New York Assembly Bill A02481

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/17/25
• Refer: 1/17/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Establishes the crime of aggravated offering of a false accusation against a peace officer or police officer for knowingly reporting false or baseless information relating to wrongdoing by a police or peace officer to a law enforcement agency; creates a private right of action for damages.

Summary

A02481 would amend New York’s penal law to create a new felony offense called aggravated offering of a false accusation against a police officer or peace officer. A person would commit the crime if, knowing the information is false or baseless, they report alleged wrongdoing by a police or peace officer to law enforcement. The offense would be classified as a class D felony. The bill also amends the civil rights law to create a private right of action for police officers or peace officers, or their representatives, to sue for damages caused by a false accusation made in violation of the new criminal provision. Courts would be authorized to award reasonable attorney’s fees to a prevailing plaintiff. The act would take effect immediately if enacted.

Impact

If enacted, the bill would add a new criminal offense to the Penal Law and a new civil remedy in the Civil Rights Law. It would expose individuals who knowingly make false or baseless allegations of police misconduct to felony prosecution and potential civil liability, including damages and attorney’s fees. The measure would directly affect people who file complaints about police or peace officers, as well as officers who seek redress for alleged false accusations.

Sentiment

No committee transcript or vote record is available in the provided materials, so there is no documented floor or committee sentiment to summarize. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears designed to protect police and peace officers from knowingly false accusations, suggesting support from sponsors concerned about false reporting, while also likely raising concerns among civil liberties, accountability, and police oversight advocates about chilling legitimate complaints.

Contention

The main point of contention is likely the balance between protecting officers from malicious false reports and preserving the ability of the public to report misconduct without fear of retaliation. Supporters would emphasize deterrence of knowingly false accusations and the availability of damages for harmed officers. Opponents would likely argue that terms such as “false or baseless” could be applied too broadly, potentially discouraging complaints about police misconduct and creating a chilling effect on oversight and accountability.