House Rep. calls for Brookside Police Department to be disbanded - WBRC It showed that total arrests custodial, misdemeanor and felony rose 1,109% from 2018 to 2020. Brookside investigator finds police in Alabama town preyed on the poor Jones reimagined the police department as a sort of drug task force on the corridor between Birmingham and Memphis and he was creative. She said she tried to record the interaction after three officers in two vehicles pulled her car over, but an officer with a valknot symbol a Norse sign sometimes appropriated by white supremacists on a ring and one of his gun clips confiscated her phone. He promised benefits and a place to land for police who had left other agencies but hoped to keep their law enforcement certification current. 2023 County Office. The town now faces at least 13 suits or one for every 96 residents. As a single mom that really messed me up, she said. Find Arrest Records, Police Records, and Warrants related to Brookside Police Department. Mayor Bryan dismissed the complaints of those who must appear in court. Locality Locality Code Boundaries Map Notice & Ordinance Item 30 Day Notice Posted ALDOR Posted Abbeville 9356 Adamsville 9130 Addison 9309 Akron 9668 Alabaster 9413 Albertville 9397 Alexander City 9358 Ord. Inside the remarkable rise and fall of Alabama's most predatory police Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The primary function of the Police Department is deterring crime, stopping crimes in progress, investigating crimes, and serving as first responders for emergencies and situations that threaten public safety. Brookside police didnt just wait for the money to come to them. (Joe Songer for AL.com).Joe Songer. Stories of how Alabama legal systems criminalize poverty. Find Honea Path residential property records including property owners, sales & transfer history, deeds & titles, property taxes, valuations, land, zoning records & more. Garbage bags filled with used adult diapers, soiled puppy pads and empty oatmeal packets had been regularly dumped along the main road through the tiny town just north of Birmingham. I wouldnt be surprised if they opened up an investigation. Perez ultimately decided to pay the $1,100 fine on top of hundreds hed already spent to get his towed car back and get the heck out of Brookside. If you had more officers and more productivity youd have more, Jones said. Another woman, Emily Sierra, emailed AL.com to say she was pulled over in Brookside three years ago for a single flash of her lights to warn oncoming traffic about a speed trap. By Josh Gauntt. Read more stories from our Banking on Crime series: If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. The courtroom and the parking lot are packed with people. The Brookside council passed three ordinances as part of the ongoing reforms. Which is another problem altogether, Sheriff Pettway said. Investigators stored them as evidence, diapers and all, in a closet in the lieutenants office. A third calls for guidelines on how cities and towns handle municipal courts. But the police department in Brookside, Alabama has managed to do exactly that. she said. Suggest Listing However, if you do not have an address, the Mississippi Neighborhood Explorer is the SECOND-BEST-TOOL to research a neighborhood (it provides a subset of the information that the Address Research Tool provides), but you can get a report by simply marking a spot on a map. He instituted a no pleas from Brookside rule, and asked his workers to flag for scrutiny every case out of that town. That contributed a 14% chunk of the citys total income, a number that would be considered high in much of America. He said people have stories about their cars getting towed and being left on the side of the road, then being charged by both the town and the impound company to get their vehicles back, on top of daily storage fees. The resignations include former chief Mike Jones . Terms and Conditions. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. One, by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur would force cities to make the amount of fines and fees they collect public. Everybodys got a story, he said. A department of nine officers in a 1,253-person town is far larger than average. He described how Jones hoped to turn the neighboring community center one of the few amenities for the townspeople into a police building and jail. The town of 1,253 just north of Birmingham reported just 55 serious crimes to the state in the entire eight year period between 2011 and 2018 none of them homicide or rape. Alabama Town Became Speed Trap. Now Fines Make up Half Its - Insider A client came to him after she was stopped for driving in the left lane of the interstate, a crime he insists did not exist at the time. I could take over the whole county with numbers like that, he joked. It has one retail store, the Dollar General, and three septic tank services. She was ticketed for improper tag light and driving while suspended, and her vehicle was towed. He declared bankruptcy in 2019. Thats why I hesitated to fight it. Police put her in a patrol car and searched her vehicle for drugs. But Jones sold Brookside a vision of how to turn a sleepy department into an intimidating and lucrative force. Annexations, Deannexations and Ordinances Affecting Individuals or Entities in