"Do You Want Extra Police Coverage With Those Fries?"

Abstract

The free cup of coffee has long raised ethical debates in policing, but no research has yet provided a sufficient coupling of empirical and theoreti cal perspectives. Because officers report that they can self-control any po tential bias a gratuity may create, this study explores an ecological model we term the "gratuity exchange principle," which predicts the mere act of retrieving the gratuity is likely to offset patrol practices. Exploratory data from a medium-sized Midwest city are used to examine gratuity influence in light of other scaled variables: food quality, cost, convenience and loca tion. Findings suggest gratuities increase coverage. The implications for businesses, citizens and police departments are discussed.