New law to curb fake crime reports

TRENTON, Mich. (AP) - Gov. Rick Snyder has signed legislation aimed at toughening the penalties for making false reports of crimes and other emergencies.

The governor was joined Monday at a signing ceremony in the Detroit suburb of Trenton by local emergency responders and others. The legislation allows courts to require those convicted of falsely reporting a crime or medical emergency to reimburse the state or local government for responding.

Snyder said in a statement that false crime reports "unnecessarily risk the lives of emergency responders and waste valuable public resources."

The legislation is part of a three-bill package. It includes legislation making false reporting of a crime or medical emergency illegal and setting penalties.