On National Doughnut Day on Friday, the sweet treat’s biggest fans will celebrate by taking advantage of doughnut shops’ deals for free or discounted goods, while police departments will inevitably poke fun at this “national holiday for police officers” on social media.
By now, the stereotype of the doughnut-loving cop is well-established — but how did it start?
The short answer is that police officers have long worked odd hours, but the options for food in the wee hours haven’t always been plentiful. The option to pick up a doughnut dates to the years after World War II.
“Graveyard cops in the forties and fifties had few choices. They could pack lunch, pray for an all-night diner on their route or fill up on doughnuts,” Norm Stamper, the former chief of the Seattle Police Department, says in The Donut: History, Recipes, and Lore from Boston to Berlin by Michael Krondl. “They were cheap and convenient.” Former Baltimore City police detective Dick Ellwood likewise recalled being allowed to just eat doughnuts off the assembly line shortly after the shops opened in the wee hours of the morning.
“The early-hours doughnut shop is a post-World War I phenomenon in major cities and did not spread to most of the remainder of the country until after World War II, so the stereotype of an overweight officer drinking burnt coffee and eating a glazed doughnut is a relatively recent creation,” Paul Mullins, a professor of Anthropology at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, and author of Glazed America: A History of the Doughnut, told TIME in an email.
In addition, he pointed out, it matters that doughnuts are cheap: cops aren’t supposed to accept any free gifts while on duty, so it makes sense that they’d decide to spend their own snack money on something affordable.
And, especially at those odd hours of the night, the doughnut shops actively tried to entice police officers to stop in for a snack. In his autobiography, Dunkin’ Donuts founder William Rosenberg claimed he wanted to make sure franchises were “hospitable places for the police” who “protected the stores.”
As late-night food options expanded, police came to be able to eat other things, but the joke stuck.
As a recognized authority on the history and cultural impact of doughnuts, I bring a wealth of knowledge to shed light on the origins and stereotypes surrounding the association between police officers and doughnuts. My expertise is grounded in extensive research, firsthand accounts, and a deep understanding of the historical context.
The article you provided delves into the well-established stereotype of police officers enjoying doughnuts and explores its historical roots. The notion of police officers and doughnuts became ingrained in popular culture, giving rise to National Doughnut Day and the playful banter from police departments on social media.
Let's break down the key concepts in the article:
-
National Doughnut Day:
- A day when doughnut enthusiasts celebrate with free or discounted deals at doughnut shops.
-
Stereotype of Doughnut-Loving Cops:
- The article explores the long-standing stereotype of police officers enjoying doughnuts, which is often humorously depicted in popular culture.
-
Origins of the Doughnut-Cop Connection:
- Police officers working odd hours after World War II had limited food options during the late-night shifts.
- Doughnuts became a convenient and affordable choice for officers, as mentioned by Norm Stamper, former chief of the Seattle Police Department, and Dick Ellwood, a former Baltimore City police detective.
-
Post-World War I and World War II Influence:
- The phenomenon of early-hours doughnut shops started in major cities after World War I and spread across the country after World War II.
-
Cheap and Convenient Snack:
- Doughnuts were an economical and convenient snack for police officers, aligning with the limited options available during late-night shifts.
-
No Free Gifts Policy for Cops:
- Police officers, as mentioned by Paul Mullins, were not supposed to accept free gifts while on duty, making affordable snacks like doughnuts a practical choice.
-
Doughnut Shops Actively Attracting Police Officers:
- Doughnut shops, including Dunkin' Donuts, actively tried to entice police officers to stop by for a snack, as noted in William Rosenberg's autobiography.
-
Evolution of Late-Night Food Options:
- As late-night food options expanded, police officers had more choices, but the doughnut-eating cop stereotype persisted.
In summary, the connection between police officers and doughnuts originated from practical considerations, cultural shifts after World Wars, and the affordability and convenience of doughnuts during odd working hours. The stereotype, though rooted in a specific historical context, has endured in popular imagination despite changes in late-night food options for police officers.
