Starting on Page 3 of the report Simon wrote, Our analysis of Brooksides traffic citations did not produce strong statistical evidence of racial profiling in traffic stops. Savelle made $15.82 an hour, and all others made less. But he also worries for relatives and employees who live in Brookside. The complaint seeks to establish four separate sub classes: Lawyers for the plaintiffs want, among other things, all fines and convictions voided and seized property returned. Total town income more than doubled from 2018 to 2020 from $582,000 to more than $1.2 million as fines and forfeitures rose 640%. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. (Joe Songer for al.com).Joe Songer. A police department in Brookside, Alabama, is facing allegations of policing for profit and defamation lawsuits after residents say they've received bogus charges. In fact, they said in November they didnt know how that money is spent. Those charges include possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, according to state records. IE 11 is not supported. Lt. Gov. Fewer than 100 of its residents graduated college. Police Chief Mike Jones has since resigned, Lt. Gov. It went from towing 50 vehicles in 2018 to 789 in 2020 each carrying fines. 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. Michelle Jones, of Forestdale, has fought the Brookside police department for three years. They would not share the footage. A Hoover officer wrote that Savelle had his Brookside badge and a gun in his pocket, though he initially lied about being armed when asked by officers.. I think it could be more.. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. The police departments Facebook page it claims more than a million visitors became a vehicle for public shaming with embarrassing mugshots and derision for those who owe fines and fees Turn yourself in. We dont care about tickets, Jones said. This is the statement from the Town of Brookside: Mike Jones resigned as the Police Chief for the Town of Brookside. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. This analysis suggests that whites receive substantially more favorable treatment with respect to warnings than other groups.. Greenway Park incorporates a truly remarkable mix of habitats in close proximity. An investigator with the AG responded to her, and she spelled it out again in 2020. 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. The Alabama Legislature this session passed a bill in response to Brookside that would cap at 10 percent the amount of revenue from fines and fees that a municipality can take in. All rights reserved (About Us). But my behavior was right. The town of Brookside, Alabama holds municipal court once a month. The accounts of drivers dozens of them are strikingly similar. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Related: Pastor, sister say rogue police force sought revenge. Stephanie Franklin, a Jefferson County employee, told AL.com she was a passenger in a car stopped last year for an expired tag. Michelle Jones said she has had friends, acquaintances and family members stopped in Brookside. The interim chief and Town leaders announced reforms within the police department in February 2022. He built the department from a one-man operation to a ticket-hungry department with 10 blacked-out vehicles, two drug-sniffing dogs and a riot control vehicle. She was not speeding, or breaking the law, she argued in the suit. Perez is Hispanic, and his passenger was a Brookside resident, also Hispanic, who didnt have her purse with her, Perez said. Detective Johnson had called and asked that I come to the Brookside Police Department to talk to them. 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. (Joe Songer for AL.com).Joe Songer. Brookside has two drug-sniffing dogs one named K9 Cash to search the cars of stopped motorists. 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. Officer Deshawn Mark Cook, who worked in Brookside as recently as Thursday, was arrested Friday on charges of first degree rape stemming from 2021. August 18, 2015 Aerial Videography of Brookside, Alabama Trails Five Mile Creek on the Alabama Birding Trail September 24, 2014 Brookside walkng trail has been added to the Appalchian Highlands Birding Trail web site! YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Ainsworth called for a financial audit by the Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts and vowed the state would investigate Brookside and towns like it. We dont like writing tickets.. Not all of them can afford to pay their fines as he did, and some have been put on payment plans. They were shining these flashlights in my car and it was daylight. 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. People who had their vehicles towed and impounded by Jetts Towing after a traffic stop. Givan is holding a letter asking for the resignation of Mayor Mike Bryan. People who were stopped by Brookside police and fined more than the state allows. She insists like many others stopped by Brookside police that she did not run the stop sign at all. The special report concludes with six recommendations for Brookside leaders and the Brookside Police Department. Will Ainsworth, have said Brookside and towns that use overly aggressive policing to fill their coffers must change. Its unheard of.. BROOKSIDE, Ala. The police chief of a northern Alabama town resigned Tuesday amid allegations that he set up an aggressive traffic trap that by 2020 accounted for nearly half of the town's . Officers in Brookside have been accused in lawsuits of manufacturing reasons for traffic stops, overcharging and "making up laws," AL.com reported. 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. 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). Copyright 2022 WBRC. 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. 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. The town survives on the fringes of Birmingham with tax revenue from the Dollar General, which forms the totality of its commercial district. All rights reserved. Information found on CountyOffice.org is strictly for informational purposes and does not construe legal, financial or medical advice. she said. "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. Oftentimes, a person's decision to forgo paying a fine goes deeper, Sarathy Jones said. Scott Shackford | 1.19.2022 1:20 PM. If you had more officers and more productivity youd have more, Jones said. He was very ugly from the start.. He returned to his job as second in command with consent of the town council, Hudgens said. Traffic tickets, and criminalizing those who passed through, became the citys leading industry. The audits show, however, how the town came to depend on the ticket money. 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. 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). Monday afternoon former Birmingham Police Officer Montague Minnifield became at least the eighth person to sue Brookside over its police and court systems. People stopped by Brookside police more than a mile and half outside the town limits. 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. Brookside until recently was known for its quirky Russian food festival and the states only onion-domed Russian Orthodox Church. Brooksides police chief resigned in January 2022 following accusations of aggressive policing. Mike Jones actually knew Bo when Bo was a kid in Explorers, McDonald said. 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. Which is another problem altogether, Sheriff Pettway said. Brookside police officers in sworn depositions indicated they did not follow drivers for a full mile and a half before or after the new law was passed, and they continued to write tickets under the old law after the new road rage bill passed. Its more important now than ever before that law enforcement maintain high levels of professionalism and integrity, he said. A Brookside officer ticketed Brumlow under Alabama code section 32-5-77, which her lawyers contend does not contain a crime. He swore hed seen the cop from a distance and was careful as he braked. For most of the past decade it saw little crimeonly 55 . It was something that I should not have been stopped for, Brumlow said in sworn testimony. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, and GOP Lt. Gov. The town of 1,253 just north of Birmingham reported just 55 serious crimes to the state in the entire eight year period between 2011 and 2018 none of them homicide or rape. 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). Hall did appeal, and a Jefferson County judge ultimately dismissed the charges. When he declared bankruptcy in 2019, Jones owed $300,000 in tax liens and $2.2 million in total claims. Jetts Towing owner Wayne Jett could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. 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. 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. 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. EOG was set up to provide security services for athletic events and other gatherings. In his call to Jones this week, the investigator said he could not tell me anything because of the ongoing investigation, Jones said. Brookside has operated its police and court system with the primary objective of obtaining revenue from motorists traveling on or near Interstate-22, Harris lawyers wrote in a suit filed last year. 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. 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 agrees that there was selective enforcement. The town also provided a set of police stats Jones presented to the Brookside council to push for more resources and authority. 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. 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. I wouldnt be surprised if they opened up an investigation. Ultimately another officer took Perez to his friends house to retrieve her ID, he said. The deputy described a Brookside badge with a chief indicator at the bottom. He reported that his Police Chief was mad.. story of how the tiny town turned to aggressive ticketing to build a ballooning police force that came to provide half the towns revenue. Everybodys got a story, he said. The affidavit says Jones told the Covington deputy he was the chief in Brookside, a town a couple hundred miles north, just past Birmingham. Seven Brookside police officers have resigned since details of the towns aggressive policing strategy gained national attention in January. 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