First time I shook hands with John Bunnell, I didn’t like him. He was better-looking, made more money and carried a gun.
He took an immediate dislike to me. Likely, we were both right. A cover story puff-piece from October 1993. – JDW
I’m Sheriff John Bunnell, most people don’t even think about law enforcement until they either do something wrong, or get wronged themself. But police know that fighting crime is a full-time job. If something isn’t going down now, it will be soon and officers have to be ready. So get ready, what we’re going to show you tonight is the ruthlessness of criminals, the toughness of cops and the clash if both sides refuse to back down.
What you are about to read is real. There are no re-creations. Everything was written while it actually happened.
Sometimes a stakeout goes wrong. Sometimes the guy’s clean. Losers and liars…what are they thinking?!…A sneaky dealer thinks he’s pulling a fast one…a drunk driver thinks he’s unstoppable…and a pushy princess thinks the law doesn’t apply to her…but if they think they’re getting away with anything…they better think twice!
THE COVER. An undercover officer gets famous, he’s usually one dead cop.
Capt. John Bunnell, very much alive, looks good in the glare of bright lights, so good our eyes are dazzled. Like thousands of miscreants and malfeasors – bad guys – he’s busted over the years as deputy sheriff and undercover detective for Multnomah County, those who quickly judge this man are easily fooled.
He’s a natural actor. The television camera gives up the flashy Hollywood smile. Good hair, he’s awesome news anchor material. Black leather jacket, probably bullet-proof, collar turned up, tight blue jeans send a streetsmart message. Tough. Tested. Credible.
Called The John Wayne of the Nineties by The Hollywood Reporter, television somehow manages to diminish the dynamic host of AMERICAN DETECTIVE. John Bunnell is much bigger in real life than he appears on your TV set.
“Every time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends for a tiny ripple of hope,” Bobby Kennedy once said, “and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls on oppression and resistance.”
Bunnell knew Kennedy and he knows he’s no RFK. As a cop, as a TV star, as a husband, father and grandfather, neighbor and co-worker, Bunnell stands up the best way he knows how. He sends ripples of hope in every direction he can.
“I had the opportunity to see the Senator’s compassion and his commitment exhibited first hand, in public situations and in private conversations. I’d eavesdrop when he was sitting in the backseat of my car and I was driving him from here to there to everywhere. Much of what I feel about humanity and trying to make this a better world to live in comes directly from him.
“One thing I never get used to is the misery and discomfort Americans cause one another. I’ve never seen a group of people more cruel to their own than we are in this country. I’ve never seen as selfish a group of people as Americans. We really are.
“We have no sense of values at all. We have no sense of tradition or history at all. We’ve been here long enough, so we should have some pride. I see that pride lacking today.
“I see a mass breakdown in family values and family tradition which leads to many of the problems we’re experiencing today.”
Twenty-five years on the front lines, John Bunnell was promoted to his current rank last month. “I am now what they call the Department Inspector,” he offers with a modestly self-amazed chuckle. “The Sheriff has allowed me to keep my command of DARE. I am also in charge of Internal Affairs.
“I am still in the business of distributing justice. Our attitude at the Sheriff’s office is, if we screwed up, we screwed up, and we’ll take care of it. If that means a person has to be disciplined, so be it. That’s part of what you sign on for.
“Plus,” he says with a smile, pointing to two overflowing cartons on the floor, “I’m the chairman for the United Way campaign. I must solicit a lot of contributions. I am the arm twister.”
Does anybody get to say no?
“No,” Bunnell’s expression turns as grim as a rap sheet, “No one’s going to say no. Everybody’s going to be held accountable.” He threatens to arm himself for charity.
Dummies on parade. They’re asleep at the wheel, they’re talking trash…and they’re falling hard. The only things they’re not doing…is using their heads.
THE STING. Bunnell got his lucky break as a TV celebrity because he’s simply one of law enforcement’s finest. Instantly recognizable, The Man worked sixteen years undercover.
“Under a fictitious name, I bought a tavern, which we equipped with cameras and microphones. All the employees were cops. We passed ourselves off as fences. We actually operated The Cameo, it was called, for eight months. Turned a nice profit, too.
“I was the owner. I’d check in and examine the receipts. I played the role to the hilt. I had a fancy sports car. The tavern was in an area known for its criminality, the density of the neighborhood, the highest proportion of ex-convicts than any other area of Portland. So, it was centrally located for our purposes.
“We used the tavern as a base of operations to purchase stolen property. Known burglars brought in a tremendous amount of stolen property. Items stolen from commercial businesses as well as private homes. We bought a lot full of stolen cars. We bought a tractor trailer of NIKE tennis shoes. One of the largest thefts of its kind at the time.
“We arrested nearly a thousand people. Virtually 99% had a prior criminal conviction for property crime. So, we weren’t creating crime, we were just taking those people off the street who were actively involved in perpetuating crime.
“Some of the best times I ever had in my life was when I was working undercover. To show you how ignorant I was, I didn’t realize the danger I placed myself in, but I sure had a good time.”
