People impersonating peace officers face felony penalties, and officers must identify themselves

A person who falsely impersonates a peace officer with intent to mislead may face a felony conviction and up to two years in prison or a $4,000 fine, or both. This applies to anyone who falsely presents themselves as a peace officer intending another person to believe the claim. The person must intend to mislead someone into believing that the person is actually an officer. This applies to crimes committed on or after August 1, 2026.

A person may face higher felony penalties when impersonating an officer while entering a closed government building, giving unlawful orders, violating certain traffic rules, using a marked law-enforcement vehicle, possessing a firearm, or repeating the offense within five years. The provision covers the listed conduct, vehicles made to look like law-enforcement vehicles, firearm possession, and a previous violation of the same section within five years. A repeat violation or firearm possession may carry up to ten years in prison or a $20,000 fine, or both. Using a law-enforcement vehicle includes displaying equipment commonly attached to those vehicles when it would lead a reasonable person to believe the vehicle is official. When a person commits another crime while impersonating an officer, the penalty may rise from a misdemeanor to a gross misdemeanor, from a gross misdemeanor to a felony, or by five years for a felony. The enhanced penalty does not prevent prosecution under another part of the impersonation law. These provisions apply to crimes committed on or after August 1, 2026.

Covered law enforcement officers must identify their agency, last name, and identification number when required by the provision. This covers Minnesota peace officers, federally recognized Tribal officers, certain neighboring-state officers, and officers assisting under emergency or mutual-aid agreements. An officer may meet the requirement through a clearly identifying uniform, qualifying protective gear, or—when asked—spoken information or an identification card. An undercover officer need not reveal their identity unless detaining or arresting someone or executing a warrant. Failure to identify does not make an arrest unlawful or support suppressing evidence from the arrest. The identification requirements apply on or after August 1, 2026.