Police limited to 24 free doughnuts
Monday, February 26, 2007By DAN MURTAUGHStaff Reporter
How many free doughnuts could a policeman eat if a policeman could eat free doughnuts?

The answer would be 24 in Mobile, at least according to a memo that was posted in the front door of the Krispy Kreme on Government Street during Mardi Gras.

"Uniformed personnel are given 2 dozen glazed doughnuts and coffee or a fountain drink free of charge," said the memo, which was addressed to police, firefighters and paramedics.

Additional doughnuts are available at a reduced rate, and discounts are also extended to

uniformed military personnel, the memo stated.

The deal is specific to the store, not company-wide policy, said Brian Little, Krispy Kreme's Winston-Salem, N.C.-based director of corporate communications.

The memo, dated Feb. 13, seemed to suggest that some public service employees were dunking a few too many pastries:

"It has become necessary for us to put the following limitations on complimentary products," it stated.

But store manager Chris Brooks said that was not the case.

"The sign is just there because a lot of people don't understand what we're trying to do," he said. "Members of the armed forces, ambulance drivers, police officers -- we're trying to help them out by giving them two dozen free doughnuts."

After receiving a call from a Press-Register reporter, Brooks said he would take down the memo to clear up any confusion.

Local police, firefighters and sheriff's deputies are allowed to accept small gifts, but they must be sure the giver doesn't expect anything in return, according to spokespeople from various agencies.

"If the person providing a free gift, whether it's coffee, doughnuts or food, is just somebody kindheartedly giving something to an officer, that's one thing," said Officer Eric Gallichant, spokesman for the Mobile Police Department. "When they start to expect something in return is where problems begin."

Gallichant added that although acceptance of small gifts is allowed in the police department, it "is not generally encouraged."

Free doughnuts pose more than just an ethical dilemma. At 200 calories apiece, too many of the tasty treats could throw a diet out of whack, according to Leslie James, clinical nutrition manager at Springhill Memorial Hospital.

"Typically, anything in moderation can be fit into an average person's diet," she said.

"However, 24 doughnuts is not in moderation."

http://www.al.com/news/press-register/index.ssf?/base/news/1172485104235590.xml&coll=3

Got milk?

The answer here is zero. No freebies, no discounts

ETA: My former department accepting any freebes was grounds for suspension or firing.

When someone offers you a gratuity for merely doing your job, and you're not a waitress or something, the correct response is to thank them and politely decline.

Quoted: When someone offers you a gratuity for merely doing your job, and you're not a waitress or something, the correct response is to thank them and politely decline.

I'll keep that in mind the next time I buy a beer for a solider at the airport.

Quoted: Quoted: When someone offers you a gratuity for merely doing your job, and you're not a waitress or something, the correct response is to thank them and politely decline. I'll keep that in mind the next time I buy a beer for a solider at the airport.

I agree 100% with you Bama.

A local Dunkin Donuts only gives 1 donut and 1 coffee per uniformed officer that shows their badge. Needless to say, that dunkin donuts didn't get much business from LE. However, the other Dunkin Donuts across town gave a dozen donuts per officer. Keep in mind that at the end of the day, the extra donuts are all thrown away. Friends that worked at donut places always told me how they dumped several dozen donuts at the end of the day.

Some local vendors offer discounts for local/state government, law enforcement, and military if you show your ID.

Krispy Kreme > Dunkin Donuts

Quoted: When someone offers you a gratuity for merely doing your job, and you're not a waitress or something, the correct response is to thank them and politely decline.

BS.

I thought we were all equal.  I want my 2 dozen free donuts and cofee.

Quoted: I thought we were all equal.  I want my 2 dozen free donuts and cofee.

Show em your CCW badge

Quoted: Quoted: I thought we were all equal.  I want my 2 dozen free donuts and cofee. Show em your CCW badge

good idea,   wonder if i'll get arrested after i show it

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I thought we were all equal.  I want my 2 dozen free donuts and cofee. Show em your CCW badge good idea,   wonder if i'll get arrested after i show it

Only if the charge of carrying meaningless crap in your wallet is applied.

Quoted: A local Dunkin Donuts only gives 1 donut and 1 coffee per uniformed officer that shows their badge. Needless to say, that dunkin donuts didn't get much business from LE. However, the other Dunkin Donuts across town gave a dozen donuts per officer. Keep in mind that at the end of the day, the extra donuts are all thrown away. Friends that worked at donut places always told me how they dumped several dozen donuts at the end of the day. Some local vendors offer discounts for local/state government, law enforcement, and military if you show your ID.

There was a local Dunkin Donuts here that sucked so bad it was even robbed-I don't see that ever happening to Krispy Kreme in Bama's AO.

