It’s not uncommon for people to make false reports to the police. However, many people aren’t aware of the severe consequences of filing a false police report.
Eastern Michigan University’s Department of Public Safety sent out a mass email warning to the student body on Nov. 2. The email stated that an armed robbery had taken place in Green Lot 1 around 6:28 p.m.
The victim, an EMU student, said he had been approached by four African-American males in their twenties, describing all of them as being over six feet tall, with one of them holding what the victim described as a black semi-automatic handgun.
The victim said the males demanded money and when he handed over his wallet, he was then punched in the face. The males reportedly fled the scene in a northeast direction.
On Nov. 3, the police department sent out another email to the student body, stating the report from the previous day was false and that the department had sent the report to the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office for review and possible criminal charges.
EMU Chief of Police Robert Heighes said detectives from his department responded to the incident and realized the statement was false the next day.
He said that the person who made the claim is an EMU commuter student. They have some insight regarding why the student made the false claims, but did not want to go into detail as of yet. The department is still waiting for a response from the prosecutor’s office.
When false statements occur, Heighes said the department takes the matter very seriously.
“It obviously has a very dramatic effect, especially if we send out a notice on campus and to the entire community,” he said. “It affects everybody here. You could obviously be on-edge and fearful. And then stereotypes happen. It affects the university. The news media picks up on it. People pick up on bits and pieces.”
Heighes said that people could begin to view EMU as an unsafe campus, which isn’t the case.
“It hurts the reputation of the entire university,” Heighes said.
He said if incidents like this happen, the department needs to get that information out to the public. If the statements are deemed false, they would like to see the person who made the false statement punished accordingly, both criminally and within the university.
The consequences for making a false statement range from a temporary suspension for a year and up to expulsion. Depending on the situation, criminal charges could also be brought against the person and they may be charged with a misdemeanor or a felony.
Washtenaw County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Steve Hiller said the case has not been reviewed yet and is unable to comment on it until there has been an arraignment or the case has been denied, depending on the evidence available.
Heighes said the department follows through on reports to make sure they are accurate because the task does take up time and resources.
“If it’s somebody who just comes in and reports their laptop stolen, we still have to dedicate time to determine what happened, and if it comes up that your laptop wasn’t stolen, you hocked it over here at the shop or something for cash, but yet you came in here and reported it to us, we certainly pursue that,” Heighes said. “When you have to send out a notice to the entire world when something happens on your campus, it has a much more dramatic effect on everybody. It’s just a huge amount of effort by the officers.”
Heighes said one of the ways the DPS ensures safety is keeping the community involved. He said if a student does see something they don’t think looks right, they are encouraged to call the police department.
“Let us come and decide if it’s an issue to be concerned about,” he said.
Heighes also said the campus has 500 cameras spread across campus, blue light emergency phones and SEEUS — Student Eyes and Ears for University Safety, which has been around for over 20 years. He said the department encourages people to use SEEUS during the evening hours, starting at 5 p.m. and ending at 3 a.m., seven days a week.
“The bottom line is we work hard and we need support from everybody, which we do get. [EMU’s] Campus is safe,” Heighes said.
