I don't think it has anything to do with politics. While Oregon itself is a blue state and Portland is a liberal Mecca, the place i'm talking about is 45 miles

I don't think it has anything to do with politics. While Oregon itself is a blue state and Portland is a liberal Mecca, the place i'm talking about is 45 miles of I5, solidly in conservative country. I don't think politics dictates police culture, I would guess it's mainly regional in nature.