Police Jurisdictions Act 2021-297 amended Sections 11-40-10, 11-51-91, and 11-52-30, Code of Alabama 1975, to provide additional requirements pertaining to the annexations, deannexations, services, licenses and taxes within a municipal police jurisdiction. [Montgomery, Alabama] Former Brookside Police Chief Dennis Ray McCoy, 53, of Dora, was recently convicted of several charges stemming from investigation by the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI), including using his official position for personal gain, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, obtaining criminal offender record information under false pretenses, and computer tampering. They tell, with consistency, of specious tickets and arrests, of retaliation by a police department and by a chief who challenged those who questioned him as he sought to build an empire on the backs of drivers. Bill Dawson, a lawyer in Birmingham, said he's had about two dozen people contact him with allegations, but for years, many have been too reluctant to complain. According to AL.com's investigation, Jones, who was hired in 2018, built a police department of 10 or more full-time and part-time officers to patrol Brookside's 6 miles of roads and 1 mile . (a) (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the police jurisdiction in municipalities having 6,000 or more inhabitants shall cover all adjoining territory within three miles of the corporate limits, and in municipalities having less than 6,000 inhabitants, the police jurisdiction shall cover all adjoining . Town leaders did not question. At a Feb. 1 town hall meeting near Brookside, residents and drivers told vivid stories of police abuses and more meanness and called for investigations, restitution and even dissolution of the police force and the town itself. He decided to plead guilty and pay the fines after seeing how others were treated. Fewer than 100 of its residents graduated college. The Planning Jurisdictions and City/Town Limits in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. The evidence and testimony were insufficient. He acquired three military surplus trucks through the federal 1033 program, which passes used military guns and equipment to local law enforcement. Its a former mining town, its population about the same as it was a decade ago. If you drove too long in the left lane, you became an offender, though lawyers have argued the crime police often cited was not on the books. Perform a free Brookside, AL public property records search, including property appraisals, unclaimed property, ownership searches, lookups, tax records, titles, deeds, and liens. The tiny town of Brookside, with a population of less than 1,500, became a national news story last week when John Archibald of the Birmingham News reported that its mayor and Police Chief Mike . Drivers question tickets on and near I-22 issued by local police - WBMA Chief Henry Irby, hired to try to restore credibility to the disgraced Brookside Police Department, speaks to the town council . You cant do whats going on over there.. For Michelle Jones, it has been a dedicated three-year fight. Lawyer Martin Weinberg had a client in Brookside, a young man named Thomas Hall, who was stopped for speeding and found with a small amount of marijuana. Traffic tickets increased more than 600 percent in a single year, arrests almost 450 percent. As the state audit pointed out, such fees must be reasonably related to covering the cost of administration, not to generate revenue.. Will Ainsworth requested a state audit, and amid calls for state and federal investigations. The citizens of this state and those traveling through this state should enjoy the opportunity to freely access our roadways, he said. Vincent Witt and his sister, Tareya, who said the small police department fabricated charges against them and listed them as fugitives because Witt complained about an officers racist remark. Attempts to reach Jones have been unsuccessful since January. The arresting officers were gone. The Town of Brookside forced Plaintiffs and the Plaintiff classes to give up their property and pay illegal fines through fear, intimidation, and under color of official right by imposing fines not authorized by law, seizing property without the legal right to do soand by threat of jail time unless illegal fines were paid or property unlawfully forfeited, the suit says. You will not touch it.. according to a state audit released this month. These figures were provided by the city: Brookside Police. Across the country, the average size of a force is one officer for every 588 residents, according to a Governing Magazine study that examined federal statistics. Givan said this time she especially wants to hear from women. For driving with an expired tag. News Police misconduct. It parked a riot control vehicle townspeople call it a tank outside the municipal complex and community center. The money Hudgens spoke of was substantial. Alabama town's traffic ticketing scandal leads to police chief's Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on an official government site. She was not speeding, or breaking the law, she argued in the suit. In the second town hall meeting hosted by Rep. Juandalynn Givan and Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway, attendees addressed more concerns with the city's police. Arrest Files Date Published: 03/03/2023. