In the context of law enforcement, a gratuity is a gift to operating officers based on their occupation. Commonly, it is a sign of goodwill in the form of free coffee or other insignificant benefits (Fleming, 2019). As such, the primary argument for allowing gratuities is that it is a voluntary gesture with no implications, unlike bribes (Fleming, 2019). However, there is a blurry line between tips, gratuity, and bribes, and it is the main argument against allowing gratuities.
If I were the chief of police, I would advocate against allowing gratuities to maintain a neutral public image of the law enforcement organization. In my opinion, a gratuity can become the first step toward corruption or at least might be understood as such by the public. From these considerations, I believe that accepting gratuities should be prohibited for police officers, and a verbal commendation is sufficient in most cases.
References
Fleming, E. (2019). Should officers accept gratuities if so what is acceptable?. SidmartinBio. Web.
Spodek Law Group. (n.d.). What is a BOLO traffic stop?. Web.
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