At What Price a “Freebie?” The Real Cost of Police Gratuity Acceptance

There has long been a debate among academics and police practitioners as to the level of danger represented by police officer acceptance of what has often been classed as “minor gratuities.” Some claim that police acceptance of gratuities is harmless and may, in fact, strengthen the bond between the police and the public. ¹ On the other hand, others warn that allowing or ignoring police gratuity acceptance may well lead to greater levels of corruption. The authors, one retired from the New Orleans Police Department, take the view that gratuity acceptance not only leads to other deviant behavior by police officers, but that gratuities can amount to 30% or more of an average police officer’s annual salary. As such, police gratuity acceptance represents a greater threat to police integrity, corruption, and deviant behavior than has previously been considered.