Crimes: emergencies: false reporting.

Existing law provides that any individual who reports, or causes any report to be made, to any city, county, city and county, or state department, district, agency, division, commission, or board, that an emergency exists, knowing that the report is false, is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not exceeding one year, or by a fine not exceeding $1,000, or by both that imprisonment and fine. Existing law provides that any individual who reports, or causes any report to be made, to any city, county, city and county, or state department, district, agency, division, commission, or board, that an emergency exists, and who knows that the report is false, and who knows or should know that the response to the report is likely to cause death or great bodily injury, and great bodily injury or death is sustained by any person as a result of the false report, is guilty of a felony, as specified. This bill would provide that any person convicted of violating these provisions, based upon a report that resulted in an emergency response, would be liable to a public agency for the reasonable costs of the emergency response by the public agency. The bill would further provide that nothing in these provisions precludes punishment for the conduct prescribed by existing law under any other law providing for greater punishment.