Lakewood Police Department
Policy and Procedure
Gratuities
Effective Date: 10/15/2010
Policy Number: PP-1034
  1. Employees shall avoid any conduct that might compromise their integrity and thus undercut public confidence in the department.  Employees shall refuse to accept goods or services that could be interpreted as seeking to cause the employee to refrain from performing official responsibilities honestly and within the law.  Employees shall not receive private or special advantage from their official status.  
    1. Individual employees shall not accept gratuities. Gratuities are defined as money, discounts, rewards, gifts, presents, or services given to police employees as a result of their employment with the police department. Discounts, special rates, free merchandise or services offered by merchants or other businesses, to various groups, as promotional advertisements or incentives are not considered to be gratuities. Employees will not accept individual discounts, gifts or rewards; as a result of their employment by the department unless the activity is part of a broad marketing campaign offered to other comprehensive groups, all City employees or is part of a recognized department activity. Examples may include: department awards program, discounts at City facilities, limited promotional discounts for all police, fire or City employees at a retail establishment, etc.  
    2. At the discretion of command staff, any gifts, rewards, or gratuities given to the department or any member thereof, whether the giver is known or unknown may be given to a charitable organization, a "needy" group or a "needy" person in the name of the giver, if known.  Donations directed toward improving the safety of the community or quality of life, improving the employee work environment, or providing resources for enhancing partnerships important to community policing may, at the discretion of command staff, be accepted.  
    3. Employees may solicit gifts on behalf of a police, civic, or other non-profit or tax exempt organization so long as such solicitation is intended to promote the mission of the organization and does not create any expectation of receipt of special service or favor from the police department or its employees.  Examples include:  donations made for annual professional conferences, support for charitable activities such as Special Olympics, LPEAF, the PAL, or the Law Enforcement Explorer Post and others.  
    4. No member of the department, while representing himself or herself, officially or unofficially, as a member of this department, or as a function of his employment, shall offer or give gifts, gratuities, or special privileges to any other person or agency in expectation of special benefit to himself or the department.  
    5. Guns or other equipment commonly used by sworn employees, which are offered to all sworn employees at discount prices by retailers or wholesalers are not considered to be gratuities if they are not solicited.   

 

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