What should an officer do when offered a gift from a member of the public?

• A. Decline or report per policy
• B. Accept the gift if it is very small
• C. Accept a modest courtesy if it does not influence actions
• D. Ignore the offer

Answer: (A)

Gifts from the public can create or appear to create a bias in how actions are viewed. To protect integrity and public trust, the right approach is to decline or report the gift according to department policy. This keeps decisions free from any appearance of influence and ensures clear accountability. Even small gifts can be enough to raise questions about impartiality, so accepting them is generally discouraged. Ignoring the offer or treating it as a simple courtesy can still lead to concerns about reciprocity or bias, which policies aim to prevent.