STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          2977

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 1, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M. of A. GRAY -- read once and referred 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:

     1    Section  1. Section 240.55 of the penal law, as amended by chapter 477
     2  of the laws of 1989, subdivisions 1 and 2 as amended by chapter  561  of
     3  the laws of 1999, subdivision 3 as renumbered by chapter 302 of the laws
     4  of 2001, and subdivision 3 as added and the closing paragraph as amended
     5  by chapter 301 of the laws of 2001, is amended to read as follows:
     6  § 240.55 Falsely reporting an incident in the second degree.
     7    A  person  is  guilty  of  falsely reporting an incident in the second
     8  degree when, knowing the information reported, conveyed or circulated to
     9  be false or baseless, he or she:
    10    1. Initiates or circulates a false report or  warning  of  an  alleged
    11  occurrence  or impending occurrence of a fire, explosion, or the release
    12  of a hazardous substance or in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of
    13  a large number of police officers to a particular  address  or  location
    14  under  circumstances  in  which  it is not unlikely that public alarm or
    15  inconvenience will result;
    16    2. Reports, by word or action, to any official or quasi-official agen-
    17  cy or organization having  the  function  of  dealing  with  emergencies
    18  involving danger to life or property, an alleged occurrence or impending
    19  occurrence of a fire, explosion, or the release of a hazardous substance
    20  which  did  not  in  fact  occur or does not in fact exist or an alleged
    21  occurrence or impending occurrence of an incident which did not in  fact
    22  exist  in  an  attempt  to bring about the dispatch of a large number of
    23  police officers to a particular address or location; or

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07711-01-3
        A. 2977                             2

     1    3. Knowing the information reported,  conveyed  or  circulated  to  be
     2  false  or  baseless and under circumstances in which it is likely public
     3  alarm or inconvenience will result, he or she initiates or circulates  a
     4  report or warning of an alleged occurrence or an impending occurrence of
     5  a  fire,  an explosion, or the release of a hazardous substance upon any
     6  private premises or he or she initiates or circulates a report or  warn-
     7  ing  of  an alleged occurrence or an impending occurrence of an incident
     8  in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large  number  of  police
     9  officers to a particular address or location.
    10    Falsely  reporting an incident in the second degree is a class E felo-
    11  ny.
    12    § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
    13  have become a law.