New York Post Revives Ancient Slur About Cops, Doughnuts

By Roy Edroso Mon., Jul. 20 2009 at 8:53 AM

Categories: Featured, NYPD

The New York Post exclusive about one NYPD Sergeant Eric Turetsky, who allegedly sought and received confectionery largesse from a Dunkin' Donuts in the Rockaways, filching free donuts and coffee and the occasional sandwich, allows the paper to reproduce a picture of Chief Wiggum and use lines like "cram his face full of crullers." (As it happens, the accused was one of the whistle-blowers in the Abner Louima case back in 1997.) The story reenforces an ancient slur against police officers, as did Hill Street Blues and The Bangles before them; its origin is vague, though WebWord made a modest attempt at a backgrounder in 2004 ("Cops hang out at gas stations, for the coffee and the donuts, and because they are open all the time. Nearly all gas stations have donuts these days"). As with the Pride Integrity Guts work-around, some cops have tried to diminish the power of the stereotype by embracing it, as did Sgt. Howard Sawyers of Walworth County, Wisconsin, who entered and won a national doughnut-eating contest earlier this year, and the folks at cafepress' Cop Shop, who designed the clock shown here. In the long run, Sgt. Turetsky's malfeasance will probably do no more harm to the reputation of the Force than stories of involvement with kickball do to that of hipsters.

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