SB 18-068

Senate Bill 18-068, now signed into law, makes it a crime to falsely report an emergency that involves a threat of violence with a deadly weapon. This new law can result in misdemeanor or felony charges depending on the consequences caused by the false report. The bill also allows those accused to be tried in any county related to where the false alarm was made or responded to. Additionally, it allocates $16,500 from the state's general fund to the Department of Corrections for each fiscal year from 2019 to 2023. This law affects anyone who might make a false emergency report and aims to deter such behavior by imposing stricter penalties.

Official Summary

Under current law, there is a crime of false reporting to authorities. The bill creates a crime of false reporting of an emergency by criminalizing an act of false reporting to authorities that includes a false report of an imminent threat to the safety of a person or persons by use of a deadly weapon. False reporting of an emergency is a class 1 misdemeanor, but it can be a felony depending on the harm caused by the false report. For purposes of the crime of false reporting to authorities and false reporting of an emergency, the defendant may be tried in the county where the defendant made the report, the county where the false report was communicated to law enforcement, or the county where law enforcement responded to the false report. For fiscal years 2019-20 through 2022-23, the bill appropriates $16,500 from the general fund to the department of corrections. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

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