Still, police seized his car, and refused to return it, though they didnt begin official forfeiture proceedings. (Photographerlondon / Dreamstime.com) Brookside, Alabama, has a population of less than 1,500 people. Thats why I hesitated to fight it. Written with the support of Columbia Universitys Ira A. Lipman Center for Journalism and Civil and Human Rights. The primary coordinates for Brookside Police Department places it within the AL 35214 ZIP Code delivery area.. Maps, Driving Directions & Local Area Information Reporting Agency: Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Alabama. Traffic tickets, and criminalizing those who passed through, became the citys leading industry. The issue gained prominence in the wake of the 2014 fatal police shooting of Michael Brown, a Black teenager, in Ferguson, Missouri, when a report by a St. Louis-area public defender group found that Black drivers in Ferguson were more likely to be stopped by police and local courts were abusing their power by charging high fines and fees for nonviolent offenses, sometimes leading to arrests when they went unpaid. Brookside Police did patrol the 1.5-mile stretch of Interstate 22 within their jurisdiction and wrote tickets that brought in $82,467 in fines. He quickly built a roster of officers, some with questionable pasts that made them more loyal, adding new staff every quarter until the force eventually topped out at 13, not counting reserves. Shed worked for years in emergency services, but she and other dispatchers were thrust with little preparation into the job of sending new officers where they needed to go, all while using ill-suited computer equipment salvaged from Jones private security business, she said. Brumlow pleaded not guilty, and had to go to court over and over again as the case was postponed. He said police accused him of running a stop sign that I never did run, and he complained about it on Facebook. By 2020 Brookside made more misdemeanor arrests than it has residents. Yet the Brookside stories come at an alarming rate. People abused by small town's "policing for profit" file class action seeking accountability. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Chief Jones resigned on Jan. 25. But for this: The officer said the chiefs pretty upset about that post you put on Facebook. the Brookside man told AL.com. Ramon Perez showed up for court in December ready to fight traffic citations he got in Brookside. That document budgeted $646,620 to the police this year. He reported that his Police Chief was mad.. We had cameras in dispatch and there were multiple times when he would bring an inmate into his office and shut the door, she said. Even the claims of retaliation for social media posts are not unusual in Brookside. But in Brookside, Alabama, a top-down scheme pushed by its police chief, mayor and council has . Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. On the other end was a caller IDd as coming from the Brookside Town Hall, she said. Ive never seen a possession case split like that, he said. However, an initial review of the complaint reveals that any allegations of conspiracy are false and without merit and the Town vehemently denies such allegations.. Michelle Jones made an official complaint to the Alabama Attorney's General's office three years ago, arguing that Brookside police stopped her out of jurisdiction, issued a bogus citation and . Sorry for the typo, the mayor wrote. The curious case of the financial income of the town, on the outskirts of Birmingham, exploded into a scandal following a local news report on AL.com last week. In 2018, Brookside had somewhere in the range of $80,000 in fines and forfeitures, which made up 14 percent of the city . Her Odyssey, and all the items in it, were auctioned off, she said. I saw him and we looked eye to eye, the Chelsea business owner said. Brookside Mayor Mike Bryan said in a statement, We cannot comment on the lawsuits filed Monday. Notably, he asked for dismissal of charges against the man who was arrested for dumping trash along Brookside-Coalburg Road. He expected officers to stay busy, and they were. 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. 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). (Joe Songer for AL.com).Joe Songer. Ainsworth, also a Republican, told AL.com that his office would look at legislative options to determine how to prevent towns from taking advantage of drivers passing through on highways, a problem lawmakers acknowledged is happening across the state. Address, Phone Number, and Fax Number for Brookside Police Department, a Police Department, at Main Street, Brookside AL. Lacey Shelton experienced that when she was jailed last year on charges she disputes. BROOKSIDE, Ala. (WBRC) - House Representative Juandalynn Givan is now asking city leaders in Brookside to disband the police department. Dawson was struck by the testimony, and the sheer number of people who packed the Brookside court with similar charges. Michelle Jones, of Forestdale, has fought the Brookside police department for three years. The town now faces at least 13 suits or one for every 96 residents. He saw so many people trying to park in the grassy field outside the municipal building that police had to direct traffic. Published: Mar. Thats 49% of the small towns skyrocketing revenue. Perez is Hispanic, and his passenger was a Brookside resident, also Hispanic, who didnt have her purse with her, Perez said. An officer insisted on taking her home which embarrassed her. Brookside police didnt just wait for the money to come to them. 