Texas Codes

Tex. Penal Code § 37.08 (2026)

False Report To Peace Officer, Federal Special Investigator, Law Enforcement Employee, Corrections Officer, Or Jailer

✓ current as of May 2026
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Sec. 37.08. FALSE REPORT TO PEACE OFFICER, FEDERAL SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR, LAW ENFORCEMENT EMPLOYEE, CORRECTIONS OFFICER, OR JAILER. (a) A person commits an offense if, with intent to deceive, he knowingly makes a false statement that is material to a criminal investigation and makes the statement to:

(1) a peace officer or federal special investigator conducting the investigation;

(2) any employee of a law enforcement agency that is authorized by the agency to conduct the investigation and that the actor knows is conducting the investigation; or

(3) a corrections officer or jailer.

(b) In this section, "law enforcement agency" has the meaning assigned by Article 59.01, Code of Criminal Procedure.

(c) An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor.

Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 883, ch. 399, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1974. Amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 900, Sec. 1.01, eff. Sept. 1, 1994; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 925, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.

Amended by:

Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 839 (H.B. 3423), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2011.

Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 513 (S.B. 405), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2019.

Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 513 (S.B. 405), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2019.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 50 cases (8 in the last 5 years), 1979–2026 · leading case: Rotenberry v. State, 245 S.W.3d 583 (Tex. App. 2007).
Rotenberry v. State, 245 S.W.3d 583 (Tex. App. 2007). · cites it 2× “TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 37.08 (Vernon 2003).”
United States v. Pack, 612 F.3d 341 (5th Cir. 2010). “08 of the Texas Penal Code provides that: “(a) A person commits an offense if, with intent to deceive, he knowingly makes a false statement that is material to a criminal investigation and makes the statement to: (1) a peace officer conducting the investigation; or (2) any…”
Sims v. State, 273 S.W.3d 291 (Tex. Crim. App. 2008). “Because the trial judge determined that the evidence was admissible, any complaint about Terry’s opinion being based on a single encounter goes to the weight rather than the admissibility of such evidence. Thus, the trial court did not err in admitting Terry’s testimony.”
Mason v. State, 225 S.W.3d 902 (Tex. App. 2007). · cites it 2× “See Tex. Pen.Code Ann. § 37.08 (Vernon 2003); Davis, 126 S.”
Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas Fam. Plan. & Preventative Health Servs., Inc. v. Smith, 236 F. Supp. 3d 974 (W.D. Tex. 2017). · cites it 3× “02, prohibiting the purchase and sale of human organs, and Texas Penal Code § 37.08,- prohibiting a false report to a law-enforcement officer.”
United States v. Ben Lee Basey, Armando Jose Lopez, & Oscar Quirarte Ponce, Defendants, 816 F.2d 980 (5th Cir. 1987). “Falsely reporting a crime to a peace officer is a Class B misdemeanor under Texas law, Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 37.08 (a)(1) (Vernon 1974), subjecting the false reporter to punishment of up to 180 days in jail and/or a fine of up to J1,000, id.”
Planned Parenthood of Greater Tex. Fam. Plan. & Preventative Health Servs., Inc v. Smith, 913 F.3d 551 (5th Cir. 2019). · cites it 2× “02, which prohibits the purchase and sale of human organs, and Tex. Penal Code § 37.08, which prohibits making a false report to a law enforcement officer.”
Washington v. State, 127 S.W.3d 111 (Tex. App. 2003). “Tex. Pen.Code Ann. § 37.08(a)(1) (Vernon 2003).”
Alief Indep. Sch. Dist., Dan Turner & Henry Bonaparte v. Troy Perry, 440 S.W.3d 228 (Tex. App. 2013). “See Tex. Penal Code § 37.08; Tex.Code Crim. Proc.”
Lonnie Kade Welsh v. State, 570 S.W.3d 963 (Tex. App. 2019). “081 (False Report Regarding Missing Child or Missing Person)). The court there concluded that “[l]ying to conceal information material to an investigation is a crime, but it is not a violation of section 37.”
Sheryl Johnson-Todd v. John S. Morgan, 480 S.W.3d 605 (Tex. App. 2015). “' Morgan related to the offense of false report to a peace officer under Tex. Penal Code Section 37.08, for which John S.”
Ex parte Barham, 534 S.W.3d 547 (Tex. App. 2017). “See Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 39.03 (a)(1), (d) (West 2016).”
— Tex. Penal Code § 37.08(a) — 9 cases
Sims v. State, 273 S.W.3d 291 (Tex. Crim. App. 2008). “Because the trial judge determined that the evidence was admissible, any complaint about Terry’s opinion being based on a single encounter goes to the weight rather than the admissibility of such evidence. Thus, the trial court did not err in admitting Terry’s testimony.”
Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas Fam. Plan. & Preventative Health Servs., Inc. v. Smith, 236 F. Supp. 3d 974 (W.D. Tex. 2017). “02, prohibiting the purchase and sale of human organs, and Texas Penal Code § 37.08,- prohibiting a false report to a law-enforcement officer.”
United States v. Arturo Elizondo, 502 F. App'x 369 (5th Cir. 2012).
Jermel Lewis v. State (Tex. App. 2016).
— Tex. Penal Code § 37.08(a)(1) — 4 cases
Washington v. State, 127 S.W.3d 111 (Tex. App. 2003). “Tex. Pen.Code Ann. § 37.08(a)(1) (Vernon 2003).”
Washington, Gaynette Marie v. State, 127 S.W.3d 111 (Tex. App. 2003).
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