What is it that makes Law Enforcement trend towards the right(politically)

[PM Martin]

Also, every law enforcement blog I have seen has fairly right wing members.

Please discuss.

[Cronus Protagonist]

1. They screen out non-psychopaths?

In any case, it's the screening process.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Authoritarian tendencies, I'd guess.

Obviously not all law enforcement people are like that -- I know some good liberal ones -- but if your job involves enforcing the law, sometimes using force, chances are that you are comfortable exercising authority. And authoritarianism is one of the key characteristics of a conservative ideology.

[Motown_Johnny]

4. +1

Couldn't have said it better myself

I agree completely

[Ken Burch]

3. I suppose if the objective is to "preserve order"

people who place order over progress and freedom will naturally gravitate towards it. Also, if you spend most of your day dealing with the worst examples of the human race, your view of humanity will diminish and you'll end up seeing it as something to be beaten back with a nightstick.

[Ken Burch]

5. Phil Ochs wrote a song called "I Kill Therefore I Am"

(The lyrics are an examination of the police mindset, as he saw it).

Meet the king of cowboys, he rides a pale pony
He fights the bad boys brings them to their knees
He patrols the highways from the air
He keeps the country safe from long hair
I am the masculine american man
I kill therefore I am.

I don't like the black man, for he doesn't know his place
Take the back of my hand or I'll spray you with my mace
I'm as brave as any man can be
I find my courage through chemistry
I am the masculine american man
I kill therefore I am.

I don't like the students now, they don't have no respect
They don't like to work now, I think I'll wring their necks
They call me pig, although I'm underpaid
I'll show those f_____s that I'm not afraid
I am the masculine american man
I kill therefore I am.

Farewell to the gangsters we don't need them anymore
We've got the police force, they're the ones who break the law
He's got a gun and he's a hater
He shoots first, he shoots later
I am the masculine american man
I kill therefore I am.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. And I have known a few cops who are down right to the left

of me...

Broad brushes are great, aren't they?

[PM Martin]

8. The clear trend suggests they are conservative to say the least.

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. No it does not

cops follow procedures. Those manuals are THICK by the way. They do not establish them. Those are established by both Police Chiefs, Commissioners, city councils and in your case Federal Authorities.

But cops reflect the population they live in. Some are down right right winger, some are to the left of me, but they will reflect, or should reflect, politically that is, the population they work with.

[Ken Burch]

23. the OP did say "trend"

It's not like it was "Why Are ALL Pigs Fascist Scumsucking Babyeaters?"

[Fire1]

7. I think by and large the military leans the same way. n/t

[Odin2005]

9. Simple: authoritarian personalities.

[Kievan Rus]

10. A lot of cops are "law and order" voters

Back when both the Republican and Democratic primaries for the 2008 Presidential election were wide, a lot of cops supported Rudy Giulianni for President. When it got to the general election, they overwhelmingly backed John McCain. Only cops with a lot of activity in unions (generally) favored Obama in the general election.

I've always thought "law and order" types to be rather brainless and without thought. Whomever is ruling at the moment is always automatically right, no questions asked. After all, had they been around during the time of the American Revolution, they'd have been the most boisterious Tories and loudly called for George Washington and Thomas Jefferson to hang. Had they lived in South Africa 25 years ago, they'd have supported Apartheid.

Most law and order types would believe two and two equalled five if an authority figure told them so.

[PM Martin]

14. I agree that the "law and order" mentality is simplistic.

It is a mentality that I have zero respect for.


Not just Apartheid, though. They would have also sent the Jews to their deaths too during the third reich. :puke:

[rucky]

11. There's the authoritarian thing, but there's also a unique point of view

having to deal with scamps and scalliwags all day can give a person a warped perspective on humanity.

[Sheepshank]

12. not only right wing

....but a huge proponent of more gov't interference. Never enough laws when it comes to upholding their ability to control.

[Kievan Rus]

13. A lot of cops are what poli-sci defines as "statists"

There are two kinds of areas where political belief systems view what the legitimate role of government is and come together to form the four major political ideologies of the United States. There are ideas on how much regulation there should be on economic affairs (like monopolies and Wall St. regulations) and social affairs (such as gay marriage, abortion, and marijuana legalization).

Liberals favor that government generally stay out of social issues but have lots of regulation in the economic sphere.

Conservatives favor that government generally stay out of economic issues but have lots of regulation in the social sphere.

Libertarians favor that government generally stay out of both the economic and social spheres.

Statists, on the other hand, generally favor that government have lots of regulation in both the social and economic spheres.

[PM Martin]

15. As you said.

[OHdem10]

16. authoritarian personalities and a tendency to deal in absolutes.

See the world in black and white.

Liberals are more open to considering extenuating circumstances.
can see shades of gray.

[alfredo]

17. One commentator called them "Tolerated delinquents", but

I'd say that probably that applies more to the corrupt cop.

[izquierdista]

18. Authoritarian personalities

And it has been studied: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Altemeyer

For more than you ever wanted to know about authoritarians and their personality defects, you can read all about it here: http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/

[PM Martin]

19. Here is a right wing nut:

http://www.policeone.com/patrol-issues/articles/1970705-When-insanity-rules-and-understanding-trumps-condemnation/

[izquierdista]

20. Looks like one

RW conformity demands that they keep their appearance within certain norms, and his picture shows that he has followed the checklist.

[PM Martin]

21. Most police blogs (the equivalent of DU for LEO)

are like this. They are not to different from DemocraticUnderground's arch-enemy FreeRepublic.

[izquierdista]

22. Walk up behind them and yell "boo!"

They will either (a) become desensitized to everything being a security threat and mellow out or (b) fall over dead. Either way, one less authoritarian asshole.

[Ihaterush]

25. Cops like guns

Cops like guns. Righties like guns. They are a perfect match.