False reports causing public panic or concern are categorized as which offense?

False reports causing public panic or concern are categorized as which offense?

• A. Bomb Threat
• B. Endangering Another Person
• C. False Public Alarms
• D. Terroristic Threats

Answer: (C)

False public alarms punish lying to emergency services or authorities in a way that triggers a response and causes public panic or concern. This offense is about fabricating emergencies and wasting resources, because the key harm is the disruption and fear that a false alarm creates for the public and responders. The scenario described—false reports that lead to public worry—fits this statute exactly, since it targets the act of spreading false information that prompts an alarm. Other options involve different harms or intents: a bomb threat is a statement about detonating an explosive and is treated as a separate offense; endangering another person covers actions that physically put someone at risk, not necessarily through false reporting; and terroristic threats require threats meant to cause fear of violence, not simply filing a false alarm. For instance, reporting a non-existent fire or gas leak to trigger an evacuation is a false public alarm, distinct from ordinary threats or endangerment.

False public alarms punish lying to emergency services or authorities in a way that triggers a response and causes public panic or concern. This offense is about fabricating emergencies and wasting resources, because the key harm is the disruption and fear that a false alarm creates for the public and responders. The scenario described—false reports that lead to public worry—fits this statute exactly, since it targets the act of spreading false information that prompts an alarm.

Other options involve different harms or intents: a bomb threat is a statement about detonating an explosive and is treated as a separate offense; endangering another person covers actions that physically put someone at risk, not necessarily through false reporting; and terroristic threats require threats meant to cause fear of violence, not simply filing a false alarm. For instance, reporting a non-existent fire or gas leak to trigger an evacuation is a false public alarm, distinct from ordinary threats or endangerment.