John Bunnell
Encyclopedia
John Edwin Bunnell is a former Sheriff of Multnomah County, Oregon
. Bunnell is best known for presenting World's Wildest Police Videos
between 1998 and 2002.
. He obtained a degree in social sciences before joining the Multnomah County Sheriff's Department in January 1969. Bunnell managed the drugs and vice unit in the 1980s. He was appointed Sheriff
of Multnomah County when the previous Sheriff, Robert G. Skipper, retired in 1994 before the end of his term. Bunnell took the oath of office on November 30, 1994 and served until May 1995.
Between 1989 and 1990, Multnomah County's Sheriff’s Office was featured in 15 episodes of COPS
and in 1991, 13 episodes of American Detective
. John Bunnell, as a Lieutenant, appeared in early episodes of both COPS and American Detective, and hosted the first season of American Detective.
He is usually referred to as "Sheriff John Bunnell" despite no longer being active in law enforcement; this is occasionally shown as "Sheriff John Bunnell [Ret]").
His son, Mark, is a sergeant with the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office and was first seen with his father on an episode of COPS as a teenager back in 1989.
conducting drug stings led to his hosting World's Wildest Police Videos. Bunnell attained a cult following
due to his over-the-top commentary style. Bunnell hosted the show, which ran from 1998 to 2002, describing situations featured on the program as they developed and offering personal opinions about the criminals and the police that pursued them using innuendos and double entendres such as "This man decided to rob a bank, now he'll learn CRIME DOESN'T PAY".
Bunnell's hosting of World's Wildest Police Videos led to him hosting a similar show, Train Wrecks, as well as many other police related specials, such as World's Scariest Police Stings, and World's Craziest Police Chases. He also appeared on America's Most Wanted
.
Bunnell lends his voice to the Sony PlayStation
game World's Scariest Police Chases, warning that "Due to the graphic nature of this game, player discretion is advised.", at the beginning of the game, similar to the warning at the beginning of the program, which warns that "Due to the graphic nature of this program, viewer discretion is advised." He has also had minor acting roles in Ghost World
, and Bad Santa
, both directed by Terry Zwigoff
.
In "Quagmire's Baby
" and "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side
", both 2009 episodes of Family Guy
, Bunnell provided the voice of himself during gags that referenced World's Wildest Police Videos.
In 2010, Bunnell appeared on commercials for the Adult Swim
Block Party.
Multnomah County, Oregon
Multnomah County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Though smallest in area, it is the most populous as its county seat, Portland, is the state's largest city...
. Bunnell is best known for presenting World's Wildest Police Videos
World's Wildest Police Videos
World's Wildest Police Videos is a reality TV series that dealt with police videos from across the world. Video footage of car chases, subsequent arrests, robberies, riots and other crimes appeared on the show...
between 1998 and 2002.
Background
Bunnell was born in Pendleton, OregonPendleton, Oregon
Pendleton is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. Pendleton was named in 1868 by the county commissioners for George H. Pendleton, Democratic candidate for Vice-President in the 1864 presidential campaign. The population was 16,612 at the 2010 census...
. He obtained a degree in social sciences before joining the Multnomah County Sheriff's Department in January 1969. Bunnell managed the drugs and vice unit in the 1980s. He was appointed Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Multnomah County when the previous Sheriff, Robert G. Skipper, retired in 1994 before the end of his term. Bunnell took the oath of office on November 30, 1994 and served until May 1995.
Between 1989 and 1990, Multnomah County's Sheriff’s Office was featured in 15 episodes of COPS
COPS (TV series)
Cops is an American documentary/reality television series that follows police officers, constables, and sheriff's deputies during patrols and other police activities...
and in 1991, 13 episodes of American Detective
American Detective
American Detective was a police documentary television series broadcast by ABC in the United States from 1991 to 1993.American Detective featured detectives in major U.S. urban areas working on high-profile criminal cases which were often drug-related...
. John Bunnell, as a Lieutenant, appeared in early episodes of both COPS and American Detective, and hosted the first season of American Detective.
He is usually referred to as "Sheriff John Bunnell" despite no longer being active in law enforcement; this is occasionally shown as "Sheriff John Bunnell [Ret]").
His son, Mark, is a sergeant with the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office and was first seen with his father on an episode of COPS as a teenager back in 1989.
Media appearances
His appearances on several early episodes of COPSCOPS (TV series)
Cops is an American documentary/reality television series that follows police officers, constables, and sheriff's deputies during patrols and other police activities...
conducting drug stings led to his hosting World's Wildest Police Videos. Bunnell attained a cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
due to his over-the-top commentary style. Bunnell hosted the show, which ran from 1998 to 2002, describing situations featured on the program as they developed and offering personal opinions about the criminals and the police that pursued them using innuendos and double entendres such as "This man decided to rob a bank, now he'll learn CRIME DOESN'T PAY".
Bunnell's hosting of World's Wildest Police Videos led to him hosting a similar show, Train Wrecks, as well as many other police related specials, such as World's Scariest Police Stings, and World's Craziest Police Chases. He also appeared on America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
.
Bunnell lends his voice to the Sony PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
game World's Scariest Police Chases, warning that "Due to the graphic nature of this game, player discretion is advised.", at the beginning of the game, similar to the warning at the beginning of the program, which warns that "Due to the graphic nature of this program, viewer discretion is advised." He has also had minor acting roles in Ghost World
Ghost World (film)
Ghost World is a 2001 comedy-drama film directed by Terry Zwigoff, based on the comic book of the same name and screenplay by Daniel Clowes...
, and Bad Santa
Bad Santa
Bad Santa is a 2003 American screwball black comedy film directed and co-written by Terry Zwigoff, produced by the Coen brothers, and starring Billy Bob Thornton as the title character and Tony Cox as his partner in crime. Actors Bernie Mac and John Ritter co-star...
, both directed by Terry Zwigoff
Terry Zwigoff
Terry Zwigoff is an American filmmaker whose work often deals with misfits, antiheros, and themes of alienation. His fiction films are the features Ghost World , Bad Santa , and Art School Confidential...
.
In "Quagmire's Baby
Quagmire's Baby
"Quagmire's Baby" is the sixth episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 15, 2009. The episode centers around neighbor Glenn Quagmire, after he suddenly discovers that he is the illegitimate father of a newborn...
" and "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side
Something, Something, Something, Dark Side
"Something, Something, Something, Dark Side" is the season finale of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy and part of the series's trilogy Laugh It Up, Fuzzball. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 23, 2010...
", both 2009 episodes of Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, Bunnell provided the voice of himself during gags that referenced World's Wildest Police Videos.
In 2010, Bunnell appeared on commercials for the Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
Block Party.