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Bill seeks to criminalize the giving of false leads
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Posted on Feb 20 2006
People who give false leads to the police and other government agencies could face criminal charges if a Senate bill is enacted.
The Senate has passed Senate Bill 15-28, which seeks to criminalize the making of false statements in any matter within the jurisdiction of the Executive Branch of the CNMI government.
Authored by senators Jude Hofschneider and Paterno S. Hocog, S.B. 15-28 would also make it a criminal offense for people to resist law enforcement canine search.
Penalties for any of the two offenses include up to one year in prison, a $1,000 fine, or both.
The bill now awaits action by the House of Representatives.
Sen. Jude Hofschneider, who authored the bill, said the measure was intended to prevent waste of public resources.
“[T]he Commonwealth’s law enforcement officers are often hampered in their investigations when people provide false information. Often, time is wasted attempting either to locate people who do not exist or to track down false leads concerning crimes that did not occur. This endangers us all because legitimate investigations can be hampered by needlessly wasted resources,” reads a portion of the bill.
“[T]his act will ensure more efficient law enforcement investigations as well as prevent waste in the operations of the executive branch by reducing the number of false statements made to the respective entities which comprise the executive branch,” the bill adds.
