Massachusetts General Laws
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 268, § 40 (2026)
Reports of crimes to law enforcement officials
✓ text as last checked Sept. 2026 (this copy records no edition or section history)
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Section 40. Whoever knows that another person is a victim of aggravated rape, rape, murder, manslaughter or armed robbery and is at the scene of said crime shall, to the extent that said person can do so without danger or peril to himself or others, report said crime to an appropriate law enforcement official as soon as reasonably practicable. Any person who violates this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than five hundred nor more than two thousand and five hundred dollars.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 1
case, 2014–2014 · leading case: Commonwealth v. Morse, 10 N.E.3d 1109 (Mass. 2014).
Commonwealth v. Morse, 10 N.E.3d 1109 (Mass. 2014). “268, § 34A; to fail to report crimes under certain circumstances, G. L. c. 268, § 40; and to knowingly and intentionally make a false report of crime, G.”
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