Brookside officers have been accused in lawsuits of fabricating charges, using racist language and making up laws to stack counts on passersby. Stories of how Alabama legal systems criminalize poverty. Instead, the arresting officer was listed as Agent JS, while the assisting officer was Agent AR.. Before the hiring blitz, Brookside's one full-time officer and several part-timers patrolled the city and its stretch of Interstate 22, writing tickets worth about $82,467 in fines. Name Brookside Police Department Suggest Edit Address 208 Main Street Brookside , Alabama , 35036 Phone 205-674-9275 Fax 205-674-9547 Brookside Police Department Details Type "Even if you legitimately stop someone because they need a light on their car fixed, if you give them a ticket, how does that meet the goal that a person's car be made safer?" I was working that night and I received a phone call from the Hoover police chief, she said. But my behavior was right. "You're taking the money for them to potentially get that light fixed by making them pay a fine.". Additional Information. Hudgens, who lives in Brookside, said she is concerned for her town. Tiny Brooksides style of policing under Jones has become known nationally in recent weeks. 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. I quit Brookside once he came back, she said. She set out to challenge it. Ramon Perez felt that way as well, sitting in the courtroom and hearing defendants plead to the same charges over and over. A court worker told her she would have to plead guilty or go to driving school. Brookside's police chief resigned in January 2022 following accusations of aggressive policing. You may not use this site for the purposes of furnishing consumer reports about search subjects or for any use prohibited by the FCRA. 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. Police advocates, including Alabama Rep. Allen Treadaway, a Republican from Morris who was an assistant police chief at Birmingham and a Fraternal Order of Police leader, said a person with such a past should never have been hired as a police officer at all. Judge Wooten said he would not resign, and referred questions to the prosecutor. 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. State agencies have since launched audits and investigations of police there, and officials such as Alabama Lt. Gov. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. (Joe Songer for al.com).Joe Songer. Current Mayor Mike Bryan has called for Brookside police to stop patrolling Interstate 22, except for wrecks and emergencies. Detective Johnson had called and asked that I come to the Brookside Police Department to talk to them. 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. Please keep your posts factual and post links to reliable sources. "The Town of Brookside is committed to reforming our police department and setting a new standard for community policing in Brookside and Alabama," says Bryan. Police put her in a patrol car and searched her vehicle for drugs. Its more important now than ever before that law enforcement maintain high levels of professionalism and integrity, he said. By 2020 officers in the sleepy town were undergoing SWAT training and dressing in riot gear, even as the city continued with only a volunteer fire department. 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). 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. Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. And while sitting in court I heard that half the court was also stopped for the same thing.. Months of research and dozens of interviews by AL.com found that Brooksides finances are rocket-fueled by tickets and aggressive policing. 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. This is at the corner of Roberta Road and Mulberry Road, which is far away from their city limits.. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Brooksides police chief resigned in January 2022 following accusations of aggressive policing. Walker told the judge he will fight the charge. The deputy gave him a professional courtesy verbal warning and sent him on his way. 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 material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The town of Brookside, Alabama holds municipal court once a month. Tuesday February 1, 2022. The police have ordered vehicles towed for lack of insurance, while ignoring owners' efforts to show insurance documentation. The complaint alleges numerous constitutional violations, and we believe the citizens need to be protected from illegal actions by the Town of Brookside.. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 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. But Jones was not the Chief at Brookside when he held himself out to be, using deception to disrespect that young deputy. It's a story that is really egregious and heinous for a variety of reasons.". At least three bills are now before the Legislature that would affect those cities. No one can objectively look at this and conclude this is good government that is keeping us safer.. 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. Wattson claims he was unaware of the drugs. 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. Brookside has two drug-sniffing dogs one named K9 Cash to search the cars of stopped motorists. she said. But it's also prevalent across the country. 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.. 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. "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. Fewer than 100 of its residents graduated college. APOST oversees police certification in Alabama. 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. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Johnson, though it is unclear if Brookside had a Detective Johnson. A man claims officers violated his civil rights and allegedly made-up charges. After I told him that I would not, he reported that they have two warrants for my arrest. Thats why I hesitated to fight it. Ive been irritated in these comments that come from Mike Bryan, McDonald said. called for the second town hall meeting this week. Jones and Bryan said neither the town nor the police department relies on the revenue officers bring in. Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway said the same. But if you want real justice, I think youll go through the process. She is unsure if he called the man. She was also charged with resisting arrest. He reported that his Police Chief was mad.. But Brookside revenues from fines and forfeitures soared after that, and the towns law-enforcement goals and its reputation changed. 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. 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. Seven Brookside police officers have resigned since details of the towns aggressive policing strategy gained national attention in January. Sheriff Pettway said those who face charges in Brookside and want to ensure justice can get a bond and appeal their case. The town now faces 13 lawsuits. He returned to his job as second in command with consent of the town council, Hudgens said. Since this involves a personnel matter, the Town has no further comment. 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. Brookside officials this afternoon said in a statement that the Tahoe is registered in Jones name and does not belong to Brookside. You know, weve had a lot of issues with Brookside.. Harris lawyers contend she was taken to the Brookside jail, strip-searched, and told she could be jailed up to two days. They are sworn Law Enforcement Officers certified by the Alabama Peace Officers Standards Training (sic) Commission. ABC 33/40s Cynthia Gould reported at the time. 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. Written with the support of Columbia Universitys Ira A. Lipman Center for Journalism and Civil and Human Rights. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. In December the mayor provided AL.com a budget document, based on previous years audits. 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. Find agency contact, demographics, type, population served and more. 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. Information found on CountyOffice.org is strictly for informational purposes and does not construe legal, financial or medical advice. Its a former mining town, its population about the same as it was a decade ago. Perez is angry at his treatment. The complaint seeks return of property and damages. The interim chief and Town leaders announced reforms within the police department in February 2022. 2711 Municipal Dr. Brookside, AL 35036. Police must direct traffic before the 1 p.m. court session starts. They were infatuated with Mike (Jones) because he was doing all this good for Brookside and they couldnt see any of the bad.. If we have to come get ya, well make you famous!, When you look at their Facebook pages its almost like they are bullies. He was released after posting $20,000 bail. It is the second time in four days a former Brookside police officer has been jailed. He was also ticketed for improper signal, though he cant even fathom how that might have occurred. In the meantime, well continue to make good on our promises to reform policing in Brookside, said Mayor Bryan on Wednesday. About Us Contact Us A judge set Halls fines at $6,000, and he had to post $12,000 bond while he appealed the case, an amount Weinberg considered excessive, and one that would prevent defendants without money or support from arguing their cases in state court. They own the town.. We will be reviewing the details of the allegations with the Towns legal counsel. Some of the charges Savelle has faced predate his hiring at Brookside. The Brookside Police Department, located in Brookside, Alabama is a law enforcement agency that has been granted specific police powers in Jefferson County. In addition, the police charged her with making a false 911 call, obstructing government operations by refusing to give proper papers, and disorderly conduct for yelling for others to come out of their homes. Nor the police department to talk to them that is really egregious heinous! 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