First Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2025)
PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
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a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
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between statutes enacted by the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
SENATE ENROLLED ACT No. 198
AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning criminal law and
procedure.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
SECTION 1. IC 35-44.1-2-3, AS AMENDED BY P.L.104-2024,
SECTION 44, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
JULY 1, 2025]: Sec. 3. (a) As used in this section, "consumer product"
has the meaning set forth in IC 35-45-8-1.
(b) As used in this section, "misconduct" means a violation of a
departmental rule or procedure of a law enforcement agency.
(c) A person who reports that:
(1) the person or another person has placed or intends to place an
explosive, a destructive device, or other destructive substance in
a building or transportation facility;
(2) there has been or there will be tampering with a consumer
product introduced into commerce; or
(3) there has been or will be placed or introduced a weapon of
mass destruction in a building or a place of assembly;
knowing the report to be false, commits false reporting, a Level 6
felony.
(d) A person who:
(1) gives:
(A) a false report of the commission of a crime; or
(B) false information to a law enforcement officer that relates
to the commission of a crime;
SEA 198 — Concur 2
knowing the report or information to be false;
(2) gives a false alarm of fire to the fire department of a
governmental entity, knowing the alarm to be false;
(3) makes a false request for ambulance service to an ambulance
service provider, knowing the request to be false;
(4) gives a false report concerning a missing child (as defined in
IC 10-13-5-4), missing veteran at risk (as defined in
IC 12-7-2-197.3), or missing endangered adult (as defined in
IC 12-7-2-131.3) or gives false information to a law enforcement
officer or a governmental entity that relates to a missing child,
missing veteran at risk, or missing endangered adult knowing the
report or information to be false;
(5) makes a complaint against a law enforcement officer to the
state or municipality (as defined in IC 8-1-13-3(b)) that employs
the officer:
(A) alleging the officer engaged in misconduct while
performing the officer's duties; and
(B) knowing the complaint to be false;
(6) makes a false report of a missing person, knowing the report
or information is false;
(7) gives a false report of actions, behavior, or conditions
concerning:
(A) a septic tank soil absorption system under IC 8-1-2-125 or
IC 13-26-5-2.5; or
(B) a septic tank soil absorption system or constructed wetland
septic system under IC 36-9-23-30.1;
knowing the report or information to be false; or
(8) makes a false report that a person is dangerous (as defined in
IC 35-47-14-1) knowing the report or information to be false;
commits false informing, a Class B misdemeanor except as provided
in subsection (e).
(e) The offense described in subsection (d) is:
(1) a Class A misdemeanor if it:
(A) substantially hinders any law enforcement process,
including by causing the dispatch of one (1) or more law
enforcement officers;
(B) results in harm to another person; or
(C) is committed under subsection (d)(8);
(2) a Level 6 felony if it:
(A) is committed under subsection (d)(8); and
(B) either:
(i) substantially hinders any law enforcement process,
SEA 198 — Concur 3
including by causing the dispatch of one (1) or more law
enforcement officers; or
(ii) results in harm to another person; or
(iii) would cause a reasonable person to feel terrorized,
frightened, intimidated, or threatened; and
(3) a Level 5 felony if it is committed under subsection (d)(8) and
results in serious bodily injury or death to another person.
SEA 198 — Concur President of the Senate
President Pro Tempore
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Governor of the State of Indiana
Date: Time:
SEA 198 — Concur