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. If you have a witness with you, theyre gonna issue you a warning., I felt that basically, that this was a way for them to make money to fund their city off the backs of citizens from other areas. All rights reserved (About Us). And the only way theyd be able to get out of jail is if they accepted Christ. In 2018 total revenue for the town of Brookside was $586,000. She argued that she only drove in the left lane to pass other vehicles, and her ticket on May 26, 2019 came five months before Alabamas Anti-Road Rage Act, a law making it illegal to drive in the left lane of an interstate for more than a mile and a half, went into effect. I see a 600% increase thats a failure. About Us Contact Us Michelle Jones, of Forestdale, has fought the Brookside police department for three years. We were not trained whatsoever, she said. Brookside Mayor Mike Bryan said in a statement, We cannot comment on the lawsuits filed Monday. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Brookside Police Department in Brookside, Alabama - County Office Five others resigned Jan. 28, and Jones second-in-command, former Lt. James Bo Savelle III, resigned Jan. 31, resigned after questions about his past. I was just looking at him like, so this is what this stop is about?. But a year at Brookside is a pretty long time.. Published: Mar. She spelled it out in her complaint to the AGs office and in notes to the Jefferson County Sheriffs Department, county commissioners and others. Chana Hodges, one of many people harassed by the Brookside Police Dept.. Brookside Police left their jurisdiction to arrest her at her place of business. 2022-26 Ord 2023-05 Bus. He stated that I issued threats, incited a riot, and slandered the Brookside Police Department in my Facebook posts. An officer insisted on taking her home which embarrassed her. The Town of Brookside participates in the affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, it says. Drivers, both in responding to the stories and in a town hall held last week to address police and court concerns, have complained of bullying, intimidation, detention, retribution, threats, racial profiling, and charges made up of whole cloth to stack fines on drivers, among other things. Police must direct traffic before the 1 p.m. court session starts. I have never been in any trouble only had one speeding ticket. But Jones wanted his force to show force. It is unclear whether the resignations were forced, or if the officers chose to leave on their own, or a mixture of both. Arrest Files Date Published: 03/04/2023. Jones is not alone in complaining about Brookside. New Alabama Laws Target Speed Traps - Forbes Officers, dressed completely in dark, unmarked uniforms approached her, and one accused her of flickering her lights to warn others of their presence, her suit alleges. I saw the same attitude in every officer and every person, he said. She wore a tank top and was denied a long-sleeved shirt. A year before, Brooksides low-key, one-man police department had begun to metastasize, at the behest of town leaders, into an insatiable band of reverse Robin Hoods, stopping so many cars, detaining and arresting so many people that it couldnt keep up. She pulled to the side of the road as the SUV pulled behind her, and a wrecker simultaneously parked nearby. He expected officers to stay busy, and they were. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Brookside, Alabama (AL 35036) profile: population, maps, real estate called for the second town hall meeting this week. I saw him and we looked eye to eye, the Chelsea business owner said. (WBRC) The city now announcing several steps to reform the police department. In court she pleaded down to driving without a state license less serious than driving while suspended and ultimately got her license back. At right, clockwise from top: Netta Womack, who prayed for relief, plaintiff Jori Jones, Chana Hodges, and Rev. By 2020, McDonald had seen enough. Police must direct traffic before the 1 p.m. court session starts. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - The Alabama House passed a bill that would make it illegal to move police jurisdiction signs. He saw so many people trying to park in the grassy field outside the municipal building that police had to direct traffic. BROOKSIDE, AL (WBMA) - A federal lawsuit has been filed over allegations Brookside Police should not have written traffic tickets under an old Alabama law. