§710-1015  False reporting to
law-enforcement authorities.  (1)  A person commits the offense of false
reporting to law- enforcement authorities if the person intentionally makes a
report or causes the transmission of a report to law-enforcement authorities
relating to a crime or other incident within their concern when the person
knows that the information contained in the report is false.



(2)  False reporting to law-enforcement
authorities is a misdemeanor. [L 1972, c 9, pt of §1; gen ch 1993]



 



COMMENTARY ON §710-1015



 



  The rationale behind this section is much the same as that
behind §710-1014:  it is undesirable that public resources be wasted, and it is
possible that harm may occur from the diversion of public resources from
legitimate needs.



  The Model Penal Code and most recent state revisions deal
with this problem directly.[1]  The Code avoids specific listings of what kinds
of information may not be falsely related to law- enforcement authorities by
penalizing all knowing transmission of false information relating to a crime or
other incident within their concern.  This proscription would include cases
where the crime or incident did not occur and where the report pretends to
furnish information which the actor does not have.



  Previous Hawaii law made false reporting to a police officer
concerning a crime a misdemeanor.  The Code, while retaining the same penalty,
broadens and clarifies the definition of the offense.



 



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§710-1015 Commentary:



 



1.  M.P.C. §241.5; N.Y.R.P.L. §240.50; Prop. Del. Cr. Code
§735; Prop. Mich. Rev. Cr. Code §4540; Prop. Pa. Cr. Code §2106.