What is a gratuity? What are the arguments for allowing gratuities? What are the arguments against allowing gratuities? If you were a chief of police, what type of policy (if any) would you have concerning gratuities?
In the policing field, the concept or practice of gratuities are viewed differently by each law enforcement agency as to what constitutes a gratuity and what "gifts" can be accepted. Please remember that more than 18,000 different state, county, and local law enforcement agencies have different policies on this issue.
According to Merriam-Webster (2023), gratuity is a voluntary payment made for some service
and is not obligatory. Unfortunately, the world already has a lot of untrustworthy individuals who would only stop at something to achieve their selfish goals. Some individuals may attempt to bribe law enforcement officers with gratuities to get them to do their bidding. Allowing gratuities would put law enforcement officers in a precarious position, potentially compromising their objectivity and the integrity of the law enforcement system. Furthermore, gratuities have a negative perception in the public eye. They can be seen as a form of bribery, which could further damage the reputation of law enforcement agencies.
As Chief of Police, I would implement a zero-gratuity policy. This is because allowing gratuities has the potential to open Pandora's box, leading to bribery, corruption, and other negative attention that the police department does not need. The police department is already working hard to regain the public's trust, and allowing gratuities would only make this task more difficult.
References:
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Gratuity. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved October 28, 2023, from
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gratuity
.