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Stories from people stopped in the ticket-happy town continue to roll down like an avalanche, since AL.com last week published the story of how the tiny town turned to aggressive ticketing to build a ballooning police force that came to provide half the towns revenue. And a Brookside man told AL.com police in the town pulled him over with blue lights and told him there would be consequences if he posted more about the police on Facebook. If you want to go out there and do something like that, you are creating a law., Perez said the officer went absolutely crazy over her lack of ID. Brookside until recently was known for its quirky Russian food festival and the states only onion-domed Russian Orthodox Church. Her Odyssey, and all the items in it, were auctioned off, she said. Over the past few years there has been a sharp rise in the number of Brookside traffic tickets. It claims those involved violated the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and the Hobbs Act which makes it illegal to obstruct interstate commerce by robbery or extortion. Please call 205-345-6600 for information regarding roads or right of way. Perez is Hispanic, and his passenger was a Brookside resident, also Hispanic, who didnt have her purse with her, Perez said. JURISDICTION AND VENUE 3. Last year, based on Jones testimony, Brookside had at least one officer for every 144 residents. We respect the process and its outcomes., Montague Minnifield talks passionately about his experience with Brookside Police. She turned on her lights, according to her lawsuit, because of the approaching darkness. He was charged with misdemeanor possession, but also five counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, for: The names of the officers were not listed on the tickets in secretive Brookside. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. He said police accused him of running a stop sign that I never did run, and he complained about it on Facebook. Police bodycam video shows rescue of kidnapped woman, arrest of - WVTM In 2018, when the town had one full-time police officer and a few part-timers, it reported no serious crimes to the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center. Unsure what was happening, Harris dialed 911. Since 2011, Brookside reported to the state very little serious crime one robbery and no murders. At left, clockwise from top: Brookside Mayor Mike Bryan, town judge Jim Wooten, former Lt. James "Bo" Savelle, former Chief Mike Jones, and town attorney Mark Parnell. Defendants must pay thousands in fines and fees or pay for costly appeals to state court and poorer residents or passersby fall into patterns of debt they cannot easily escape. Seven Brookside police officers have resigned since details of the town's aggressive policing strategy gained national attention in January. Brooksiders tell vivid stories about their experiences as Jones built the police department in his image, and protected that image with intimidation, threats, embarrassing social media posts and even blue-light traffic stops. He said hed like to see even more growth in revenue from fines and forfeitures. Residents like Price and her neighbor Bobbie Pickle bristled when Jones began walking through backyards and into carports, posting big orange stickers on cars or boats without current tags, telling people their property would be towed. Police charged Harris with flickering her lights or nuisance of casting lights from motor vehicle on real property at night, which she argues did not happen and eventually was dropped. He told me it would be in my best interest if I just shut the F up, she said. In a statement, Brookside City Attorney Mark Parnell said that as the local prosecutor, he has "strived to ensure" only police charges with merit moved forward or were otherwise dismissed. Officers appeared to approach drivers with the presumption that they were guilty of something, many drivers would later say. BROOKSIDE, Ala. (WBRC) - House Representative Juandalynn Givan is now asking city leaders in Brookside to disband the police department. Jones resigned January 25th, six days after AL.com published a story outlining Brookside policing and a court system that collected 49 percent of the towns 2020 revenue from fines and forfeitures, a practice lambasted by residents, drivers, top law enforcement officials and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Another town hall is scheduled for Thursday at 6 pm at Birminghams Carver High School. RELATED: How government reliance on fines and fees cripples families. The officer went on to say any more backlash like that towards his police department and itll be far worse than a ticket., I just stared at him, the man said. Like those on Dec. 2. We made the decision that we wouldnt do that again, that this would just be a self-contained Brookside, said council member Chris McCondichie, the former mayors son. The town has also grown its police force in size and now has one officer for every 144 residents. Police must direct traffic before the 1 p.m. court session starts. 2023 Police Jurisdiction Deannexations, Ordinances and Maps A police report said he drunkenly and aggressively harassed a woman and her companion. In a two-year period between 2018 and 2020 Brookside revenues from fines and forfeitures soared more than 640 percent and now make up half the citys total income. They let her out of jail at midnight, long after her family had made bond. It was only after she went to court six weeks later that she learned where the car was impounded. Cops who prey on drivers so their cities can profit | CNN He was also ticketed for improper signal, though he cant even fathom how that might have occurred. Locality Locality Code Boundaries Map Notice & Ordinance Item 30 Day Notice Posted ALDOR Posted Abbeville 9356 Adamsville 9130 Addison 9309 Akron 9668 Alabaster 9413 Albertville 9397 Alexander City 9358 Aliceville 9301 Allgood 9709 Altoona 9709 Andalusia 9631 Anderson 9479 Anniston 9311 Arab 9448 Ardmore 9634 Argo 9729 Ariton 9602 Arley 9642 . Franklin said she believes the only