§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.
Structure Hawaii Revised Statutes
710. Offenses Against Public Administration
710-1000 Definitions of terms in this chapter.
710-1010 Obstructing government operations. §710-1010 Commentary:
710-1010.5 Interference with reporting an emergency or crime.
710-1011 Refusing to aid a law enforcement officer. §710-1011 Commentary:
710-1012 Refusing to assist in fire control. §710-1012 Commentary:
710-1013 Compounding. §710-1013 Commentary:
710-1014 Rendering a false alarm. §710-1014 Commentary:
710-1014.5 Misuse of 911 emergency telephone service.
710-1015 False reporting to law-enforcement authorities. §710-1015 Commentary:
710-1016 Impersonating a public servant. §710-1016 Commentary:
710-1016.5 REPEALED. L 1987, c 130, §2.
710-1016.6 Impersonating a law enforcement officer in the first degree.
710-1016.7 Impersonating a law enforcement officer in the second degree.
710-1017 Tampering with a government record. §710-1017 Commentary:
710-1017.5 Sale or manufacture of deceptive identification document; penalties.
710-1018 Securing the proceeds of an offense. §710-1018 Commentary:
710-1019 Destroying or defacing official notices; penalty.
710-1020 Escape in the first degree.
710-1021 Escape in the second degree. § §710-1020 And 710-1021 Commentary:
710-1022 Promoting prison contraband in the first degree.
710-1023 Promoting prison contraband in the second degree. § §710-1022 And 710-1023 Commentary:
710-1024 Bail jumping in the first degree.
710-1025 Bail jumping in the second degree.
710-1026 Resisting arrest. §710-1026 Commentary:
710-1026.9 Resisting an order to stop a motor vehicle in the first degree.
710-1027 Resisting an order to stop a motor vehicle in the second degree.
710-1028 Hindering prosecution; definition of rendering assistance.
710-1029 Hindering prosecution in the first degree.
710-1030 Hindering prosecution in the second degree. § §710-1028 To 710-1030 Commentary:
710-1031 Intimidating a correctional worker.
710-1040 Bribery. §710-1040 Commentary:
710-1061 False swearing in official matters.
710-1063 Unsworn falsification to authorities. § §710-1060 To 710-1063 Commentary:
710-1064 Retraction. §710-1064 Commentary:
710-1065 Inconsistent statements. §710-1065 Commentary:
710-1066 No prosecution based on previous denial of guilt. §710-1066 Commentary:
710-1067 Corroboration. §710-1067 Commentary:
710-1068 Irregularities no defense. §710-1068 Commentary:
710-1069 Misrepresenting a notarized document in the first degree.
710-1069.5 Misrepresenting a notarized document in the second degree.
710-1070 Bribery of or by a witness. §710-1070 Commentary:
710-1071 Intimidating a witness.
710-1072 Tampering with a witness. §710-1072 Commentary:
710-1072.2 Retaliating against a witness.
710-1072.5 Obstruction of justice.
710-1073 Bribery of or by a juror.
710-1074 Intimidating a juror.
710-1075 Jury tampering. § §710-1073 To 710-1075 Commentary:
710-1075.5 Retaliating against a juror.
710-1076 Tampering with physical evidence. §710-1076 Commentary: