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. I clearly did not run the stop sign as I had just seen them sitting on top of I-22 overpass. One, by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur would force cities to make the amount of fines and fees they collect public. Ive been irritated in these comments that come from Mike Bryan, McDonald said. Thats why I hesitated to fight it. A third calls for guidelines on how cities and towns handle municipal courts. It has had a continued practice of stopping and ticketing scores of vehicles daily, doing so without probable cause or reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing.. Bryan served as president pro tem of the council for years, and performed the duties of mayor during the long illness of his predecessor. Brookside State: Alabama Zip Code: 35036-2000 County: Jefferson County Phone #: 205-674-9275 Fax #: 205-674-9547. I think its one of those situations that could possibly bring in the feds with some oversight, he said. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The audits show, however, how the town came to depend on the ticket money. Police must direct traffic before the 1 p.m. court session starts. The town faces several state investigations, and has brought in outside help to rebuild the department. 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 jurisdiction along Interstate 22, a corridor between Birmingham and Memphis, Tennessee. Months of research and dozens of interviews by AL.com found that Brooksides finances are rocket-fueled by tickets and aggressive policing. More than half the Brookside officers resigned or were fired this year as more and more people came forward to tell their stories about mistreatment in Brookside. In a sworn deposition in the civil suit Jeff Brumlow said he went to court three times before the case was ultimately dropped, and saw many people hed guess 25 to 30% of all defendants charged with the dubious left lane violation. BROOKSIDE, Ala. ( WIAT) Tuesday's town hall called to discuss issues involving the Brookside Police Department is already causing change to happen. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Officers in Brookside have been accused in lawsuits of manufacturing reasons for traffic stops, overcharging and "making up laws," AL.com reported. CountyOffice.org does not provide consumer reports and is not a consumer reporting agency as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). 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. EOG was set up to provide security services for athletic events and other gatherings. Jones blamed the lawsuits on ambulance-chasing attorneys.. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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). Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. It may cost some money to go through that process, he said. Last year, based on Jones testimony, Brookside had at least one officer for every 144 residents. The town of Brookside, Alabama holds municipal court once a month. Brookside, which in 2018 had one full time police officer, now parks a riot control vehicle townspeople call it a tank outside the municipal complex and community center. The town also expanded its towing operations, going from 50 vehicles in 2018 to 789 in 2020. Stephanie Franklin, a Jefferson County employee, told AL.com she was a passenger in a car stopped last year for an expired tag. That meeting will be at 6 p.m. at the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office Training Center in Fultondale, 3500 Happy Hollow Lane. 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. "It's the wild, Wild West, and they created their own wild, Wild West.". However, our analysis did find significant evidence of selective enforcement with respect to warning tickets. The towns own investigator said police under Jones sought out those who they believed could not put up a fight poor people in particular, and those who had previous run-ins with the law. 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. Popularity:#11 of 45 Police Departments in Jefferson County#69 of 565 Police Departments in Alabama#2,237 in Police Departments. Hudgens told Jones about the call and gave him the mans contact information. Privacy Policy He saw so many people trying to park in the grassy field outside the municipal building that police had to direct traffic. Fourth, Brookside should avoid over-policing and overly broad traffic enforcement which creates the appearance of ticketing for revenue. Its very uncertain as a citizen of Brookside now.. 43 Brookside should consider such a policy. I was working that night and I received a phone call from the Hoover police chief, she said. By 2020 Brookside made more misdemeanor arrests than it has residents. AL.com also sought connection through Brookside officials. He was very ugly from the start.. She spelled it out in her complaint to the AGs office and in notes to the Jefferson County Sheriffs Department, county commissioners and others. Which is exactly what the town is banking on, according to those who have watched Brookside grow into one of Alabamas biggest, most troublesome traffic traps. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 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. His statement said he is not taking questions. She complained directly to then-Brookside Police Chief Mike Jones. Town leadership should be proactive in providing oversight, accountability, and checks and balances in the Departments management and ensure that police operations comply with regulatory, judicial, ethical, and financial safeguards. Dawson argued in a lawsuit against Brookside and Chief Jones that Brookside has continuously used the false left lane violation as a reason to stop and detain hundreds of motorists. 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. I can stand a thief better than a dirty cop. When he declared bankruptcy in 2019, Jones owed $300,000 in tax liens and $2.2 million in total claims. After learning of those statements, Rep. Givan again said the three need to resign. The report was released on September 29, 2022. She fought it instead. Kimberlee Hudgens was a dispatcher at the Brookside Police Department at the time of Savelles Hoover arrest. 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. Johnson, though it is unclear if Brookside had a Detective Johnson. Ramon Perez felt that way as well, sitting in the courtroom and hearing defendants plead to the same charges over and over. The next day she spoke to the husband of the woman who complained to Hoover police. The deputy has since also issued a speeding ticket to go along with the impersonation charge.. Fines and forfeitures seizures of cars during traffic stops, among other things doubled from 2018 to 2019. Model policies and procedures adopted in many places around the country provide a new standard of professionalism for law enforcement organizations. Please keep it more-or-less civil. 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.. The resignation follows an investigative report by al.com. He wanted to speak to someone who could take his badge.. (Joe Songer for AL.com).Joe Songer. The Brookside Police Department is located on Municipal Drive, and the Chief of Police is Jason Springfield. But an officer grabbed the phone and threw it to the ground, breaking it, the lawsuit says. ABC 33/40s Cynthia Gould reported at the time. (Photographerlondon / Dreamstime.com) Brookside, Alabama, has a population of less than 1,500 people. 