A rush? “Yeah, it was. An adrenalin rush. There’s no doubt about that. There was a definite rush. I realize that now, sitting in an office.”
Bunnell is no macho butthead with a piece and a badge. “I have no desire to carry a gun, on or off duty. I have absolutely no desire to get into that kind of confrontation with anyone. I never have. That doesn’t interest me.
“I’ve been shot at – that was thrill enough – but I’ve never been shot. Never shot anyone else.
“I have probably participated in thousands of search warrants where we’ve crashed through a lot of doors in sixteen years of narcotic enforcement. To say I was never involved in a deadly confrontation is saying a lot.”
Crooks never know when to quit. They push it too far…they push it too hard…they push their luck.
But when push comes to shove, someone has to push back!
THE REAL WORLD. “I am fascinated about why people turn out the way they do. How people deal with problems, and how they don’t deal with problems. I have been amazed how this country has turned out with the multitude of problems we have, which we somehow address inappropriately.
“What frightens me more than anything is how many illiterate parents we have. They don’t have a clue how to raise their children. They don’t have a clue what their children are into, or what they’re doing, or who their friends are.”
Nothing irritates Deputy Bunnell more than whiners enthralled with their own sense of victimization.
“We hear the same thing every day. ‘It’s society’s fault. It’s the school’s fault. It’s you cops’ faults’,” he explains. “Hey, people have to realize children are the product of the home. That’s where it all starts.”
Bunnell uses the expression “gone supernova” to describe the societal problems ravaging this nation and its people. Frankly, he’s amazed.
“Drugs really had a dramatic affect on the country. I can remember when I was so innocent… overnight everything seemed changed. Totally overnight, in my experience, it changed. I don’t remember a gradual transition. Literally happened overnight.
“We haven’t handled the drug problem too well here in this country, obviously.”
Drinking and driving don’t go together. However, drinking and STUPID often go together!
THE DARE. “DARE stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education,” Bunnell explains. “The aim is to reduce the demand for drugs. DARE also provides a set of life skills children can use when dealing with many of life’s problems.
“Five deputies – each of whom has completed an intense 80-hour training program – are assigned to various schools in Multnomah County and the city of Portland. We target 5th grade students. The officer is in the classroom with the students all day, one day a week, for 17 weeks. The officer also has lunch and recess with the children. Parents, grandparents and legal guardians are invited to attend a DARE class in action.”
Contact your child’s school to confirm DARE teaching times and to sign up with the school office.
“We’ve found DARE to be a highly successful program. I can’t give you any statistical measurement, because none has been developed as far as, does DARE curtail the use of narcotics? I can tell you one thing it does do – and I see this in the eyes of the kids – DARE really bonds the police officer with the grade school kid.
“We offer more than a simple anti-drug message,” continues Bunnell. “We talk about why people become involved in drug abuse. Low self-esteem. We talk about risk taking. We do role-modeling. We bring successful high schoolers, often athletes or student leaders, into grade school.
“In DARE, we talk to kids about decision making. How you arrive at a decision, either way. We talk about educating yourself on a subject, like smoking. Examine it. Really. Open your eyes and decide if that’s what you want to do.
“If you smoke a cigarette, what is your purpose? Why are you doing it? Peer pressure isn’t good enough.
“And what kind of friend would force you into that position, anyway?”
Just say ‘No Thanks, I’d Rather Breathe Fresh Air.’
“We’re really high on this program,” Bunnell says. “I support DARE in its entirety.”
This maniac, hopped up on a combination of drink and drugs, needs to be taken out before he kills somebody.
THE BOTTOM LINES. “I can remember my grandfather, very strong-willed. The family all lived in my neighborhood. I was brought up with uncles and aunts. There was a very strong family unit. The last thing my brothers and sisters would have ever thought about was to cause any embarrassment, or getting in trouble, or even having the guts to think about getting in trouble.
“That lifestyle doesn’t exist anymore. You don’t do things with your family anymore. Kids downstairs watching television, kids running to the shopping malls. Apparently, in their eyes, there’s nothing to keep them at home.”
Bunnell himself enjoys a trip. He’s visited Russia time and time again since the fall of the Communist regime. He sees an opportunity to stand up for an ideal, improve the lot of others, send some waves of hope. Russia reminds John Bunnell of a time when Robert Kennedy and the USA stood tall together.
“The attractiveness of working in Russia is,” Bunnell says idealistically, “it is brand new. The former Soviet Union is virgin territory. They have the opportunity not to make the same mistakes we’ve made. They have the opportunity to get a handle on it the right way. The DARE program, for example. The Russians want to incorporate DARE into their schools as quickly as possible.
Bunnell will soon lead a delegation from the Multnomah Sheriff’s Department to Russia where DARE officers will go into Moscow schools and work with grade schoolers.
“It will not cost the taxpayers a dime,” he adds.
Lights glaring, still gruelingly grilling. “Are you okay with everything you’ve said?,” we drilled John Bunnell.
“I wouldn’t have told you if I wasn’t,” American Detective shot back.
A temporary moment of insanity can result in permanent consequences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtJ1KaPFCe8