DUI Lawyers
Falsifying any information to law enforcement is considered against the law. But when it pertains to filing an untruthful police report, this can possibly lead to a conviction according to a DUI lawyer from The Lynch Law Group. Laws vary from state to state in determining if you will be charged with a misdemeanor or a felony. This decision leans heavily on the intensity of the case information was falsified for. The more serious the case, it is likely the more serious the charge would be. To best protect yourself, you will need to hire a lawyer as soon as possible so that they can guide you through this complicated process.
Filing a false police report in layman terms is lying to the police. More commonly than not, people will file police reports that may benefit them in personal cases, such as divorce. For example, claiming a spouse struck you when they did not. Lying to the police, or filing a false police report also occurs, sometimes unknowingly. Omitting certain details when telling “your side of the story”, is also considered falsifying a police report. It is very easy to report others to the police while simultaneously trying to avoid incriminating yourself.
For example, a verbal dispute may often lead to a physical altercation. If someone were to call the police to report that they were hit in the face by a friend they were arguing with but fail to mention that they threw the first punch, the omission of this detail changes the facts of the case entirely. While it is true that the person filing the police report was hit in the face, the fact that they were hit only after they struck the other party will implicate them.
The leaving out of these details is in fact illegal and can possibly lead to a false report charge for you. The example listed above is very minor compared to larger crimes such as kidnapping, murder, or robbery. Falsifying information on the police report regarding charges of those magnitudes, amongst several others, are expected to land you in jail with a felony.
Lying to cover up other crimes? Illegal. Lying to a federal agent? Illegal. In many ways lying on police reports can lead to more than one charge, also.
No matter how extreme or minor the case is, it is unwise to file a false police report. However, it happens, and while not always intentional, when you are not aware of the law you cannot understand the law; in high stress situations, you may not even realize that you are not giving the full story. If you have filed a police report with the incorrect information and you were originally unaware, contact the agency you filed with and correct your error as soon as possible. In the event that you filed false information intentionally, contact a criminal defense attorney as soon as possible so that you are aware of your legal options; find a lawyer near you for help immediately.