S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    46
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens.  WALCZYK,  MURRAY, ORTT, TEDISCO -- read twice and
   ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on
   Codes
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend the penal law, in relation to falsely reporting inci-
   dents in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large  number  of
   police officers to a particular address or location
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 240.55 of the penal law, as amended by chapter  477
 of  the  laws of 1989, subdivisions 1 and 2 as amended by chapter 561 of
 the laws of 1999, subdivision 3 as renumbered by chapter 302 of the laws
 of 2001, and subdivision 3 as added and the closing paragraph as amended
 by chapter 301 of the laws of 2001, is amended to read as follows:
 § 240.55 Falsely reporting an incident in the second degree.
   A person is guilty of falsely reporting  an  incident  in  the  second
 degree when, knowing the information reported, conveyed or circulated to
 be false or baseless, [he or she] SUCH PERSON:
   1.  Initiates  or  circulates  a false report or warning of an alleged
 occurrence or impending occurrence of a fire, explosion, or the  release
 of a hazardous substance OR IN AN ATTEMPT TO BRING ABOUT THE DISPATCH OF
 A  LARGE  NUMBER  OF POLICE OFFICERS TO A PARTICULAR ADDRESS OR LOCATION
 under circumstances in which it is not unlikely  that  public  alarm  or
 inconvenience will result;
   2. Reports, by word or action, to any official or quasi-official agen-
 cy  or  organization  having  the  function  of dealing with emergencies
 involving danger to life or property, an alleged occurrence or impending
 occurrence of a fire, explosion, or the release of a hazardous substance
 which did not in fact occur or does not in  fact  exist  OR  AN  ALLEGED
 OCCURRENCE  OR IMPENDING OCCURRENCE OF AN INCIDENT WHICH DID NOT IN FACT

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD00124-01-5
              

 S. 46                               2
 
 EXIST IN AN ATTEMPT TO BRING ABOUT THE DISPATCH OF  A  LARGE  NUMBER  OF
 POLICE OFFICERS TO A PARTICULAR ADDRESS OR LOCATION; or
   3.  Knowing  the  information  reported,  conveyed or circulated to be
 false or baseless and under circumstances in which it is  likely  public
 alarm or inconvenience will result, [he or she] SUCH PERSON initiates or
 circulates  a report or warning of an alleged occurrence or an impending
 occurrence of a fire, an  explosion,  or  the  release  of  a  hazardous
 substance  upon  any private premises OR SUCH PERSON INITIATES OR CIRCU-
 LATES A REPORT OR WARNING OF  AN  ALLEGED  OCCURRENCE  OR  AN  IMPENDING
 OCCURRENCE OF AN INCIDENT IN AN ATTEMPT TO BRING ABOUT THE DISPATCH OF A
 LARGE NUMBER OF POLICE OFFICERS TO A PARTICULAR ADDRESS OR LOCATION.
   Falsely  reporting an incident in the second degree is a class E felo-
 ny.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
 have become a law.