Section 148.5 Of Chapter 7. Other Offenses Against Public Justice From California Penal Code >> Title 7. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 7.
148.5
. (a) Every person who reports to any peace officer listed in
Section 830.1 or 830.2, or subdivision (a) of Section 830.33, the
Attorney General, or a deputy attorney general, or a district
attorney, or a deputy district attorney that a felony or misdemeanor
has been committed, knowing the report to be false, is guilty of a
misdemeanor.
(b) Every person who reports to any other peace officer, as
defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of
Part 2, that a felony or misdemeanor has been committed, knowing the
report to be false, is guilty of a misdemeanor if (1) the false
information is given while the peace officer is engaged in the
performance of his or her duties as a peace officer and (2) the
person providing the false information knows or should have known
that the person receiving the information is a peace officer.
(c) Except as provided in subdivisions (a) and (b), every person
who reports to any employee who is assigned to accept reports from
citizens, either directly or by telephone, and who is employed by a
state or local agency which is designated in Section 830.1, 830.2,
subdivision (e) of Section 830.3, Section 830.31, 830.32, 830.33,
830.34, 830.35, 830.36, 830.37, or 830.4, that a felony or
misdemeanor has been committed, knowing the report to be false, is
guilty of a misdemeanor if (1) the false information is given while
the employee is engaged in the performance of his or her duties as an
agency employee and (2) the person providing the false information
knows or should have known that the person receiving the information
is an agency employee engaged in the performance of the duties
described in this subdivision.
(d) Every person who makes a report to a grand jury that a felony
or misdemeanor has been committed, knowing the report to be false, is
guilty of a misdemeanor. This subdivision shall not be construed as
prohibiting or precluding a charge of perjury or contempt for any
report made under oath in an investigation or proceeding before a
grand jury.
(e) This section does not apply to reports made by persons who are
required by statute to report known or suspected instances of child
abuse, dependent adult abuse, or elder abuse.