Senate Bill 0692

    Florida Senate - 1999                                   SB 692

    By Senator Campbell





    33-306B-99

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the reporting of crimes;

  3         requiring that a person contact a law

  4         enforcement officer or law enforcement agency

  5         as soon as reasonably possible after witnessing

  6         the commission of a crime; requiring that the

  7         person cooperate in the investigation of the

  8         crime; amending s. 365.171, F.S.; providing

  9         that it is a first-degree misdemeanor to

10         knowingly make a false alarm or report false

11         information; providing an effective date.

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13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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15         Section 1.  Any person who witnesses the commission of

16  a crime must report the crime to a law enforcement officer or

17  law enforcement agency as soon as reasonably possible and

18  cooperate in the investigation of the crime.

19         Section 2.  Subsection (16) of section 365.171, Florida

20  Statutes, 1998 Supplement, is amended to read:

21         365.171  Emergency telephone number "911."--

22         (16)  FALSE "911" CALLS.--Whoever accesses the number

23  "911" for the purpose of knowingly making a false alarm or

24  complaint or knowingly reporting false information which could

25  result in the emergency response of any public safety agency

26  commits is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree,

27  punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

28         Section 3.  This act shall take effect October 1, 1999.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 1999                                   SB 692
    33-306B-99




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  2                          SENATE SUMMARY

  3    Requires any person who witnesses a crime to contact a
      law enforcement officer or law enforcement agency as soon
  4    as reasonably possible. Requires such person to cooperate
      in the investigation of the crime. Revises the elements
  5    of the offense of making a false alarm or reporting false
      information to provide that such act is a first-degree
  6    misdemeanor if the person knows that the alarm or report
      is false.
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