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 Minnesota, it is indeed a criminal offense to make a false police report of a crime. This is outlined under Minnesota Statutes section 609.505, which makes it unlawful for a person to inform a peace officer that a crime has been committed or is about to be committed, or to provide information to a peace officer about an injury or death, knowing that the information is false. This statute applies when the false report is made knowingly and with the intent to deceive. The offense can be charged as a misdemeanor, but if the false report causes a serious public inconvenience or results in an emergency response, it can be elevated to a gross misdemeanor. Penalties for making a false police report in Minnesota can include jail time, fines, and potentially probation, depending on the severity of the offense and the discretion of the court.