Critics attack bill on false claims against cops

CARSON CITY -- Senators have passed a measure that allows criminal prosecution of people who file false reports alleging misconduct or abuse by a police officer.

Assembly Bill 304 was approved 18-3 Wednesday after debate over whether it would discourage people from going to a law-enforcement agency and filing complaints of physical abuse or other misconduct by officers.

Democratic Sens. Dina Titus and Bob Coffin, both of Las Vegas, and Joe Neal of North Las Vegas voted against the bill, which now goes to the governor.

"It takes a lot of nerve and a lot of guts to file a complaint against a police officer. I'm afraid that by putting this in place, we'll just create another barrier," Titus said.

Still people who intentionally file false reports to destroy the characters or careers of the officers who arrest them should be punished. And there is no provision for that now, Sen. Mark James, R-Las Vegas, said.

"There's no criminal remedy whatsoever for someone who wants to seek retribution against a peace officer by knowingly filing a false report," James said. "You can still file a complaint. You can file any truthful complaint you want."

"This bill is an abomination," Gary Peck of the American Civil Liberties Union said from his Las Vegas office. "It is just stupid."

Under the bill people who lodge complaints with a police agency's internal affairs office would be providing information that could be used against them later, Peck said. So their lawyers may advise them to skip the internal affairs complaint and go directly to court when they feel they've been abused.

The measure clearly flies in the face of a growing national sentiment that abuse by law-enforcement officers is on the rise and in some cases out of control, he added.

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