For Immediate Release:
February 28, 2024
For press inquiries only, contact:
Amanda Priest (334) 322-5694
Cameron Mixon (334) 242-7491
(Montgomery) – Attorney General Steve Marshall applauds the Alabama House of Representatives’ swift passage of House Bill 82 which enhances penalties for falsely reporting a crime to law enforcement. The measure, sponsored by Representative Mike Shaw (R-Jefferson), passed unanimously. Under the bill, falsely reporting a crime that poses imminent danger to a person or to the public, would become a Class C felony (currently, a Class A misdemeanor). The bill also expands the ability of the state to seek restitution to local, state, and federal authorities for the costs incurred while investigating false reports.
“In Alabama, we respect law enforcement,” said Attorney General Marshall. “After what happened in Hoover last summer, it was time to reassess our false reporting law to ensure that it adequately deters hoaxes that unnecessarily frighten the public and result in agency-wide responses. When so many of our cities are struggling to provide adequate public safety resources, the men and women in blue must not be distracted with nonsense that takes their focus away from the people who really need help.”
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