If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 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. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, and GOP Lt. Gov. 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. Asked in December how many officers were on staff, he refused to say, citing security concerns, though police staff sizes are reported regularly to the government for public consumption. Mr. Bryan, as un-involved as he sounds, is as culpable as the others.. AL.com published a story outlining Brookside policing, , former Lt. James Bo Savelle III, resigned Jan. 31. says he was a passenger in car stopped for driving with an improper tag, and that he was detained, among other things. Brookside Police Department of Brookside, AL spotted in the Jefferson County Sheriff Department District at Roberta Road and Cherry Avenue., And in July, Brookside Police Department of Brookside, AL operating outside its city limits. Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham has demanded the resignations of Bryan, Brookside City Attorney Mark Parnell and Municipal Judge Jim Wooten. 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. For most of the past decade it saw little crimeonly 55 . Harris lawyers contend she was taken to the Brookside jail, strip-searched, and told she could be jailed up to two days. And local court officials have thrown out or called into question more than 100 cases involving Brookside police. Thats 49% of the small towns skyrocketing revenue. Brookside has two drug-sniffing dogs one named K9 Cash to search the cars of stopped motorists. Updated 5:15 p.m. May 2 to add Brookside response. One, by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur would force cities to make the amount of fines and fees they collect public. I cant stand them., In a statement today, Turman said In this case, we had a young deputy that was trying to be respectful to a supposed veteran officer and gave him a break. Brookside officials this afternoon said in a statement that the Tahoe is registered in Jones name and does not belong to Brookside. Everybodys got a story, he said. Brookside is a poor town, 70% white, 21% Black, with a small but growing Hispanic population and a median income well below the state average. A Peace Officer sworn in the State of Alabama can enforce the law anywhere in the State of Alabama, he wrote in an email. The courtroom and the parking lot are packed with people. The caller identified himself as a Det. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. I should have brought a lawyer, but right now my time is not there, he said. The police in the city of Brookside basically created their own policing system and for years have been able to get away with it and as the report says they endangered the lives of citizens and they should be held accountable for it, Givan said. "What if $150 is the cost of choosing between feeding my child, getting their medicine or paying this ticket?" 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. I have never been in any trouble only had one speeding ticket. Brookside Police Department in Brookside, Alabama, get driving directions from your location, Birmingham Police Department - North Precinct, Department Of Public Safety Highway Patrol Post - Birmingham, Jefferson County Pistol Permits & Gun Licenses, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Most Wanted Sex Offenders, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Offender Search, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Website, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Website (Alabama), Brookside public safety & filing complaints, Brookside Police Department jobs and employment. Fourth, Brookside should avoid over-policing and overly broad traffic enforcement which creates the appearance of ticketing for revenue. The The Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts released an audit into Brookside in the Spring of 2022. In the meantime, well continue to make good on our promises to reform policing in Brookside, said Mayor Bryan on Wednesday. At least three bills are now before the Legislature that would affect those cities. 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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Even the claims of retaliation for social media posts are not unusual in Brookside. Find 12 external resources related to Brookside Police Department. Address, Phone Number, and Fax Number for Brookside Police Department, a Police Department, at Main Street, Brookside AL. Theres no way I was going to run that stop sign.. A small jar that once may have held marijuana, And a small tray that might have been used to roll a joint, reported just 55 serious crimes to the state in the entire eight year period between 2011 and 2018, 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. The towns administrative expenditures rose 40% and overall spending jumped 112%, from $553,000 in 2018 to $1.2 million in 2020. Her lawyers argue that the city uses obscure possible violations to justify stopping and searching passersby, hoping to add more offenses in a sort of highway lottery to fill the coffers. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). 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. Detective Johnson had called and asked that I come to the Brookside Police Department to talk to them. 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. I think its one of those situations that could possibly bring in the feds with some oversight, he said. Jones could not be reached for comment on this report. The town of Brookside confirmed that Chief Mike Jones resigned from his position in a brief press release Tuesday afternoon. Michelle Jones, of Forestdale, has fought the Brookside police department for three years. