It is a criminal offense to make a false police report of a crime—knowingly and with the intent to deceive—if the statement is material to a criminal investigation and is made to (1) a peace officer or federal special investigator conducting the investigation; (2) any employee of a law enforcement agency that is authorized by the agency to conduct the investigation and that the person making the statement knows is conducting the investigation; or (3) a corrections officer or jailer.

The crime of making a false police report may be prosecuted as a misdemeanor or as a felony, depending on the state, and is punishable in many states by jail time, fines, community service, and probation. The definitions and punishments for the crime of making a false police report vary from state to state and are usually located in a state’s statutes.

In Pennsylvania, making a false report to law enforcement authorities is a criminal offense under Title 18, Section 4906 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes. An individual commits this offense if they knowingly give false information to any law enforcement officer with the intent to implicate another. It is also an offense to report to law enforcement authorities an offense or other incident within their concern knowing that it did not occur. This crime is generally graded as a misdemeanor of the third degree. However, if the false report is made during a declared state of emergency and the report causes response by any emergency responder, the offense is graded as a misdemeanor of the second degree. Additionally, if the individual has previously been convicted of this offense, subsequent offenses may be graded more severely. Penalties for a misdemeanor in Pennsylvania can include jail time, fines, and probation.