Police Gratuities

INSTRUCTIONS:

Imagine you are a rookie police officer on your first night of patrol. Your squad car partner is a veteran police officer with 15 years of experience. He has agreed to take you under his wing and show you the ropes. Midway through the shift, when the calls for service have slowed, you both decide to grab a quick bite to eat.

The older, experienced officer tells you that the restaurant on the corner likes to have police around the restaurant to deter criminal activity, so they always give police officers free meals. You feel a bit uneasy about this but decide to join your partner since it seems common practice for officers to dine there. Your partner orders steak, potatoes, and all the trimmings, knowing that it will cost him nothing.

You reach some decision points. What are you going to do? What if it were just coffee at a convenience store? What if the owner refused to take your money at the cash register?

Additional Instructions:

• Assess how you would respond as a police officer if you were put in a situation involving gratuities.
• Explain how partaking in even small gratuities can lead to further misconduct and even corruption.
• Explore how a police officer should respond if a merchant insists on providing a free meal or service to law enforcement.
• Describe whether it is more difficult for rookie officers to deal with ethical situations versus veteran officers.

Special Instructions:

Create a 1 page essay in APA format in accordance to the all the instructions above. Use 2 sources for references. Be sure to include in-text citations.