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Officials from the examiners office were believed to visit Brookside last week. This is at the corner of Roberta Road and Mulberry Road, which is far away from their city limits.. Scott Shackford | 1.19.2022 1:20 PM. One of those visions: increasing officer pay to $18 per hour with better benefits in order . It resulted in Brookside Police Chief Mike Jones resigning Tuesday on the same day Alabama Lt. Gov. By last summer, he said in a deposition, Brookside had hired eight additional full-time officers and several part-timers. Then-Council member Bryan was there each time the police department reported their revenues to them during council meetings. But on Wednesday morning, she said, she got a call from the Alabama Attorney Generals investigator who had worked the case after her complaint was filed in 2019. Michelle Jones made an official complaint to the Alabama Attorneys Generals office three years ago, arguing that Brookside police stopped her out of jurisdiction, issued a bogus citation and threatened her with more charges after she criticized them on Facebook. Savelle was in the program for up-and-coming police officers in Helena, while Mike Jones was a patrol officer there, he said. They were infatuated with Mike (Jones) because he was doing all this good for Brookside and they couldnt see any of the bad.. Arrest powers are not confined to city limits or jurisdictional boundaries except within the State of Alabama.. He was also ticketed for improper signal, though he cant even fathom how that might have occurred. Ive never seen a possession case split like that, he said. Dozens of people who claim they were victimized by Brookside Police have come forward to tell their stories. Another would bar police from using unmarked cars for traffic stops. And it broke her heart, it broke my heart.. As we have seen, overly aggressive traffic enforcement is not the way forward. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is the police department that serves the area, where Mike Hale is the sheriff. He was released after posting $20,000 bail. The growth has come with trouble to match. 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. The town announced his departure in a statement, but would not comment further. The lowest-paid officers made $12 an hour. Seven Brookside police officers have resigned since January Published: Feb. 09, 2022, 10:00 a.m. Netta Womack tells her story about Brookside police at a town hall Tuesday February 1, 2022.. It may cost some money to go through that process, he said. The town now faces 13 lawsuits. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Please keep your posts factual and post links to reliable sources. The interim chief and Town leaders announced reforms within the police department in February 2022. A Brookside officer ticketed Brumlow under Alabama code section 32-5-77, which her lawyers contend does not contain a crime. Brookside has 1,253 people, according to the most recent census. This analysis suggests that whites receive substantially more favorable treatment with respect to warnings than other groups.. I saw the same attitude in every officer and every person, he said. But if you want real justice, I think youll go through the process. Police must direct traffic before the 1 p.m. court session starts. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Allan Armstrong, one of a group of lawyers who filed the complaint, said Brookside violated basic American rights. Jones says she was polite to the officer, but was convinced the ticket was unfounded and given outside the Brookside police jurisdiction. She thought the complaint was long forgotten or closed. State Representative Juandalynn Givan isnt surprised by the report. Michelle Jones said she has had friends, acquaintances and family members stopped in Brookside. Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, talks to reporters about reports of police abuses in the town of Brookside, which is in her Jefferson County district. 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. Neither the mayor nor chief would talk about pending litigation, but both said they have reviewed the cases involved, including bodycam footage, and said they found no wrongdoing on the citys part. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Jones is not alone in complaining about Brookside. 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. They seek damages against the individual police officers for wrongful fines, forfeitures, and arrests, including mental anguish damages., In trying to establish a conspiracy, the complaint contends that the town of Brookside, its court and its officers, exist to extract the payment of unlawful fines from the people.. . Careful examination of individual officer behavior is also important. 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. (Photographerlondon / Dreamstime.com) Brookside, Alabama, has a population of less than 1,500 people. The citizens of this state and those traveling through this state should enjoy the opportunity to freely access our roadways, he said. Sarathy Jones said the issues in Brookside should be a warning for towns and small cities to examine their revenue sources and ensure their local governments aren't turning to law enforcement as moneymaking arms. The news outlet found that Jones positioned officers to stop motorists so aggressively that income from traffic fines and forfeitures rose 640 percent from 2018 to 2020, from about $82,000 to more than $610,000. That meeting will be at 6 p.m. at the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office Training Center in Fultondale, 3500 Happy Hollow Lane. Givan is holding a letter asking for the resignation of Mayor Mike Bryan. And theyre saying they were nowhere near Brookside.. Brookside Police Chief Mike Jones resigns Jan. 25, 2022. But in 2018 it began building a police empire, hiring more and more officers to blanket its six miles of roads and mile-and-a-half jurisdiction on Interstate 22. When the deputy approached the car, he reported that the driver of the vehicle was holding a police badge out of the drivers window, according to the affidavit filed by the county to obtain a warrant for Jones. She had an asthma attack and a panic attack, but when she knocked on the door to alert a guard, a jailer said if she continued to knock she would be charged with attempting to escape. Givan said this time she especially wants to hear from women. Brumlow pleaded not guilty, and had to go to court over and over again as the case was postponed. 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. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Copyright 2022 WBRC. Perez is angry at his treatment. Vincent Witt and his sister, Tareya, Chief Jones tried to intimidate her in a social media message, 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. 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. Wattson claims he was unaware of the drugs. 