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 Massachusetts, it is indeed a criminal offense to knowingly make a false report of a crime with the intent to deceive. This applies when the false statement is material to a criminal investigation and is made to a peace officer, federal special investigator, an authorized employee of a law enforcement agency, or a corrections officer or jailer. The relevant law can be found under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 269, Section 13A, which states that anyone who reports to a police officer or other authority that an offense has been committed, knowing the report to be false, is subject to criminal penalties. The offense is typically treated as a misdemeanor, which may result in fines and imprisonment. The exact penalties can vary based on the circumstances of the false report, such as the potential harm it could cause or if it leads to an innocent person being arrested or investigated.