The Overview

Minnesota has made impersonating a peace officer a felony, raising the criminal penalty from a misdemeanor and establishing new crimes and enhanced penalties tied to impersonating an officer. Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) signed the bill into law May 18, and it took effect Aug. 1. [](#ngr-6cfd8329-ee34-43e4-aa81-97538b2394e4)

What the Law Does

HF 3404, sponsored by Rep. Ginny Klevorn (DFL-MN), increases criminal penalties for impersonating a peace officer and establishes a crime of impersonating a peace officer while possessing a firearm. Under the law, impersonating a peace officer with intent to mislead is a felony punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to $4,000, or both. Impersonating a peace officer while possessing a firearm is a felony with a maximum prison sentence of 10 years or a fine of up to $20,000, or both.

The law also increases penalties for committing other crimes while impersonating a peace officer. A misdemeanor committed while impersonating an officer becomes a gross misdemeanor, a gross misdemeanor becomes a felony punishable by up to three years in prison, and the statutory maximum for a felony committed while impersonating an officer increases by five years.

The law requires a person acting as a peace officer who stops, detains or arrests someone, conducts a search or performs certain other law enforcement actions to identify their employing agency and provide their name and identification number. An officer wearing a uniform that displays the required information satisfies the requirement.

The Debate

The House passed HF 3404 unanimously April 23, with 134 yes votes and no opposition. The Senate passed the bill 67-0 on May 13. The Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association characterized the prior misdemeanor penalty for impersonating a law enforcement officer as unconscionable, stating that police mistrust is at an all-time high. Klevorn said impersonation destroys the trust Minnesotans place in trained officers.

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This article was generated by AI pulling from data. Each article is edited by an editor for accuracy and clarity.

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