Will Ainsworth, a Republican who vowed to do something about Brookside-style behavior. He had past drug and alcohol charges, a DUI and an arrest for public lewdness, according to police records. It was more than the car was worth in fines, she said. He instituted a no pleas from Brookside rule, and asked his workers to flag for scrutiny every case out of that town. Guns, money and drugs were tossed recklessly about, as the town arrested more people, and confiscated more property than workers or facilities could handle. Do you understand what you are charged with? the judge asked on that first Thursday in December. Brookside hired Ken Simon, a former circuit judge and current member of the University of Alabama Board of Trustees, to investigate its own department. Jones had been a cop in nearby Shelby County, in the affluent suburbs south of Birmingham. They were expected to keep track of real-time police calls on Excel files. All Rights Reserved. It claims those involved violated the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and the Hobbs Act which makes it illegal to obstruct interstate commerce by robbery or extortion. The ABC3340 News I-Team first exposed . An officer insisted on taking her home which embarrassed her. The resignations include former chief Mike Jones . (Joe Songer for AL.com).Joe Songer. JURISDICTION AND VENUE 3. Seven Brookside police officers have resigned since details of the towns aggressive policing strategy gained national attention in January. What could I have done to warrant police from a different city showing up at my work to arrest me?, The answer would come soon, as the first officer spoke: Do you remember getting a ticket in Brookside?. It comes in the . At least two others were in arrears on child support, and another had been charged with harassment, though the charges were dropped. The money Hudgens spoke of was substantial. 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. Jones reimagined the police department as a sort of drug task force on the corridor between Birmingham and Memphis and he was creative. If you had more officers and more productivity youd have more, Jones said. Hed been stopped for rolling the stop sign, which he disputes, and speeding, which he also disputes. Im still kind of in debt from that.. In 2018, Brookside had somewhere in the range of $80,000 in fines and forfeitures, which made up 14 percent of the city . Locality Locality Code Boundaries Map Notice & Ordinance Item 30 Day Notice Posted ALDOR Posted Abbeville 9356 Adamsville 9130 Addison 9309 Akron 9668 Alabaster 9413 Albertville 9397 Alexander City 9358 Ord. People stopped by Brookside police more than a mile and half outside the town limits. And it broke her heart, it broke my heart.. Oftentimes, a person's decision to forgo paying a fine goes deeper, Sarathy Jones said. Sheriff Pettway gaped at the Brookside ratio. I just knew that I did not want to be part of a workplace that did such low-down things, she said. (Joe Songer for AL.com).Joe Songer. , threats, embarrassing social media posts and even blue-light traffic stops. This month the town judge, Jim Wooten, announced he would step aside and recuse himself from all pending cases. Savelle left soon after, as did more than half the force. 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. That story unleashed a torrent of testimonials from people who said they were victimized by Brookside police, and prompted state lawmakers from both parties to call for investigations and reforms. Lord, after all this time you heard me. 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. Government websites often end in .gov or .mil. They are sworn Law Enforcement Officers certified by the Alabama Peace Officers Standards Training (sic) Commission. 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. Tuesday February 1, 2022. Scott Shackford | 1.19.2022 1:20 PM. Please call 205-345-6600 for information regarding roads or right of way. Officers in Brookside have been accused in lawsuits of manufacturing reasons for traffic stops, overcharging and "making up laws," AL.com reported. But not in the courtroom. Brookside, Ala., may only have 10 kilometres of roads, one store and a volunteer fire department, but its police force has an armoured truck; two police dogs; nine unmarked vehicles, seven of . We respect the process and its outcomes., Montague Minnifield talks passionately about his experience with Brookside Police. Written with the support of Columbia Universitys Ira A. Lipman Center for Journalism and Civil and Human Rights. 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. Brookside until recently was known for its quirky Russian food festival and the states only onion-domed Russian Orthodox Church. Givan said this time she especially wants to hear from women. He swore hed seen the cop from a distance and was careful as he braked. 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. Another, the second-leading ticket-giver between 2018 and 2020, according to records filed in a lawsuit against the town, had been ticketed eight times by other agencies for speeding, four times for driving with no seat belt, twice for driving without insurance, twice for driving without a visible tag, and once this one years ago for driving on a suspended license. (Joe Songer for AL.com).Joe Songer. Its an old mining town, tucked in the hills and hollows at the southwest tip of the Appalachians. "Brookside is a continuation of that story almost 10 years later. A department of nine officers in a 1,253-person town is far larger than average. 