reason she wasnt arrested was because she works for Jefferson County. The chief of police at a northern Jefferson County police department resigned on Tuesday. In Brookside, complaints about retaliation have come time and time again, as in the case of Rev. Alabama Senate candidate Lisa Ward said ex-Chief Jones tried to intimidate her in a social media message after she shared the AL.com story on Facebook. That audit report, released last week, has said such an arrangement is illegal. Baggett asked about her vehicle on the way. The town already had weapons and a personnel carrier through the program the feds call it a mine-resistant vehicle and residents knew it as the tank., The town of Brookside, Alabama holds municipal court once a month. The officer said We have had people stop and record us, she said, like it explained his actions.. Brookside is a poster child for policing for profit, said Carla Crowder, the director of Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, a nonprofit devoted to justice and equity. Alabama Police Department Takes The War On Marijuana To A New - Forbes The conclusion reads: We conclude our report by recommending that new Brookside Police Department leadership adopt specific policies aimed at targeting its law enforcement efforts in more strategic ways. But in 2018 it . She complained directly to then-Brookside Police Chief Mike Jones. hunzaguides.com Informacin detallada del sitio web y la empresa Traffic tickets, and criminalizing those who passed through, became the citys leading industry. We dont like writing tickets.. Baggett took Ubers and Lyfts to the Avondale area of Birmingham to work, at $35 a pop, plus tip. Jones and Bryan said neither the town nor the police department relies on the revenue officers bring in. Even the claims of retaliation for social media posts are not unusual in Brookside. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. He looked closer and noticed troublesome code words that offered vague excuses such as driver acted nervous to justify questionable stops. Brookside now faces at least five lawsuits. Find 6 Police Departments within 8.3 miles of Brookside Police Department. No one can objectively look at this and conclude this is good government that is keeping us safer.. Dawson also represents Victoria Brumlow, a young woman who like hundreds more was stopped on I-22 and ticketed for driving on the left lane of the interstate. (Joe Songer for al.com).Joe Songer. They opted for a more aggressive approach, and found just the man for the job: Mike Jones. Jones made his own rules, based on his own sense of morality, Hudgens said. She called for the second town hall meeting this week.. Givan and Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway held the first town hall, in which 200 people gathered and 31 told stories of harassment and abuse. Honea Path Property Records Search (South Carolina) Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The town's median household income is less than $40,000, according to demographic data. The complaint seeks return of property and damages. His car was towed with apologies from the tow-truck driver costing him several hundred dollars. held the first town hall, in which 200 people gathered, Police in this tiny Alabama town suck drivers into legal black hole, Pastor, sister say rogue Alabama police force sought revenge, This Alabama county fastens ankle monitors on hundreds who arent convicted of crimes, Life on an ankle monitor in Alabama: $10 a day and inevitable imperfections, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. AL.com in January reported how Brookside used fines and forfeitures to bring in almost half the town revenue in 2020, and how its police department grew exponentially under Chief Jones. Arrests on Brookside warrants went from zero to 243 in the span of two years, according to statistics Chief Jones presented to the council. A report quoted in the suit claimed she tighten (sic) arm muscles from getting handcuff (sic).. She refused. The town of Brookside, Alabama holds municipal court once a month. Brookside police officers in sworn depositions indicated they did not follow drivers for a full mile and a half before or after the new law was passed, and they continued to write tickets under the old law after the new road rage bill passed. On July 10th, 2019, 16 days after she paid her ticket, her phone rang. The man had admitted to the police and to the former mayor that he had dumped trash, though his lawyer argued the confession was coerced and the charges based on dates the police simply guessed about. AL House passes bill that makes it illegal to move police jurisdiction It took four months before she could save for another car. Chief Jones testified under oath that just one of the 10 Brookside vehicles is painted with police striping, but nine others bear no emblems, and seven are tinted all the way around, making it impossible to see inside. Brookside is the "the wild, Wild West," one state lawmaker said after its income from traffic fines and forfeitures reportedly rose 640 percent in 2 years. When youre naive and you work with police, you assume theyre gonna do the right thing, he said. Brookside hired Ken Simon, a former circuit judge and current member of the University of Alabama Board of Trustees, to investigate its own department.