Mardi gras, just one store....whole lot of pub....winnner, winner.....

Quoted: Quoted: When someone offers you a gratuity for merely doing your job, and you're not a waitress or something, the correct response is to thank them and politely decline. I'll keep that in mind the next time I buy a beer for a solider at the airport.

Not quite the same.

The solider at the airport is not doing his job.

Now if you want to go to Baghdad and hand out beer to soldiers on patrol...

height=8

Quoted: Is that 24 and a drink quota............... per day? Wow.

Quoted: A local Dunkin Donuts only gives 1 donut and 1 coffee per uniformed officer that shows their badge. Needless to say, that dunkin donuts didn't get much business from LE. However, the other Dunkin Donuts across town gave a dozen donuts per officer. Keep in mind that at the end of the day, the extra donuts are all thrown away. Friends that worked at donut places always told me how they dumped several dozen donuts at the end of the day. Some local vendors offer discounts for local/state government, law enforcement, and military if you show your ID.

I have far too much pride to badge a donut dollie for a cup of coffee.

Some people have no shame

I have nothing to say, just waiting to see how quickly Johninaustin will show up.

Quoted: No gratuities here. I hate doughnuts.  Now if they were giving away free spicy tuna rolls I would have a moral dilemma.

We have a couple of local dinersthat give us 50% off at lunch, in uniform.  We accept their offer, and add the remainder back in to the tip.  plus the regular tip.

It's a win-win.  the deli feels good about supporting us, and it is their way of saying thanks.  We spend the same amount as we always would have and it goes back to the employess.

Win-win, and the meal costs the same.

TRG

Quoted: I have nothing to say, just waiting to see how quickly Johninaustin will show up.

He can’t… diabetic coma.

Quoted: Quoted: When someone offers you a gratuity for merely doing your job, and you're not a waitress or something, the correct response is to thank them and politely decline. BS.

Nothing wrong with freebies.  I think management that makes a big deal about it are severe tight-asses.

Quoted: Quoted: I have nothing to say, just waiting to see how quickly Johninaustin will show up. He can’t… diabetic coma.

He stopped the donut when his belly flab slapped him in his face over and over when his motorbike hit 75mph.  He looked like he just sparred a round with Muhammed Ali when he was brought into the ER.

Quoted: When someone offers you a gratuity for merely doing your job, and you're not a waitress or something, the correct response is to thank them and politely decline.

There's nothing wrong with graciously accepting a gift.  If a private business decides to give-out free products to cops then that's their right.  I can't believe someone would have an issue with that.z

Quoted: Quoted: When someone offers you a gratuity for merely doing your job, and you're not a waitress or something, the correct response is to thank them and politely decline. There's nothing wrong with graciously accepting a gift.  If a private business decides to give-out free products to cops then that's their right.  I can't believe someone would have an issue with that.z

Some of the higher ups in many Metro Police departments have such tight asses it would take a rocket powered sledgehammer to be able to drive a toothpick in one.  They probably shit diamonds about three times a year.  There are good departments and bad ones, the ones ran by political animals are the worst.

When I was a slick-sleeved reeeee-cruit, my Training Officer, Harvey, would stop at a place to get coffee.

It was free, although it costs non-policemen 10 cents a cup.  (Yep, I'm that old.)

But when we got up to leave, Harvey would leave a 20 cent tip.

I asked him, "Harvey, if the coffee is free, why do you pay for it?"

He replied, "One day we may have to arrest someone here and I wouldn't want them to think that I "owed" them something."

I saw a lot of officers take free coffee and don't really have any problem with it.  But the gift-giver needs to understand that it doesn't "buy" them anything, except a "Thank You" from the officer.

Many places offered us food at half-price.  They just liked to have uniformed officers eating at their place.  And, as hard is it is for some here to believe, they just appreciated the police officers.

Its funny that I, working for a private corporation, am required by the Department of Insurance to fill out an affadavit each year re: gifts, but someone working for the public can accept things for free and not have to do the same with the Department of Justice.

I'm not hatin the player, just hatin the game.

thats the most painful thing ive read for a while

What a bloody stupid idea. In college, I used to be the late night shift manager at a Cumberland Farms convenience store. From 11-7 we used to get some weird-ass people coming in, so, I wanted and got security by handing the local cops whatever they wanted. It wasn't official policy, but the place had been robbed a lot before I got hired. I wasn't about to take chances with my life for the goddamned Haseotes family (owners).

I gave the cops coffee, donuts, Ho-Hos, whatever. It was an investment in my safety. Some cops paid (after I would politely decline, then accept), but, in front of them, I promptly put that $$ in the Jimmy Fund (like Jerry's kids, but local) contribution container.

