Religion,Race,and Public Opinion about Police Officer Gratuities

Using data obtained from telephone surveys, this article examines the opinions of two groups toward the acceptance of gratuities by police officers. The experimental group was composed of 101 African Americans who were classified as religiously conservative. Because of the strong involvement of African American churches in civil rights activities, and the historic antipathy between many police agencies and some religiously based civil rights groups, it was expected that African American religious conservatives (AARC) would have strong negative sentiments toward the acceptance of gratuities by police officers. This expectation was confirmed in part and rejected in part. Policy implications are also discussed.