Jones blamed the lawsuits on ambulance-chasing attorneys.. Read more stories from our Banking on Crime series: Updated 10/10/22 to say the woman accosted at Dave & Busters did wish to press charges. 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. Those charges include possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, according to state records. He swore hed seen the cop from a distance and was careful as he braked. I could take over the whole county with numbers like that, he joked. Walker told the judge he will fight the charge. The motive was to generate revenue for Brookside.. Ive been irritated in these comments that come from Mike Bryan, McDonald said. The The Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts released an audit into Brookside in the Spring of 2022. Lt. Gov. She spelled it out in her complaint to the AGs office and in notes to the Jefferson County Sheriffs Department, county commissioners and others. The Town of Brookside participates in the affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, it says. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Franklin said she believes the only reason she wasnt arrested was because she works for Jefferson County. 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. Stories of how Alabama legal systems criminalize poverty. Still, police seized his car, and refused to return it, though they didnt begin official forfeiture proceedings. But Brookside revenues from fines and forfeitures soared after that, and the towns law-enforcement goals and its reputation changed. Minnifield says he was a passenger in car stopped for driving with an improper tag, and that he was detained, among other things. The city is facing at least five federal lawsuits related to its policing. Brookside Police Department is in the Police1 Law Enforcement Directory. But he also worries for relatives and employees who live in Brookside. Over the last several months, the Brookside Police Department has faced scrutiny over its ticketing practices, as well as alleged corruption. We respect the process and its outcomes., Montague Minnifield talks passionately about his experience with Brookside Police. And so thats why I decided to fight.. Mike Jones actually knew Bo when Bo was a kid in Explorers, McDonald said. And 99% of them are lying.. He was released after posting $20,000 bail. "Their whole financial existence starts to spiral, and it was all over a light on their car not working.". She insists like many others stopped by Brookside police that she did not run the stop sign at all. He feels the police saw him as prey, and treated him as such. Will Ainsworth want to know how such a department could have existed. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. But fines and. Mike Jones, former police chief in the troubled Alabama town of Brookside, was arrested today on felony charges of impersonating a peace officer during a traffic stop in south Alabama.. Fifth, the town needs help in fighting drug trafficking. 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. She has watched and documented stops there. It showed police in 2020 patrolled 114,438 miles in the 6.3-mile town and issued more than 3,000 citations - a 692% increase. Harris lawyers contend she was taken to the Brookside jail, strip-searched, and told she could be jailed up to two days. Ramon Perez felt that way as well, sitting in the courtroom and hearing defendants plead to the same charges over and over. Brookside Police Chief Mike Jones resigns Jan. 25, 2022. (Joe Songer for al.com).Joe Songer. State Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, who represents the area surrounding Brookside, has called for the resignation of Bryan, Municipal Judge Jim Wooten and City Attorney/Prosecutor Mark Parnell. In his call to Jones this week, the investigator said he could not tell me anything because of the ongoing investigation, Jones said. It is unclear whether the resignations were forced, or if the officers chose to leave on their own, or a mixture of both. Instead, the arresting officer was listed as Agent JS, while the assisting officer was Agent AR.. But its a common charge in Brookside. 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. Dozens of people who claim they were victimized by Brookside Police have come forward to tell their stories. The complaint alleges numerous constitutional violations, and we believe the citizens need to be protected from illegal actions by the Town of Brookside.. Sheriff Pettway said those who face charges in Brookside and want to ensure justice can get a bond and appeal their case. Police must direct traffic before the 1 p.m. court session starts. Brookside, just north of Birmingham, already faces at least 10 lawsuits about its policing. People stand in line, waiting to get into the courtroom. 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. 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. No one can objectively look at this and conclude this is good government that is keeping us safer.. Brookside until recently was known for its quirky Russian food festival and the states only onion-domed Russian Orthodox Church. The transformation of Brookside's police department began in 2018, under the direction of long-serving and now late Mayor Roger McCondichie. People who were stopped by Brookside police and fined more than the state allows. Sheriff Pettway gaped at the Brookside ratio. Savelle was in the program for up-and-coming police officers in Helena, while Mike Jones was a patrol officer there, he said. 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. Johnson, though it is unclear if Brookside had a Detective Johnson. 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. That meeting will be at 6 p.m. at the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office Training Center in Fultondale, 3500 Happy Hollow Lane. 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. Its a former mining town, its population about the same as it was a decade ago. Allan Armstrong, one of a group of lawyers who filed the complaint, said Brookside violated basic American rights. As Brookside's earnings draw further scrutiny, with Givan planning a town hall Tuesday to allow people who say they've been exploited by the police force to come forward, advocacy organizations are emphasizing that it is no outlier and highlights how across the country, traffic fines and related fees are being used to fill municipal coffers at the expense of people who are often financially struggling and from communities of color. Officer Deshawn Mark Cook, who worked in Brookside as recently as Thursday, was arrested Friday on charges of first degree rape stemming from 2021. In addition, she said, counting on fines and fees collected from people in lower income and marginalized communities only serves to punish them further. When Jones was hired as chief in 2018, he was the only full-time police officer, he said in sworn testimony for a lawsuit filed against him and the city. Netta Womack tells her story about Brookside police at a town hall Tuesday February 1, 2022. It is what happened after the stop that is most concerning to him. That document budgeted $646,620 to the police this year. He wanted to speak to someone who could take his badge.. Givan and Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway want to hear more, and will hold a town hall meeting today. You cant do whats going on over there.. It showed police in 2020 patrolled 114,438 miles in the 6.3-mile town and issued more than 3,000 citations a 692% increase from 2018. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The accounts of drivers dozens of them are strikingly similar. 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. In 2018, reporters for ABC 33/40 said they asked the former mayor of Brookside about Jones financial problems when he was hired. Like those on Dec. 2. Yet Savelle was right-hand man to then-Brookside Chief Mike Jones, and since Jones was out of town during the arrest, Savelle served as acting chief when Hoover police approached him at Dave & Busters. 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. 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. They've also been accused of using racist language in a community that is majority white, but also has a Black population of nearly 25 percent and a small but growing Latino population. Such an appearance is created when a vastly disproportionate number of citations are issued given the towns population, and a high number of citations involve minor mechanical and traffic offenses. His statement said he is not taking questions. 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.. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. At least eight officers, including Jones, have resigned or been let go since. If we have to come get ya, well make you famous!, When you look at their Facebook pages its almost like they are bullies. 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). 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. 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. 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. AL.com story revealed a department so intent on ticketing and criminalizing motorists, arrested Savelle for public intoxication and two counts of harassment that night. The citizens of this state and those traveling through this state should enjoy the opportunity to freely access our roadways, he said. Because I am a police officer.. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Givan said this time she especially wants to hear from women. Please keep it more-or-less civil. EOG was set up to provide security services for athletic events and other gatherings. Lawyers for eight people who say they were wronged by Brookside police on Wednesday filed an amended complaint in Alabama, arguing the town, the towing company it used to seize vehicles, and 23 current and former police officers conspired to take money and property from drivers. All they do is take peoples rights. There is no trust," Representative Juandalynn Givan said. For Michelle Jones, it has been a dedicated three-year fight. 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. The town's median household income is less than $40,000, according to demographic data. Perez is Hispanic, and his passenger was a Brookside resident, also Hispanic, who didnt have her purse with her, Perez said. Fallout over the Brookside revelations continues. Brookside Police Department. The town survives on the fringes of Birmingham with tax revenue from the Dollar General, which forms the totality of its commercial district. Tiny Brookside's style of policing under Jones has become known nationally in recent weeks. There's no greater way in which your rights can be infringed than by becoming prey to. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. He was cited for driving with a suspended license a matter he thought hed cleared up but he doesnt blame Brookside for that. State agents last week began an inquiry and audit into the Brookside Police Department to find out whether it and its officers complied with state laws and regulations, according to a statement from Chief R. Alan Benefield, executive secretary of the Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission. When he declared bankruptcy in 2019, Jones owed $300,000 in tax liens and $2.2 million in total claims. 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. Even the claims of retaliation for social media posts are not unusual in Brookside. 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. 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. 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. (Joe Songer for AL.com).Joe Songer. Brookside Police Department leadership cast its enforcement dragnet too widely: Special Report on Brookside PD released, 2 adults, 1 juvenile charged in Kimberly kidnapping case, Cat, missing for 2 years, found nearly 1,600 miles away, police say, More parents choosing alternate education. Brookside police gave her a ticket in May of 2019 for running a stop sign at Roberta Road and Cherry Avenue across I-22 from Brookside. . She agrees that there was selective enforcement. Kimberlee Hudgens was a dispatcher at the Brookside Police Department at the time of Savelles Hoover arrest. Perez is angry at his treatment. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 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. 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. But not in the courtroom. Do you understand what you are charged with? the judge asked on that first Thursday in December. Scott Shackford | 1.19.2022 1:20 PM. The Brookside Police Department's practices include stacking charges so that a single violation results in a handful of charges, with corresponding fines, fees and court costs for each. The next day she spoke to the husband of the woman who complained to Hoover police. WBRC FOX6 News has reached out to the Town of Brookside leaders for a response to the special report, and we will update this story when we receive a response. The officers, though many, were not well paid. Over 200 people packed into the new Jefferson County Sheriffs Office Training Facility building to voice their complaints about aggressive policing by the Brookside Police Dept. Oftentimes, a person's decision to forgo paying a fine goes deeper, Sarathy Jones said. 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. They had blinders on. The real trouble for Michelle Jones began as she started posting on her Facebook page when she saw Brookside police stopping people in places she thought were out of bounds. It's a story that is really egregious and heinous for a variety of reasons.". 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. Written with the support of Columbia Universitys Ira A. Lipman Center for Journalism and Civil and Human Rights. The suit also names 23 current and former officers as individual defendants. But if you want real justice, I think youll go through the process. I dont condone it, but you know, Im not the chief out there.. Brookside, Alabama - a poor town, 70% white, 21% black with a small but growing Hispanic population and a median income "well below the state average" has made national news because of the Brookside Police Department (BPD). Type: 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. The charges against Savelle were misdemeanors, meaning they wouldnt necessarily disqualify him from being certified as a police officer in Alabama, even if he had been convicted. I was just looking at him like, so this is what this stop is about?. Audits by Philip Morgan & Co., covering at least five consecutive years, pointed out as a shortcoming that the town did not have a budget or a policy of adopting one annually. We dont have a law that says if you dont have ID, you go to jail, he said. A third calls for guidelines on how cities and towns handle municipal courts. They gave me a ticket for running a stop sign. Brooksides police chief resigned in January 2022 following accusations of aggressive policing. 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. Be infringed than by becoming prey to though it is what happened after stop. Police have come forward to tell their stories she did not run the stop sign listed as Agent JS while! And $ 2.2 million in total claims cities and towns handle municipal courts in Explorers, said! 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