The cops were always around, we never got robbed. It became the Blue Hangout- it was great! We had cops from Greenfield, Turners Falls, State cops, everybody. The tweakers left me alone. Greenfield, MA, cops are good guys!

We have businesses here give us free stuff all the time.

Krispy Kreme donuts has always given us free donuts. I haven't gotten any for 2-3 years but every time I ever went there in uniform, they wanted to give me however many I chose free. I am not sure I ever got more than two dozen, but maybe.

Las Vegas is a town where tipping is understood and is practiced by anyone with class. When we are comped a meal, or whatever we always tip more than the item would have cost to buy. If we get a discount, we often tip more than the bill. Think of it like this: the public is tipping us for what we do. We tip them back for what they do. I honestly appreciate the job they do and also appreciate the thought they showed when they gave me the gift.
As a firefighter, I don't have to worry about having to arrest anybody. But, I am willing to bend over backwards to do whatever I can to help them out. (Don't tell them but I would do that for anyone whether they gave me anything free or not )

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: When someone offers you a gratuity for merely doing your job, and you're not a waitress or something, the correct response is to thank them and politely decline. I'll keep that in mind the next time I buy a beer for a solider at the airport. Not quite the same. The solider at the airport is not doing his job. Now if you want to go to Baghdad and hand out beer to soldiers on patrol...

If he/she is in uniform he's on the job. IMO.

Where I dine, one place is half price, another is free if you dine in (fast food) and yet another won't let me pay (I was the closet unit and first to respond to a fight at her place even though it was outside my jurisdiction), I always make up the difference with the tip.

ETA: No donut shops in my area.

Quoted: Where I dine, one place is half price, another is free if you dine in (fast food) and yet another won't let me pay (I was the closet unit and first to respond to a fight at her place even though it was outside my jurisdiction), I always make up the difference with the tip. ETA: No donut shops in my area.

As an aside, we seldom eat donuts at the fire house.  But, when the local LEOs stop by to visit and BS, we always cut the center out of the cookies to make them feel welcome.

Also, OT, we had a stand-off/hostage/suicide threat the other day.  Some guy barricaded, threatening to harm himself, or others.

We were used to help crowd control.  The guy gave up and I met one of our officers coming back to his car.  He was unslinging his AR, and I asked, "Any luck?"

His response, "No, damnit, he gave up!"



Good guys, every one of them.

TRG

The hero at the nudist colony can carry a dozen donuts and 2 large cups of coffee.

Quoted: I saw a lot of officers take free coffee and don't really have any problem with it.  But the gift-giver needs to understand that it doesn't "buy" them anything, except a "Thank You" from the officer. Many places offered us food at half-price.  They just liked to have uniformed officers eating at their place.  And, as hard is it is for some here to believe, they just appreciated the police officers.

...and having cops hanging around your place is a darn good way to keep bad guys from robbing you.

The cops get some grub and coffee, and the restaurant gets a reputation as a cop hangout.

That's what I call a win-win.

If I owned a business I would do my best to try and make the cops hang out there for precisely that reason.

KK must be gettin desperate, can't even give the damn things away now.

Gratuities are so common around here that if you try to turn them down, you end up causing a scene.  

Quoted: KK must be gettin desperate, can't even give the damn things away now.

They laid a royal egg in New England. Hardly any KK franchises/stores/setups left.

For us, no gratuities are to be accepted. That's our dizzle. No free donuts, No free coffee, No free soda, No free Slurpees. No discounted meals. No discounts. Nothing free. We pay what the public pays.
It has been suggested that we do not go to 7-Eleven because they have a policy on not charging police officers for free coffee or fountain drinks. We can go there if we buy something that must be charged, i.e. Snickers chocolate bar, bottled soda.

Quoted: The hero at the nudist colony can carry a dozen donuts and 2 large cups of coffee.

Only when he's excited.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: When someone offers you a gratuity for merely doing your job, and you're not a waitress or something, the correct response is to thank them and politely decline. I'll keep that in mind the next time I buy a beer for a solider at the airport. Not quite the same. The solider at the airport is not doing his job. Now if you want to go to Baghdad and hand out beer to soldiers on patrol... If he/she is in uniform he's on the job. IMO.

I think he's talking about police work, not military work.
As a police officer, if you get something free, that business has a feeling they are paying for or have an expectation for "extra" protective services. If they don't get it, like they get robbed, they will feel the cops didn't do their job and they even gave "whatever" for free and they get mad and let the media and everyone in the world know about it.
Buying a soldier a beer for doing his job is okay because you aren't expecting any extra military protection from him.