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. But Jones was not the Chief at Brookside when he held himself out to be, using deception to disrespect that young deputy. Thats a 1,478% increase, with 1.7 tows for every household in town. Then-Council member Bryan was there each time the police department reported their revenues to them during council meetings. The city is facing at least five federal lawsuits related to its policing. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. On July 10th, 2019, 16 days after she paid her ticket, her phone rang. We had no knowledge of Mike Jones whereabouts after his resignation January 25, Mayor Mike Bryan said. They own the town.. A police department in Brookside, Alabama, is facing allegations of policing for profit and defamation lawsuits after residents say they've received bogus charges. Will Ainsworth want to know how such a department could have existed. In 2020 they came to $610,000. requested an audit of Brooksides town and police force, have called for bills to help curb small-town policing, sometimes appropriated by white supremacists, in the case of Rev. 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. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. A former judge appointed to investigate claims of police abuses in the tiny Alabama town of Brookside, just north of Birmingham, has found a pattern of bullying that preyed on the poor and. But he also worries for relatives and employees who live in Brookside. 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. Brookside Police Department Contact Information Address, Phone Number, and Fax Number for Brookside Police Department, a Police Department, at Main Street, Brookside AL. "What if $150 is the cost of choosing between feeding my child, getting their medicine or paying this ticket?" Jones is not alone in complaining about Brookside. Brookside's police chief resigned in January 2022 following accusations of aggressive policing. By last summer, he said in a deposition, Brookside had hired eight additional full-time officers and several part-timers. BROOKSIDE, Ala. (WBRC) -The town of Brookside is facing another lawsuit. People who were detained by Brookside officers beyond a traffic stop. The affidavit says Jones told the Covington deputy he was the chief in Brookside, a town a couple hundred miles north, just past Birmingham. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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. 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. . 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. But it's also prevalent across the country. Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham has demanded the resignations of Bryan, Brookside City Attorney Mark Parnell and Municipal Judge Jim Wooten. Turman said it critical to hold officers to a high standard. I should have brought a lawyer, but right now my time is not there, he said. 2711 Municipal Dr. Brookside, AL 35036. Jones was stopped on April 12 by a Covington County deputy after being clocked driving 78 mph in a 55 zone on Alabama 55 south. Many of the complaints regarding how police enforced traffic stops centered around officers pulling people over outside their jurisdiction and even police jurisdiction signs posted beyond city limits. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. She set out to challenge it. They were shining these flashlights in my car and it was daylight. The suit also names 23 current and former officers as individual defendants. This is at the corner of Roberta Road and Mulberry Road, which is far away from their city limits.. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Brookside officials this afternoon said in a statement that the Tahoe is registered in Jones name and does not belong to Brookside. This analysis suggests that whites receive substantially more favorable treatment with respect to warnings than other groups.. The complaint seeks to establish four classes of people who were stopped and extorted by the town of Brookside, Jetts Towing Co. or the officers. He decided to plead guilty and pay the fines after seeing how others were treated. In 2020, she had explained her case this way to the AGs office: The person threatened me with an arrest if I did not take down my Facebook pictures and posts of their police officers, stop sending emails to the local politicians, as well as others, and show them (Brookside police) that I understand law enforcement practices.. 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. At least three bills are now before the Legislature that would affect those cities. It is what happened after the stop that is most concerning to him. An investigator with the AG responded to her, and she spelled it out again in 2020. Related: Pastor, sister say rogue police force sought revenge. There were two cars and one SUV that surrounded my car and police were everywhere, she wrote. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. It frightened her, and led to more trouble. Jones could not be reached for comment on this report. Find 12 external resources related to Brookside Police Department. The AGs office this week would not confirm or deny to AL.com the existence of any case involving Brookside. 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. There are only 1,253 people in Brookside, and one store, the Dollar General. (Joe Songer for AL.com).Joe Songer. 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). BIRMINGHAM, Ala. The Justice Department is urging a federal judge to let a class-action lawsuit go forward against an Alabama town accused of policing for profit with excessive fines and aggressive enforcement of local laws. The courtroom and the parking lot are packed with people. In a report published by AL.com, figures pointed to half of the town's revenue had come from an increase in fines and forfeitures, including officers taking property during traffic stops. In May of 2019, the month Brumlow was stopped, Brookside officers ticketed 75 people for driving in the left lane. The The Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts released an audit into Brookside in the Spring of 2022. Outside the jail this morning, the lawyer told Blaine Wilson of WAAO News in Andalusia that Jones is innocent and he will prove it in court. An audit by the Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts last week issued a report citing Brookside for myriad errors, including poor financial controls, missing guns and guns with no explanation. But fines and. But Savelle would not be fired. Copyright 2022 WBRC. Jones was the highest earning officer before his resignation, at $16 an hour, not counting overtime. 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. They would not share the footage. 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. I just know that the police departments not gonna be able to come back from this, she said. Brumlow pleaded not guilty, and had to go to court over and over again as the case was postponed. 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