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Chapter
15

Open Space and Mountain Parks

Gifts and Gratuities

“The law enforcement officer, representing government, bears the heavy
responsibility of maintaining, in their own conduct, the honor and integrity of
all government institutions. They shall, therefore, guard against placing
themselves in a position in which any person can expect special consideration
or in which the public can reasonably assume that special consideration is
being given. Thus, they should be firm in refusing gifts, favors, or gratuities,
large or small, which can, in the public mind, be interpreted as capable of
influencing their judgment in the discharge of their duties.”

--Article 9 of the Canons of Police Ethics: Police Code of Conduct, 1991, in Professional Law
Enforcement Codes: A Documentary Collection, ed. J. Kleinig & Y. Zhang (Westport, CT:Greenwood,
1993), 96.

Policy

Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) rangers must never use their positions or status to seek or
accept any favors, gifts, or gratuities for personal benefit or gain that would not ordinarily be
afforded the general public.

Procedures

Gifts
• Rangers will not accept money, goods, or other gifts from any person, business, or
organization for professional services provided. This does not prohibit rangers from
accepting awards of appreciation or recognition from other agencies or community
groups;
• Rangers may accept materials, prizes, promotional items, and discounts as members of a
professional organization while attending a job-related conference or training program or
while participating in a community fundraising event, as long as an offer is not solely
based on an OSMP Department employee’s status and it is extended to others within the
department; and

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