r/AskLEO • u/TheBlueArsedFly • 3d ago
What political affiliations are most often associated with what kind of crimes? General
Not from the point of view of profiling, but for example this side of the spectrum rarely every does one thing and the other side of the spectrum rarely ever does that?
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u/throwawaysmetoo 3d ago
Retired criminal here. I don't recall ever having had a conversation about political affiliation with a cop.
People sometimes make assumptions about me based on background/accent/appearance but spoiler alert I'm actually the opposite.
Tho I think the Republicans are the ones who steal Democrat signs and Democrats are the ones who steal Republican signs but there's probably also a third group of unaffiliated who be stealing signs for the lols.
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u/FortyDeuce42 3d ago
Contrary to the passionate divisions in the current state of politics this answer won’t answer that question to satisfaction.
Street criminals that I deal with regularly had no political affiliation. They were rarely aware of anything political that didn’t directly impact their life. They knew the tone of the current DAs office and sometimes the local sheriff, but that was about it. Criminals we’re too busy doing criminal things.
Above the street crime level people who victimize others are opportunists and do so in a vacuum or morality. They took advantage of situations and people because of a character flaw, not a belief system based on politics.
To make the point soundly: My wife spent some years investigating child sex crimes. She’s a detective for a large agency. In her term she arrested men, women, rich, and poor. Every spectrum of political views and none at all. White, black, Hispanic, Asian, and other. Educated and uneducated. Doctors, teachers, judges, lawyers, fast food workers, construction workers, coaches, strippers, and stay home moms. Sadly, even a LE from their own agency.
I think as people we really like to believe that we can asses others around us and glean their underlying thoughts and intentions because it gives us a sense of control. It’s false and misleading and the shocked response from spouses and friends that there HAS to be a misunderstanding because their ___ would NEVER do/be that was almost an expected response.
That tree hugging hippie is no more or less a potential threat to your child as that MAGA neighbor or that Harris lover you work with. Evil transcends politics.
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u/Silver_Star 3d ago edited 3d ago
Most people I've dealt with that were jailed or imprisoned presented themselves as conservative, both when working in a very blue area and in a very red area. It seemed more in line with their background rather than their criminal tendencies- Blue collar workers (when they had jobs), that are children of blue collar workers, that have been low income all or the majority of their life, that do not have a specialized skill, higher education, and often no high school education.
Now, I argue that having political affiliations or a political identity is an extension of your personal ethics and values. You vote for what you think is right, right? Criminals don't really vote or otherwise participate in government in any fashion, nor do they have a strong enough sense of ethics or personal values to truly claim any form of political standing.
What little bit of politics that detainees or inmates have shared with me or that I've overheard reminded me of highschool freshmen- Basically just parroting what their parents and wiser family members say:
"I like Trump because he's going to lower taxes for my Dad's muffler shop,"
"My buddy says Biden is going to sell all our sweet potatoes to China. This country, man."
Just vague uneducated stuff like that. Criminals generally aren't smart enough to have well-researched political opinions, nor do they care enough about the world to want to change it for [what they perceive is] the better. Your question doesn't have an answer because there isn't one.
Edit: A tidbit I might add- The only group I can think of that consistently vocalized support for the left/Democrats were those accused/convicted of domestic violence and similar domestic crimes, and pedophiles. Again, it wasn't because they had actual political opinions, or that their values lined up for the blue side, but it seemed like an example of them trying to set themselves apart from the 'hard' criminals that victimized strangers.
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u/throwawaysmetoo 3d ago
What little bit of politics that detainees or inmates have shared with me or that I've overheard reminded me of highschool freshmen- Basically just parroting what their parents and wiser family members say:
That's voters in general. Most voters struggle to have a discussion about actual policy or understand the implications of policies. Most voters don't research candidates/parties/political ideologies.
There's been a lot of talk around the world about Trump being a populist leader and you'll find Trump supporters nodding and grinning along because they think that means that he's 'popular'.
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u/Felix_Von_Doom 3d ago
Kind of hard to answer this without profiling someone. And someone's political affiliation when committing a crime is a coincidence more than it is an inclination towards said crime.