Lt. Dangle

Lieutenant James "Jim" Ron Dangle is the highest-ranking deputy in the Reno Sheriff's department and is almost always seen wearing his trademark short-shorts, which he wears for "mobility."

He hints at a possible attraction to Jones and occasionally flirts with suspects. In one episode, Jones apparently had sex with him out of sympathy, after which Dangle was hospitalized because, as Jones put it, "He can't walk."

Dangle was married for a time to a woman named Debbie and he briefly believed that he had a son (a result of sex with what he thought was a drag queen), but DNA results proved otherwise.

Dangle is a former maitre d' and member of the United States Coast Guard who was stationed in Hawaii and who was discharged from the Coast Guard for reasons undisclosed. In Episode 102, his age is noted as 41. Dangle's father abandoned his family when he was a child and his mother committed suicide, after which he was raised by his Uncle Frederick. Meanwhile, Dangle's father moved to Chicago and started a new family with an African American spouse. Dangle's father had two more children. (Dangle's black half-brother and black half-sister pay Dangle a visit after the death of their father to settle the will, which later turns out to be a bill for the funeral of more than $5,000, and a Banana Splits keychain that the sister gives to Dangle).

Dangle is also the subject of a running gag in which his police bicycle is repeatedly stolen or vandalized. It is hinted that Dep. Junior is responsible for some of these incidents.