# American police departments and the Democratic Party **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 2, 2020, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354 "2020-02-02T01:31:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/1 "2020-02-02T01:31:09Z")
Why is there such a disconnect between American police departments and the Democratic Party, especially white police officers and the Democratic Party. The last time the FOP endorsed a Democratic presidential nominee was Bill Clinton in 1996. Why are a lot, not all, but a lot of white male cops in the Northeast and Midwest Republican? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/2 "2020-02-02T01:51:10Z")
Do you have any evidence for your claims, or are you just making shit up? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/3 "2020-02-02T01:56:52Z")
Because cops have zero interest in being held accountable for their exercise of authority held through the public trust and Tepublicans will back them up so long as Their victims are black or part of some other disfavored group. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/4 "2020-02-02T01:57:25Z")
“In the northeast and the midwest”. OK, buddy. What’s your real question? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/5 "2020-02-02T02:15:36Z")
White male cops tend to be authoritarian, hyper masculine, low in empathy and believe in negative repercussions for bad behavior all of which align with the conservatives. What does surprise me is when cops vote for Republicans who declare war on their unions. I remember when cops supported the gop governor in Wisconsin then got upset when he declared war on their union. What did they expect? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/6 "2020-02-02T02:17:14Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > Why is there such a disconnect between American police departments and the Democratic Party, especially white police officers and the Democratic Party. The last time the FOP endorsed a Democratic presidential nominee was Bill Clinton in 1996. > > Why are a lot, not all, but a lot of white male cops in the Northeast and Midwest Republican? Why do teachers unions, who are overwhelmingly college educated always support Democrats? It’s called demographics. Police officers, even well paid, tend to come from blue collar backgrounds and are often as much from the school of hard knocks as they are from colleges. Even with an degree, it’s often from night school, part time, or community college. I don’t know of any public school system that has many teachers without a 4 year degree. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/7 "2020-02-02T15:46:56Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > White male cops tend to be authoritarian, hyper masculine, low in empathy and believe in negative repercussions for bad behavior all of which align with the conservatives. > > What does surprise me is when cops vote for Republicans who declare war on their unions. I remember when cops supported the gop governor in Wisconsin then got upset when he declared war on their union. What did they expect? Got it. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2020, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/8 "2020-02-02T15:53:25Z")
college grads in general are mostly Dems. On the other hand it used to be high school grads or HS dropouts voted for Dems but that’s not true now. People with grad degrees also mostly vote for Dems ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2020, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/9 "2020-02-03T16:57:07Z")
I think it’s that the maintenance of law and order is a fundamentally conservative activity (it’s basically a form of maintaining the status quo in a lot of ways), and those who self-select for it tend to be more conservative than the general population. Combine that with the fact that most police officers usually originate from blue collar backgrounds, and you have a recipe for police officers being pretty conservative. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2020, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/10 "2020-02-03T21:48:04Z")
Wait. Despite the ten million headlines we’ve read over the years, nobody is willing to say that police forces are generally fascist bastions of racism? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2020, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/11 "2020-02-03T21:54:57Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Wait. Despite the ten million headlines we’ve read over the years, nobody is willing to say that police forces are generally fascist bastions of racism? Um, no, because I don’t believe it. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2020, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/12 "2020-02-03T21:57:34Z")
Well, which party more supports the “First Responder = Hero” mythos? ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2020, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/13 "2020-02-03T22:15:14Z")
Sounds to me like you have an idea. What part of your previous post is unclear to you? > [@Why do the Democrats seem so ineffective?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-the-democrats-seem-so-ineffective/845081/45): > > Exactly. Democrats run on a platform of victimhood and "white, police, this, police are evil, etc. > > Yes, white supremacy is prevalent in America and there is a policing problem, but the way how a lot of far-left people demonize police day in and day out doesn’t bode well. > > The Republicans run on a platform of “immigrants this, immigrants that”. Climate deniers, union busters, etc. > > The Democratic Party has a party of tribes and coalitions but with a bigger demographic share in the future. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2020, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/14 "2020-02-03T22:24:13Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > … > What does surprise me is when cops vote for Republicans who declare war on their unions. I remember when cops supported the gop governor in Wisconsin then got upset when he declared war on their union. What did they expect? This is where the disconnect is for me. I understand that a lot (but not all) of them are self selected macho authoritarians but their unions take good care of them, often defending them even when they don’t deserve it. Yet they vote for the anti-union party. ---
**Author:** ![Raskolnikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@Raskolnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raskolnikov)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/15 "2020-02-04T14:22:23Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > This is where the disconnect is for me. I understand that a lot (but not all) of them are self selected macho authoritarians but their unions take good care of them, often defending them even when they don’t deserve it. Yet they vote for the anti-union party. because the Republicans support their union along with Firefighters but try to dismantle most others, like Reagan in the 1980’s taking apart the Air Traffic Controllers, you know, those lazy, leeches trying to make sure your plane takes off and lands safely. ---
**Author:** ![Raskolnikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@Raskolnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raskolnikov)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/16 "2020-02-04T14:23:43Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > White male cops tend to be authoritarian, hyper masculine, low in empathy and believe in negative repercussions for bad behavior all of which align with the conservatives. > > What does surprise me is when cops vote for Republicans who declare war on their unions. I remember when cops supported the gop governor in Wisconsin then got upset when he declared war on their union. What did they expect? Fun Fact: Scott Walker’s Act 10 famously EXCLUDED law enforcement and fire fighters because the GOP are hypocrites. ---
**Author:** ![Raskolnikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@Raskolnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raskolnikov)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/17 "2020-02-04T14:25:16Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Do you have any evidence for your claims, or are you just making shit up? it’s called common sense, next you’ll tell me it’s news to you that the Teachers Unions support Democrats or that the vast majority of Farmers support Republicans. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/18 "2020-02-04T14:34:26Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > What does surprise me is when cops vote for Republicans who declare war on their unions. I remember when cops supported the gop governor in Wisconsin then got upset when he declared war on their union. What did they expect? I don’t understand it either. I never understood the poor or lower middle class Hispanics who loved Joe Arpaio, either. On the other hand, Santa Cruz county’s sheriff is a Democrat, and so is retired Pima county sheriff Clarence Dupnik, who stated that SB 1070 was crap. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/19 "2020-02-04T20:02:53Z")
Look at California and especially [Proposition 47 which was passed by democrats](https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/petty-theft-shoplifting-burglary-hayes-valley-13544921.php)which reclassified any theft of anything less than $950 down from being a felony to… well basically nothing. This has lead to massive problems with shoplifting and the police cannot do anything about it. Also in San Francisco democrats tell illegals how to avoid ICE and tell their police to not cooperate with ICE. Also lets say their is a riot in a place like Ferguson Missouri. Democrat politicians always take the side of the rioters against police. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2020, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354/20 "2020-02-04T23:01:46Z")
Cite for the claim about Democratic politicians and hypothetical riots in suspiciously random cities, please. A cite should be easy, you used plural politicians and said always. (Hint, don’t google “Daley”, “riot”, “support” etc.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-police-departments-and-the-democratic-party/847354.md?page=2)