing significant disruption and wasting police resources.

• Suppose someone damages their own car in a minor accident and, fearing their insurance rates will increase, reports to the police that their car was stolen from a parking lot. They then attempt to file an insurance claim based on this fabricated theft report. This action would be considered a false report because they informed law enforcement about a crime (car theft) that did not occur, intending to deceive both the police and their insurance company.