MS SB2494

Increases the fine for falsely reporting a crime to a maximum of $5,000 (underlined amount in Section 97-35-47).

Maintains imprisonment penalty of up to one year in county jail for filing a false crime report, in addition to or instead of the fine.

Requires defendants convicted of false reporting to pay restitution to law enforcement agencies for reasonable investigation and prosecution costs related to the false report.

Grants crime victims the right to receive a free copy of the initial incident report from law enforcement, subject to applicable confidentiality requirements.

Effective date is July 1, 2012.