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. John Archibald: Brookside is an extreme example of a type of policing that's going on all over this country. A police department in Brookside, Alabama, is facing allegations of policing for profit and defamation lawsuits after residents say they've received bogus charges. Others werent so fortunate. Jones lawyer, Bryan, did not return calls today. Police must direct traffic before the 1 p.m. court session starts. 2711 Municipal Dr. Brookside, AL 35036. It ultimately became the reason Hudgens left her job. I was the one that informed him that Mike Jones was in Washington D.C. and that Bo was the acting chief.. As more tickets brought in more money, the town began to spend much more. Brookside Police Department Contact Information Address, Phone Number, and Fax Number for Brookside Police Department, a Police Department, at Main Street, Brookside AL. In a two-year period after Jones hiring, income from fines and forfeitures rose more than 600 percent, and that money made up 49 percent of the towns income. Still, police seized his car, and refused to return it, though they didnt begin official forfeiture proceedings. The officer said We have had people stop and record us, she said, like it explained his actions.. Jones said crime when he took over was higher than it appeared from numbers the town reported to the state. Police Chief Mike Jones has since resigned, Lt. Gov. Since this involves a personnel matter, the Town has no further comment. People who were stopped by Brookside police and fined more than the state allows. The town of Brookside, Alabama holds municipal court once a month. BROOKSIDE, Ala. ( WIAT) On Thursday night, Alabama Rep. Juandalynn Givan will hold another town hall meeting as she works to take action against alleged illegal ticketing that has taken place in the Brookside Police Department. BROOKSIDE, Ala. (WBRC) - WBRC confirmed Mike Jones resigned as Brookside Police Chief. During his time as a council member, Mike Bryan voted for and helped to pass ordinances strengthening the Brookside Police Department in addition to passing city budgets with revenues increasing over 600%, she said. Smart, targeted strategies administered in an even-handed fashion will maximize results and public support for Brookside. Givan and Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway want to hear more, and will hold a town hall meeting today. We will be reviewing the details of the allegations with the Towns legal counsel. Stories of how Alabama legal systems criminalize poverty. I see a 600% increase thats a failure. 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. I feel like they cant claim innocence in this situation., They saw dollar signs, she said of the mayors and the council. Because people overwhelmed by debt have been shown to turn to crime to pay their fines an argument can be made that this kind of policing creates crime, Crowder said. I dont condone it, but you know, Im not the chief out there.. Popularity:#11 of 45 Police Departments in Jefferson County#69 of 565 Police Departments in Alabama#2,237 in Police Departments. 205-674-9275. BROOKSIDE, Ala. (WBRC) - A special report regarding racial profiling in the Town of Brooksides Traffic Enforcement Program was released by the city-appointed investigator, former Circuit Court Judge Ken Simon. "Ferguson made us realize it wasn't just Ferguson," said Priya Sarathy Jones, the national campaign director at the Fines and Fees Justice Center,which advocates for fees to be eliminated in the justice system and fines to be equitably enforced. Tiny Brookside's style of policing under Jones has become known nationally in recent weeks. John Walker was stopped in Brookside for following too closely. They were doing the same thing to every person that was there. Bryan served as president pro tem of the council for years, and performed the duties of mayor during the long illness of his predecessor. We dont care about tickets, Jones said. Brookside Police Department is in the Police1 Law Enforcement Directory. The office of state Attorney General Steve Marshall, a Republican, declined to comment Friday about the traffic stops in Brookside. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The release said the town has no further comment on Jones's resignation since it involves a "personnel matter." But Jones was not the Chief at Brookside when he held himself out to be, using deception to disrespect that young deputy. Savelle was given pre-trial release, but Shelby County Community Corrections asked a judge a few weeks later to revoke Savelles bond when he willfully failed to comply with the conditions by failing to pay fees for drug screening, failing three alcohol tests and failing to show up for drug tests, court records show. Former Brookside Police Chief Mike Jones, in a photo taken by WAAO News' Blaine Wilson, after turning himself in. 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 who has represented several clients in Brookside, said defendants have faced possession charges for a joint, with paraphernalia charges tacked on for the paper it was rolled in. Its a former mining town, its population about the same as it was a decade ago. It is what happened after the stop that is most concerning to him. We dont have a law that says if you dont have ID, you go to jail, he said. All rights reserved (About Us). Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Written with the support of Columbia Universitys Ira A. Lipman Center for Journalism and Civil and Human Rights. in the wake of news coverage about the arrest. Its my understanding that a guy can go out there and I mean, he can fall into a black hole, Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr said of drivers getting entangled financially. Prosecutor Parnell issued a statement saying he did nothing wrong. Find Brookside residential property records including property owners, sales & transfer history, deeds & titles, property taxes, valuations, land, zoning records & more. It did not feature a breakout of the police department. I quit Brookside once he came back, she said. The deputy gave him a professional courtesy verbal warning and sent him on his way. This is the statement from the Town of Brookside: Mike Jones resigned as the Police Chief for the Town of Brookside. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Not all of them can afford to pay their fines as he did, and some have been put on payment plans. Savelle was 32 at the time of his Hoover arrest, and was shown to have previous arrests for public intoxication, DUI, public lewdness, as well as multiple drug charges, the Hoover report said. (Joe Songer for AL.com).Joe Songer. Yet that is hard to swallow for those who line up for court and face financial ruin because of citations. 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. It is the second time in four days a former Brookside police officer has been jailed. Ramon Perez felt that way as well, sitting in the courtroom and hearing defendants plead to the same charges over and over. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. She complained directly to then-Brookside Police Chief Mike Jones. Brookside officers have been accused in lawsuits of fabricating charges, using racist language and making up laws to stack counts on passersby. When he declared bankruptcy in 2019, Jones owed $300,000 in tax liens and $2.2 million in total claims. He feels the police saw him as prey, and treated him as such. Will Ainsworth has requested an audit of Brooksides town and police force, and lawmakers across party lines have called for bills to help curb small-town policing for profit on Alabama Interstates. James Sebestain Bo Savelle III (Photo courtesy of Hoover Police). He built the department from a one-man operation to a ticket-hungry department with 10 blacked-out. . A report quoted in the suit claimed she tighten (sic) arm muscles from getting handcuff (sic).. He swore hed seen the cop from a distance and was careful as he braked. Brookside Police Chief Mike Jones, who spearheaded the change and grew the police department tenfold, at least, calls the towns policing a positive story. Mayor Mike Bryan a former councilman who assumed his position last year after the death of the previous mayor sits and nods in agreement. No one can objectively look at this and conclude this is good government that is keeping us safer.. Third party advertisements support hosting, listing verification, updates, and site maintenance. Its not about making a dollar, Jones said. Fewer than 100 of its residents graduated college. Ive seen it, DA Carr said. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 2023 County Office. 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. When he got to court Dec. 2, he saw scores of people just like him lining up to stand before Judge Jim Wooten, complaining of penny-ante crimes and harassment by officers. Disparities in the rate at which drivers were stopped do not appear to be significantly different from the rate in which drivers racial and ethnic groups populate 4 Jefferson County. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Fallout over the Brookside revelations continues. Mayor Bryan dismissed the complaints of those who must appear in court. He is still torn, wondering if he should have fought the town harder. Police must direct traffic before the 1 p.m. court session starts. She was not speeding, or breaking the law, she argued in the suit. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit, originally filed on behalf of Cory Thomas, are Thomas; Tinetta Jackson; Keyarah Smith; Ben Blackwell; James Donahue; Gerald Smith; Brittany Todd; and Zachary Harris. Will Ainsworth want to know how such a department could have existed. They were shining these flashlights in my car and it was daylight. He resigned as chief of the Brookside department last week, days after AL.coms original report on Brookside. Brumlows uncle, Jeff Brumlow, is the longtime prosecutor and city attorney for the city of Alabaster, and a GOP candidate for Shelby County district judge. Franklin said she believes the only reason she wasnt arrested was because she works for Jefferson County. What happens is when it gets to be so egregious, when you go a little bit too far and you take it to an extreme as the city of Brookside did, it just wasnt about selective enforcement, it becomes routine, Givan said. Oftentimes, a person's decision to forgo paying a fine goes deeper, Sarathy Jones said. She turned on her lights, according to her lawsuit, because of the approaching darkness. But it's also prevalent across the country. Despite that, the Shelby County case was dropped without explanation under the condition that he pay $100. Roger McCondichie, the late mayor of Brookside, at the time called Jones company woes personal business and defended the hiring by saying Jones was certified and had all the credentials. The transformation of Brookside's police department began in 2018, under the direction of long-serving and now late Mayor Roger McCondichie. A manager at Dave & Busters in Hoover in 2019 called police on a man named James Bo Savelle III. "Their whole financial existence starts to spiral, and it was all over a light on their car not working.". Neither the police nor the town have responded to questions since the original story ran. Givan is still pushing for change in Brookside and says those responsible should be held accountable. What I had watched in court with the use of this particular charge, I mean, just to be quite frank, it offended me that a court would act that way and that a city would act that way toward people who really dont have that kind of money, he testified. Erik Ortiz is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital focusing on racial injustice and social inequality. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Jones testified his officers wear gray uniforms with no Brookside insignias. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT) As the Brookside Police Department debacle continues, the call for Mayor Mike Bryan and other leaders to resign still rings among those who have been victims by the city's officers. soon after reports of the small towns aggressive policing, AL.com detailed how the department preyed on drivers. 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. Second, the town would likely benefit from a relationship with a research organization to provide annual information on the existence of any red flags detected in statistical trends and patterns. In addition, she said, counting on fines and fees collected from people in lower income and marginalized communities only serves to punish them further.
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