Minnesota Statutes 609.5151 – Dissemination of Personal Information About Law Enforcement Prohibited; Penalty
Subdivision 1.Definitions.
As used in this section:
Attorney's Note
Under the Minnesota Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Gross misdemeanor | up to 1 year | up to $3,000 |
| Misdemeanor | up to 90 days | up to $1,000 |
Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 609.5151
- Person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
(1) “family or household member” has the meaning given in section 518B.01, subdivision 2;
(2) “law enforcement official” means both peace officers as defined in section 626.84, subdivision 1, and persons employed by a law enforcement agency; and
(3) “personal information” means a home address, directions to a home, or photographs of a home.
Subd. 2.Crime described.
(a) It is a misdemeanor for a person to knowingly and without consent make publicly available, including but not limited to through the Internet, personal information about a law enforcement official or an official’s family or household member, if:
(1) the dissemination poses an imminent and serious threat to the official’s safety or the safety of an official’s family or household member; and
(2) the person making the information publicly available knows or reasonably should know of the imminent and serious threat.
(b) A person is guilty of a gross misdemeanor if the person violates paragraph (a) and a law enforcement official or an official’s family or household member suffers great bodily harm or death as a result of the violation.
(c) A person who is convicted of a second or subsequent violation of this section is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.