[bdcravens]

In most places, restaurants aren't allowed to give them free food. (edit: as a commenter pointed out, may be more of a police policy than a legal one) Yet you'll always see restaurants frequented by cops on-duty - guess which ones are breaking those rules.

[anamexis]

Can you give specific examples of laws that disallow restaurants giving cops free or discounted food?

[kafkaIncarnate]

https://jcope.ny.gov/gifts

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Displ...

[anamexis]

Right, I know there are laws preventing law enforcement from accepting gifts. I was skeptical that there are laws preventing businesses from offering them.

[bdcravens]

Honestly no, other than conversations I've had in various places with people who ran some eating establishments. It may be more of a police department policy, as the other commenter mentioned.

[defaultname]

In most places the onus is on the police not to accept free food. It is their professional duty not to take free items. Because it starts to smell a bit like a protection racket, even if originally people offered out of true generosity/thankfulness.

[bdcravens]

I think you may be right that's it's less a legal issue than a self-policing issue.

Not doing so does have the risk of devolving into corruption. Here's an example of it going too far that direction, where the police arrested everyone for not giving them free food: https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/16/asia/pakistan-police-detain-s...