Pg. 36 No More Free Meals
In the case of the Withrow incident, a restaurant owner provided reduced cost meals to troopers. Troopers came to expect this service from the owner because it was a standard practice. The service was abruptly stopped and all meals returned to full price. It was later discovered towards the end of the case, that the owner’s son was arrested for DWI. Therefore, the conclusion is one of the troopers caused the practice to stop due to the arrest of the owner’s son (Withrow & Dailey, 2004).
Owners of restaurants are not entitled to preferential treatment by the troopers simply because they offer them reduced cost meals. Restaurant owners are entitled to the same protection that any other member of the community would expect. Troopers or any officer of the law are not entitled to free meals unless the establishment desires to offer them.
The arrest of the owner’s son for DWI was unfortunate. However, the owner’s son should not have been drinking and driving. If the officer who arrested him had chosen to over look the incident, the officer would have been unethical. Further, the possibility existed that the owner’s son would have injured himself or worse injured or killed someone else. There could have been corrupt overtones if an investigation had been conducted and revealed troopers were routinely the recipients of reduced meals from the owner. Instead, the officer was responsible and performed their duties in a responsible and professional manor.
The adverse reaction by the officers in the restaurant was less than professional. Politely paying for their meals was the expected response without overt repercussions. Corruption is an ugly fact of law enforcement. If a business owner makes a genuine offer of kindness it should not have corrupt under tones. To err on the side of caution is always the best way.
Before President Kennedy was killed, he signed a proclamation that designated the 15th of May as Peace Officers Memorial Day. The week of the 15th would be referred to as Police Week (About National Police Week, n.d.). During this week restaurant owners could provide free meals just like they do for active duty and retired military on Veterans’ Day. There isn’t anything corrupt in this and the offer is genuine for the service they provide to their country. The same ideology should be applied to police officers.
References
Fraternal Order of Police, (n.d.) About Police Week Retrieved from
http://www.policeweek.org/index.html
Withrow, B. & Dailey, J. (2004). “A Model of Circumstantial Corruptibility.” Police Quarterly
7 (2): P 159-178
