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 Tennessee, making a false police report is considered a serious criminal offense. Under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-16-502, a person commits the offense of false reporting when they knowingly initiate or circulate a report of a past, present, or impending bombing, fire, offense, or other emergency that they know is false or baseless and that would ordinarily cause action by an official or volunteer agency organized to deal with emergencies, place a person in fear, or create public inconvenience or alarm. This also includes making a false report to law enforcement authorities or to any other person that an offense has been committed, or any other incident that would be of concern to law enforcement. This crime is classified as a Class D felony if the false report is of a serious felony, and as a Class C misdemeanor in all other cases. Penalties for a Class D felony can include imprisonment and fines, while penalties for a Class C misdemeanor may include a shorter jail term and smaller fines. The specific punishment will depend on the circumstances of the case and the discretion of the court.