Can a police officer's integrity be compromised for the price of a cup of coffee or a hamburger? Some say yes, some say no. Under Idaho's Ethics in Government Law, public servants are prohibited from accepting most gifts or services from those they serve. There are, however, some exemptions, including one for "trivial benefits not to exceed a value of $50 incidental to personal, professional or business contacts and involving no substantial risk of undermining official impartiality." Kootenai County's largest law enforcement agencies approach this in similar yet different ways. "I feel it's important that law enforcement officers, and any member of a law enforcement agency, resist the temptation of accepting any discount based on their position," said Post Falls Police Chief Scot Haug. "When you accept gratuities it has the potential to leave the wrong perception with the public, and if law enforcement officers do accept gratuities, what is reasonable?"/Jamie Sedlmayer, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

Question: Should a police officer be allowed to receive minor gratuities during his/her patrol, like a free hamburger or cup of coffee?