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. The money Hudgens spoke of was substantial. Ramon Perez felt that way as well, sitting in the courtroom and hearing defendants plead to the same charges over and over. 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. The accounts told to AL.com detail harassment and intimidation. [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. The town became the poster child for policing for profit when AL.com published a series of revelations Jan. 19. (Joe Songer for AL.com).Joe Songer. She was stopped on Valentines Day of 2021 as she drove home during a winter storm warning. Attempts to reach Savelle failed. Many drivers said they have long feared driving in Brookside, afraid of being unjustly pulled over, and the treatment they would receive if they were. He said he also represented a woman who was stopped in 2019 for driving in the left lane of I-22, which was not technically a crime, and accused police of using a "false left-lane violation" to ensnare motorists. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Its not about making a dollar, Jones said. Brookside cops were on a high-priority case in 2019. I clearly did not run the stop sign as I had just seen them sitting on top of I-22 overpass. Brookside, population 1,253, had never even had an annual budget. 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. The towns credibility was in tatters. She fought it instead. The audits show, however, how the town came to depend on the ticket money. Chief Henry Irby, hired to try to restore credibility to the disgraced Brookside Police Department, speaks to the town council . (Joe Songer for al.com).Joe Songer. originally filed on behalf of Cory Thomas, AL.com in January reported how Brookside used fines and forfeitures, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. The money Hudgens spoke of was substantial. Yet the town with no traffic lights collected $487 in fines and forfeitures in 2020 for every man, woman and child, though many of those fined were merely passing by on I-22. 2022-26 Ord 2023-05 Bus. It's a story that is really egregious and heinous for a variety of reasons.". Hed been stopped for rolling the stop sign, which he disputes, and speeding, which he also disputes. He had past drug and alcohol charges, a DUI and an arrest for public lewdness, according to police records. As a single mom that really messed me up, she said. Tuesday February 1, 2022. You know, weve had a lot of issues with Brookside.. When youre naive and you work with police, you assume theyre gonna do the right thing, he said. CountyOffice.org does not provide consumer reports and is not a consumer reporting agency as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Several reporting requirements for municipalities were . Pettway also said issues with Brookside could draw the attention of the federal government. Brookside Police Department is a cultural feature (building) in Jefferson County. Her boss paid her fine. We get calls about Brookside quite regularly because they really go outside their jurisdiction to stop people, Pettway said. We will be reviewing the details of the allegations with the Towns legal counsel. I think it could be more.. Jones still has some supporters in town. Name Brookside Police Department Address 208 Main Street Brookside, Alabama, 35036 Phone 205-674-9275 Fax 205-674-9547 But when she did, the unmarked SUV pulled into the street, crossed the center line and sped toward her car, blue lights flashing. Brookside is just 10 miles north of Birmingham, but in ways it is ages away. He decided to plead guilty and pay the fines after seeing how others were treated. CNN's Nick Valencia reports. The Town of Brookside released this statement: To investigate and address the issues raised by the recent news accounts of our Police Department, on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, the Town of Brookside requested the Alabama Peace Officers' Standards and Training Commission (APOSTC) perform a compliance audit of the Brookside Police Department . On top of the third party audit, the town has retained a former Jefferson County judge to . It has one retail store, the Dollar General, and three septic tank services. In the meantime, well continue to make good on our promises to reform policing in Brookside, said Mayor Bryan on Wednesday. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - The Alabama House passed a bill that would make it illegal to move police jurisdiction signs. The chief of police at a northern Jefferson County police department resigned on Tuesday. 