S 2302Police & Prisons

Criminal Offenses - Obstructing Justice

This bill makes it a crime to knowingly file false official misconduct complaints against police and emergency personnel.

Held for study

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Affected

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Introduced Jan 23, 2026Committee Senate Judiciary

Plain-English Summary

This legislation expands the current law regarding false reports of crimes. It makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly file a false formal complaint of misconduct against law enforcement officers or emergency personnel, such as firefighters, EMTs, and hospital staff. If a person is convicted of making such a false report, they can face up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $500. Additionally, the bill requires the offender to pay restitution to the falsely accused worker for any damages they suffered because of the false complaint.

For younger readers

Right now, it is against the law to lie to the police and say a crime happened when it didn't. This new rule says you also cannot tell lies to get police officers, firefighters, or ambulance workers in trouble. If someone tells a lie on purpose to make an official complaint against these helpers, they can get in trouble with the law. They might have to go to court, pay a fine, or pay money to the worker they lied about to fix any problems the lie caused.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

Police OfficersEmergency Medical TechniciansFirefightersHospital StaffCitizens filing complaints

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

This bill carries a high constitutional risk regarding the First Amendment. Criminalizing complaints against public officials is often viewed as a content-based restriction on speech. It creates a "chilling effect" where citizens may be afraid to petition the government for redress of grievances (filing legitimate complaints) due to fear of prosecution. Courts require a strict standard of "actual malice" for such laws, and if the statute is applied broadly to punish criticism, it would likely be ruled unconstitutional.

Estimated cost

Amount unknown

Estimated revenue

$500/fine

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Extends legal protections to emergency medical technicians, hospital staff, and fire safety officials, ensuring these essential workers are safeguarded from malicious harassment while performing their duties.
Ensures that the formal complaint process remains a serious mechanism for addressing actual grievances by discouraging the flooding of the system with knowingly fabricated accusations.
Provides a mechanism for restitution, helping workers who may not have high incomes recover financial losses or damages sustained due to targeted, malicious lies.
Creates a "chilling effect" that will likely discourage victims of actual police misconduct from filing complaints out of fear that they will be prosecuted or jailed if authorities simply do not believe them.
Increases the power of law enforcement to retaliate against community members who attempt to hold them accountable, potentially exacerbating systemic issues in policing.
Imposes criminal penalties and financial restitution that will disproportionately harm low-income individuals and marginalized communities who are already more likely to have negative interactions with the justice system.

For Conservatives

Strengthens the rule of law by protecting police officers and first responders from malicious, career-damaging lies, allowing them to focus on public safety without fear of baseless retribution.
Enforces personal responsibility by holding individuals criminally and financially accountable for the damages they cause when they knowingly lie to authorities.
Reduces government waste by deterring frivolous complaints that consume valuable investigative resources and taxpayer money that should be spent on fighting actual crime.
Expands government authority to prosecute speech, creating a dangerous precedent where the state can criminalize citizens for criticizing government employees.
Could be weaponized by corrupt officials to silence whistleblowers or political opponents who are trying to expose genuine incompetence or corruption within state agencies.
Increases government interference in private matters by including hospital staff in the definition of "emergency personnel," potentially criminalizing disputes in private healthcare settings.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 18 additions · 5 deletions

SECTION 1. Section 11-32-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-32 entitled "Obstructing Justice" is hereby amended to read as follows: 11-32-2. ~~False report of crime~~ False report of crime or official misconduct.

(a) Every person who shall knowingly make or cause to be made, whether oral or written, a false statement of a:

(1) A crime, ~~either oral or written,~~ with intent that it be relied upon by a police officer of any city or town or by any member of the state police,:

(2) An official formal complaint of misconduct by any law enforcement personnel and/or law enforcement department/agency; or

(3) An official formal complaint of misconduct by emergency personnel and/or emergency department/agent; shall be deemed guilty of ~~obstructing an officer~~ a misdemeanor and shall be imprisoned not exceeding one year and/or be fined not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500), and shall in addition to this imprisonment and/or fine be ordered to make restitution to the person falsely accused of a crime or misconduct for any damage which the person sustained as a result of the false complaint.

(b) For purposes of this section:

(1) “Law enforcement” means any permanently employed city or town police officer, state police officer, public safety officer, sheriff, or capitol police officer.

(2) "Emergency personnel" means emergency services officials, first aid, emergency medical technicians and personnel, fire safety officials and hospital staff.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.