2023 County Office. "You're taking the money for them to potentially get that light fixed by making them pay a fine.". A police department in Brookside, Alabama, is facing allegations of policing for profit and defamation lawsuits after residents say they've received bogus charges. 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. In Brookside, complaints about retaliation have come time and time again, as in the case of Rev. She was also charged with resisting arrest. It wiped out half her income. All rights reserved (About Us). Tornado activity: Brookside-area historical tornado activity is slightly above Alabama state average.It is 161% greater than the overall U.S. average.. On 4/8/1998, a category F5 (max. Investigators stored them as evidence, diapers and all, in a closet in the lieutenants office. 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. I saw the same attitude in every officer and every person, he said. From 2018 to 2020, spending on police rose from $79,000 to $524,000, a 560% increase. 2. 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. A third calls for guidelines on how cities and towns handle municipal courts. 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. It was enforced by those he picked despite their backgrounds to be police officers. Michelle Jones said she has had friends, acquaintances and family members stopped in Brookside. The town faces several state investigations, and has brought in outside help to rebuild the department. Savelle was not the only Brookside officer with past issues. Jones still has some supporters in town. On top of the third party audit, the town has retained a former Jefferson County judge to . (Joe Songer for AL.com).Joe Songer. CountyOffice.org does not provide consumer reports and is not a consumer reporting agency as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The caller identified himself as a Det. Arrest powers are not confined to city limits or jurisdictional boundaries except within the State of Alabama.. Brookside Police Chief Mike Jones resigns Jan. 25, 2022. I had two boats in my boat shed and he put stickers on both of them and told me, because I didnt have updated tags on them that they were gonna tow em, Pickle said. I had to be patient., Netta Womack tells her story. That's a 1,478% increase, with 1.7 tows for every household in town. It was only after she went to court six weeks later that she learned where the car was impounded. 13333-A Hwy. This Court has jurisdiction over this case under 28 U.S.C. The complaint alleges numerous constitutional violations, and we believe the citizens need to be protected from illegal actions by the Town of Brookside.. Suggest Listing Code Amended 10/01/2022 11/26/2022 12/02/2022 Aliceville 9301 Allgood 9709 Altoona 9709 Andalusia 9631 Anderson 9479 Anniston 9311 Arab 9448 [] 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. Find 6 Police Departments within 8.3 miles of Brookside Police Department. Annexations, Deannexations and Ordinances Affecting Individuals or Entities in Police Jurisdictions Act 2021-297 amended Sections 11-40-10, 11-51-91, and 11-52-30, Code of Alabama 1975, to provide additional requirements pertaining to the annexations, deannexations, services, licenses and taxes within a municipal police jurisdiction. Arrest Files Date Published: 03/03/2023. 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. The man had admitted to the police and to the former mayor that he had dumped trash, though his lawyer argued the confession was coerced and the charges based on dates the police simply guessed about. It frightened her, and led to more trouble. Netta Womack tells her story about Brookside police at a town hall Tuesday February 1, 2022. In less than three months, she said, Brookside separately pulled over both her and her housemate and impounded both of their vehicles. Jones blamed the lawsuits on ambulance-chasing attorneys.. 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 . BROOKSIDE, Ala. (WBRC) - A new audit of the town of Brookside released by the Alabama Dept. The town also expanded its towing operations, going from 50 vehicles in 2018 to 789 in 2020. In February, Brookside even suspended court. We dont have a law that says if you dont have ID, you go to jail, he said. By the time she found it the storage fees topped $2,000. Wed have to replace air fresheners, like every other day., Thats where we kept all the supplies for feeding the inmates, she said. Brittany Coleman is fighting Brookside, Alabama over its abusive fines. 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. For years, no one had heard of or cared that the town of Brookside even existed and that possibly includes a . Mayor Mike Bryan late Wednesday said there was no conspiracy, The Town has just been made aware of this amended lawsuit, Bryan told AL.com. Police put her in a patrol car and searched her vehicle for drugs. The town of Brookside, Alabama holds municipal court once a month. Multiple drivers say Jetts Towing Co. showed up on the side of the road at the same time as police stops. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - The Alabama House passed a bill that would make it illegal to move police jurisdiction signs. The primary coordinates for Brookside Police Department places it within the AL 35214 ZIP Code delivery area.. Maps, Driving Directions & Local Area Information RELATED: How government reliance on fines and fees cripples families. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 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. Others werent so fortunate. Another Brookside officer had been indicted for the strangulation of his girlfriend in 2019, though that case was dismissed when the woman failed to show up for court.