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. Police take an oath to protect and serve the public. Not for speeding, or running a stop sign, or any violation. Click on a feature to learn more. 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. Lawyer Bill Dawson, who has filed multiple lawsuits against Brookside, first became aware of the towns overreach in 2019. Time after time they say they were pulled over by multiple officers in multiple vehicles for minor charges such as expired tag or following too closely, that they were searched, towed, and forced to pay large fines for violations many say they did not commit. 2022 Police Jurisdiction Annexations, Deannexations and Ordinances, Ords. A court worker told her she would have to plead guilty or go to driving school. He is still torn, wondering if he should have fought the town harder. Investigators stored them as evidence, diapers and all, in a closet in the lieutenants office. Most of the vehicles Brookside Police drive are unmarked, and tinted. 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. All rights reserved (About Us). If you put anything on Facebook, he retaliated verbally to you, said Brookside resident Tammy Price. Savelle had a history of trouble. Jones reimagined the police department as a sort of drug task force on the corridor between Birmingham and Memphis and he was creative. When Jones was hired as chief in 2018, he was the only full-time police officer, he said in sworn testimony for a lawsuit . All rights reserved (About Us). It raised police officers hourly pay to $18, established a police reserve program and rescinded tax collection from areas of police jurisdiction outside the town limits which applies mainly to people in nearby Mt. 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. Sandra Jo Harris, a 52-year-old grandmother, claims in a lawsuit she pulled off I-22 at Cherry Avenue on Jan. 8, 2020, as she often did when she went to visit her daughter. Brookside Police Department Contact Information. A Brookside officer ticketed Brumlow under Alabama code section 32-5-77, which her lawyers contend does not contain a crime. All Rights Reserved. By 2020 due almost entirely to aggressive policing it rose to $1.2 million. They were doing the same thing to every person that was there. She complained directly to then-Brookside Police Chief Mike Jones. But lawyers and law enforcement officers across central Alabama have raised questions about things in Brookside they say they have never otherwise come across. And 99% of them are lying.. Police Chief Mike Jones has since resigned, Lt. Gov. The town survives on the fringes of Birmingham with tax revenue from the Dollar General, which forms the totality of its commercial district. But the police department in Brookside, Alabama has managed to do exactly that. "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. At right, clockwise from top: Netta Womack, who prayed for relief, plaintiff Jori Jones, Chana Hodges, and Rev. Will Ainsworth, a Republican who vowed to do something about Brookside-style behavior. The complaint seeks return of property and damages. The town began to tow huge numbers of cars, and reap huge rewards. He acquired three military surplus trucks through the federal 1033 program, which passes used military guns and equipment to local law enforcement. Brookside, Alabama, a former mining community of about 1,250 with a median household income less than $40,000, has no traffic lights and only a handful of two-lane roads, yet it raked in so much revenue from traffic fines and forfeitures in 2020, it amounted to almost half of its $1.2 million municipal budget. This Court has jurisdiction over this case under 28 U.S.C. Not speeding, not swerving, just using the left lane. brookside, alabama police jurisdiction map. That audit report, released last week, has said such an arrangement is illegal. He said response times were long because Brookside often had to rely on the Jefferson County Sheriffs department for service. He promised benefits and a place to land for police who had left other agencies but hoped to keep their law enforcement certification current. The town of Brookside, Alabama holds municipal court once a month. A year in Brookside is a pretty long time. Ramon Perez came to court last month ready to fight the tickets hed been handed by Brookside police, including one for rolling through a stop sign and another for driving 48 mph in a 40 zone. These figures were provided by the city: Brookside Police. While the town paid officers as little as $12 an hour, Jones used state-disbursed federal grant money to lure new hires with thousands of hours of overtime. At the time, Jones was still president of the Helena City Council, though it was reported he later stopped attending meetings when his private security business began to struggle. He declared bankruptcy in 2019.
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