Bill > S1066

This bill addresses discriminatory police reporting by establishing two key legal mechanisms to combat false or biased calls to law enforcement. First, the bill creates a private civil right of action that allows individuals who are targeted by discriminatory police reports to sue the person who made the false report. This means that if someone calls the police about an individual or group solely or partially based on their race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity, without a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity, the targeted individuals can seek injunctive relief, damages, or other appropriate legal remedies. Second, the bill introduces criminal penalties for making such discriminatory false police reports, including potential fines up to $5,000, imprisonment for up to 2.5 years, or both, and the possibility of being ordered to pay up to three times the value of any property damage sustained. The bill defines a lack of reasonable suspicion based on what a reasonable person would suspect given the totality of the circumstances, thus providing a legal framework to discourage and penalize bias-motivated false reporting to law enforcement.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S1066