Why are so many cops so conservative,at least the white ones are anyways?

Question

Or what makes them conservative?

Casual observation Jack S. I once worked along with an ex-cop, he was really conservative as hell. I'm wondering wether someone like him is indeed the norm, that's all!

Answer 1

No actual cops seem to be answering.

I'll throw this in....Keep in mind that in discussing this, I will use words like democrat, republican, conservative, ect. Please note that I am using the words in their current context and how the average person would describe themselves. Historic and technical party/political positions may differ, however I am dealing with what is true and what people call themselves in 2007

Most police officers come from working families, have been in the military and are males between the age of 21 and 45. That right that puts man squarely in the conservative demographic to begin with.

Add in the fact that day in and day out, police officers deal with the worst of society. They start to take a fairly strict view on things like crime, welfare, economics, ect. Usually they see the conservative point of view being more of the answer. Since the current conservative thinking is anti-drug, harsh on crime and viewing things like welfare as somewhat of a waste.

Also, conservatives seem to champion the old school cowboy image. Which goes well with policing. There is a certain attitude in policing that goes better with conservative ideas then liberal.

Look at it this way, throw out the extremes (far left and far right) and interview 10,000 democrats and 10,000 republicans. I think you would find on average that republicans are far more supportive of police then an average democrat.

I'm not saying democrats are anti-police. But their views disagree with a lot of policing today, particularly in the areas of drug laws and such.

All that being said, not all officers are conservatives. I think of myself as fairly liberal, I vote mostly democratic. As do many cops I know.

However, my best guess would be that 75% of police officers would classify themselves as conservatives and vote republican.

Not really a good thing or a bad thing. Just a fact of life.

Answer 2

Because they daily have to deal with being charged with keeping order and peace and protecting everyone; then having all their efforts to do so hamstrung by very stupid restrictions on what they can and can't do. They exchange fire with criminals who have automatic weapons when they are not allowed to carry automatic weapons because it would be considered excessive use of force. They get into a major scuffle trying to bring down a thug wired to the gills on crack, and some jerk with a video camera gets the last 15 seconds of it, when there are finally enough cops on the scene to get the guy on the ground, and the papers (and the thug's lawyer) are crying police brutality. They put their lives on the line every single day, but if they fire their weapon in the line of duty, they have to be investigated to see if it was "justified". The thing that really burns me is that the people who want to be sure the police are so careful not to infringe on anyone's "rights", are the same people who squeal like stuck hogs for the police to "do something" when they are the targets of wrongdoers. Since these bleeding hearts are so concerned with the rights of the accused, I think all the police should just give it up, and see what everyone thinks of criminals' rights, then. And by the way, it is not just the "white" cops who are conservative and have to face these problems. Why would you say that?

Answer 3

Look up the definition of conservative. One who keeps, preserves, holds onto the status quo. The status quo is regulated by laws, which is what they've been hired to do.

"A reasonable man does not expect the world to change for him. Therefore, all progress depends upon the unreasonable man." ~ GB Shaw

If someone thinks the law is unjust or invalid, than he will unreasonably need to challenge it in order to effect any change. Which leads to another quote:

"There is only one basic human right and that is to do as you damned well please. And with it comes the only real human responsibility; to take the consequences." - PJ O'Rourke

But you're going to find that Black, Hispanic, & Asian cops are also conservative. It's a job requirement.

Answer 4

Ever dealt with a drug addict, when the neighbors call the police, because he's beat his children after his wife took his crack and then sold herself to get more?

Ever held a dead baby in your arms, because its mother discarded it into a box in the middle of winter?

Ever tried to sort out who raped a 9 year old little girl, and the story gets so tangled between she-males, porn, and drugs that even the Captain can't put heads and tails together?

Ever gone to the hospital to visit a buddy who's been hurt on the job? Ever gone to their funeral? Ever testified at the trial for their murder?

Have you ever had someone try to get someone else arrested, when there isn't a crime or a legal reason for the law enforcement officers to be involved?

Have you ever seen enough mutilated sexual organs belonging to people, that the thought of going home and making love to your spouse sickens you?

Have you ever been in the position where you had to pull your service weapon and kill someone, to save your own, or your partner's life? Have you ever had to look at yourself in the mirror the next day, wondering what sort of human could take another's life? Have you ever had to have your actions justified to the local media?

Have you ever had a criminal shooting at you, and you had more on your mind than simply life-preservation (like the elementary school across the field)?

Have you ever looked in the eyes of a dead child?

Have you ever been in the middle of a media sh--storm, where yourself and the others like you are being dragged through the sh-- because of some beurocratic BS problem, like the cops didn't show up fast enough to take a lost-dog report of the council member, because there were higher priorities (carjackings, stabbings, medical emergencies, vehicle collisions, domestic violence) that simply took higher priority for THREE hours.


Have you ever gotten to seen brain matter up close? not in a sterile laboratory settings, but on a wall, on the asphalt, or sprayed all over the room?






It makes us a little hardened... a little thicker than the average joe. A little less likely to joke and laugh in the presence of strangers, and a little more likely to assess every situation they're in.


Just the way it goes...


A lot of officers have another side to themselves, a non-conservative side, but we're generally very careful who sees that side.

Answer 5

well I think that is a gross generalization, but going with that line of thinking conservatives have a stronger sense of serving their counrty and being active in doing it not just speaking but in action.

you will find more conservative thinking in the military as well. Also in fire departments.

Liberals like to tell you how they would change things Conservatives actualy just do it.

ahsoasho2u2 Liberal = open mindness. maybe in definition but not in practice. Have you read the answers and questions on here?

Answer 6

Do you have a statistic that expresses empirically that a majority of white police officers are conservative?

If you do, then I'd have to guess that their reasons for being conservative are based in the same ideal structure that would make anyone else conservative. Just as any white police officer who was liberal would be liberal on the basis of the same ideals that make anyone else liberal.

Answer 7

it takes a special kind of person to want to be a cop -- someone who equates using a taser on a college kid with absolute power. some are more intelligent and use psychology as a tool instead of a taser though.

lots of psychological testing has shown conservatives don't adapt well to change. they are good at towing lines though. conservative a lot like saying type b personality. they will gladly inforce a law no matter how dumb it is because it is a law -- and thats what is important.

police are the great tools for the power structure -- a great political philosopher named hannah arendt developed her theories of what she called the "banal". while nazis were being tried over and over again she couldn't find them as manaically evil -- they were just doing their jobs as instructed.

Answer 8

Some are conservative, mostly in public view. Most of the ones I know are very funny, and cut loose when not in sight of public. Plus they like to play pranks on the other officers. My husband had a black cat attached to his radio,and when he picked it up to check in, BOOM. After he caught his breath, he started planning vengeance.

Answer 9

You forgot to show the black officer that replaced into on the scene additionally, he has been quoted as asserting the arrest for disorderly habit replaced into one hundred% justified. i think the token black is likewise an Uncle Tom. Oh and for reference, Harvard to boot as Cambridge Mass are on the topic of the main liberal college and city on the face of the earth.

Answer 10

They are representing not only themselves but the department as well. That goes for ALL not just the whites. Get one out of public view and see what happens. The ones I know are a hoot.