People who were stopped by Brookside police and fined more than the state allows. "It's the wild, Wild West, and they created their own wild, Wild West.". Erik Ortiz is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital focusing on racial injustice and social inequality. He said police accused him of running a stop sign that I never did run, and he complained about it on Facebook. Walker told the judge he will fight the charge. The town of Brookside, Alabama holds municipal court once a month. BROOKSIDE, Ala. After a tumultuous few weeks for the city of Brookside, including the resignation of police Chief Mike Jones, more allegations were brought to light against the city's police department on Thursday. She was also charged with resisting arrest. A police department in Brookside, Alabama, is facing allegations of policing for profit and defamation lawsuits after residents say they've received bogus charges. He said people have stories about their cars getting towed and being left on the side of the road, then being charged by both the town and the impound company to get their vehicles back, on top of daily storage fees. Stephanie Franklin, a Jefferson County employee, told AL.com she was a passenger in a car stopped last year for an expired tag. But he also worries for relatives and employees who live in Brookside. A Peace Officer sworn in the State of Alabama can enforce the law anywhere in the State of Alabama, he wrote in an email. Citizen and officer safety, and protection of constitutional rights, should be among the prime goals of such training. 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. The deputy described a Brookside badge with a chief indicator at the bottom. 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. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Model policies and procedures adopted in many places around the country provide a new standard of professionalism for law enforcement organizations. In January of 2014 Savelle was arrested in Shelby County a county south of Birmingham that includes Helena on charges of public intoxication, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, court records show. Bill Dawson, a lawyer who has represented several clients in Brookside, said defendants have faced possession charges for a joint, with paraphernalia charges tacked on for the paper it was rolled in. 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.. In a two-year period after Jones hiring, income from fines and forfeitures rose more than 600 percent, and that money made up 49 percent of the towns income. Greenway Park incorporates a truly remarkable mix of habitats in close proximity. It is unclear whether the resignations were forced, or if the officers chose to leave on their own, or a mixture of both. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. I feel bad for those guys who struggle, Perez said. It did not feature a breakout of the police department. Will Ainsworth want to know how such a department could have existed. 2023 County Office. They were infatuated with Mike (Jones) because he was doing all this good for Brookside and they couldnt see any of the bad.. Brookside Police did patrol the 1.5-mile stretch of Interstate 22 within their jurisdiction and wrote tickets that brought in $82,467 in fines. Perez is Hispanic, and his passenger was a Brookside resident, also Hispanic, who didnt have her purse with her, Perez said. Jones said crime when he took over was higher than it appeared from numbers the town reported to the state. About a year ago, the former head of the Alabama Association of Chiefs of Police received several complaints about the Brookside Police 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). Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Police Chief Mike Jones has since resigned, Lt. Gov. 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. Scott Shackford | 1.19.2022 1:20 PM. Brookside, Alabama, a former mining community of about 1,250 with a median household income less than $40,000, has no traffic lights and only a handful of two-lane roads, yet it raked in so much revenue from traffic fines and forfeitures in 2020, it amounted to almost half of its $1.2 million municipal budget. 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. 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. It's a story that is really egregious and heinous for a variety of reasons.". Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway said the same. Pettway also said issues with Brookside could draw the attention of the federal government. I have never been in any trouble only had one speeding ticket. Not speeding, not swerving, just using the left lane. I know that.. Others werent so fortunate. 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. We are not safer because of it.. 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. Judge Wooten said he would not resign, and referred questions to the prosecutor. Will Ainsworth, have said Brookside and towns that use overly aggressive policing to fill their coffers must change. And local court officials have thrown out or called into question more than 100 cases involving Brookside police. Michelle Jones, of Forestdale, has fought the Brookside police department for three years. Hoover police arrested Savelle for public intoxication and two counts of harassment that night, saying he was intoxicated to the point of being a danger to himself and to others. The woman told police she did wish to press charges. If you have a witness with you, theyre gonna issue you a warning., I felt that basically, that this was a way for them to make money to fund their city off the backs of citizens from other areas. story of how the tiny town turned to aggressive ticketing to build a ballooning police force that came to provide half the towns revenue. The courtroom and the parking lot are packed with people. They own the town.. She is unsure if he called the man. I saw him and we looked eye to eye, the Chelsea business owner said. She said she tried to record the interaction after three officers in two vehicles pulled her car over, but an officer with a valknot symbol a Norse sign sometimes appropriated by white supremacists on a ring and one of his gun clips confiscated her phone. He saw so many people trying to park in the grassy field outside the municipal building that police had to direct traffic. And theyre saying they were nowhere near Brookside.. BROOKSIDE, Ala. ( WIAT) On Thursday night, Alabama Rep. Juandalynn Givan will hold another town hall meeting as she works to take action against alleged illegal ticketing that has taken place in the Brookside Police Department. Two or three days later Brookside police stopped him again. Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham has demanded the resignations of Bryan, Brookside City Attorney Mark Parnell and Municipal Judge Jim Wooten. 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. 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. By 2020 Brookside made more misdemeanor arrests than it has residents. Ramon Perez felt that way as well, sitting in the courtroom and hearing defendants plead to the same charges over and over. 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. But Jones was not the Chief at Brookside when he held himself out to be, using deception to disrespect that young deputy. 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. Covington County's affidavit for a warrant to arrest former Brookside police chief Mike Jones. Despite that, the Shelby County case was dropped without explanation under the condition that he pay $100. This analysis suggests that whites receive substantially more favorable treatment with respect to warnings than other groups.. Find agency contact, demographics, type, population served and more. And 99% of them are lying.. Brookside Police Department is in the Police1 Law Enforcement Directory. 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. 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. 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. 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. The BPD has managed to double the impoverished town's total income from 2018 to 2020 as a result of its 640% increase in fines and forfeitures. 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. The report was released on September 29, 2022. 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. "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?" 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. Turman said it critical to hold officers to a high standard. Brookside officers have been accused in lawsuits of fabricating charges, using racist language and making up laws to stack counts on passersby. 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. Video above: Federal class action lawsuit filed against Town of Brookside, police officers Advertisement He agreed to represent his niece in her traffic case. 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. 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). 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. 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. In an email to her May 29, 2019, Mike Jones defended the stop, and the ability to ticket outside of Brookside. On July 10th, 2019, 16 days after she paid her ticket, her phone rang. Find Brookside residential property records including property owners, sales & transfer history, deeds & titles, property taxes, valuations, land, zoning records & more. Please keep your posts factual and post links to reliable sources. In fact, they said in November they didnt know how that money is spent. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. They were shining these flashlights in my car and it was daylight. The deputy gave him a professional courtesy verbal warning and sent him on his way. This story was published with the support of a grant from Columbia Universitys Ira A. Lipman Center for Journalism and Civil and Human Rights. The town's median household income is less than $40,000, according to demographic data. And while sitting in court I heard that half the court was also stopped for the same thing.. Like those on Dec. 2. 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. 205-674-9275. Savelle was second in command at Brookside, which came under fire two weeks ago when an AL.com story revealed a department so intent on ticketing and criminalizing motorists that by 2020 it came to draw half the towns revenue from fines and forfeitures. First, it should avoid racial profiling and selective enforcement. 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. Ultimately another officer took Perez to his friends house to retrieve her ID, he said. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. (Joe Songer for al.com).Joe Songer. Find Arrest Records, Police Records, and Warrants related to Brookside Police Department. Third party advertisements support hosting, listing verification, updates, and site maintenance. Some of the charges Savelle has faced predate his hiring at Brookside. McDonald, the towns first dispatcher, said he too found Bryans statement lacking. Jones lawyer, Bryan, did not return calls today. When he declared bankruptcy in 2019, Jones owed $300,000 in tax liens and $2.2 million in total claims. Additional Information. 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. This is shocking, said Crowder. They let her out of jail at midnight, long after her family had made bond. All rights reserved (About Us). He lent his car to a friend, who was pulled over and arrested for drug possession. A court worker told her she would have to plead guilty or go to driving school. You cant do whats going on over there.. He seems to want to push the blame off on everybody else when he and (former mayor) Roger McCondichie both appointed Mike Jones knowing about his past. Terms and Conditions. They would not share the footage. His phone is not accepting calls and he did not return emails to an address listed as belonging to him. 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. Asked why that was the case, Bryan responded there had been an error, that the heading for the Municipal Court Fund was actually the police department budget. The town of Brookside, Alabama holds municipal court once a month. [Montgomery, Alabama] Former Brookside Police Chief Dennis Ray McCoy, 53, of Dora, was recently convicted of several charges stemming from investigation by the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI), including using his official position for personal gain, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, obtaining criminal offender record information under false pretenses, and computer tampering. Find 12 external resources related to Brookside Police Department. Jones built Brooksides police department from a sleepy, one-man agency to an intimidating force of 14 between 2018 and this year. The resignations include former chief Mike Jones, who built the tiny towns department from a one-man agency in 2018 to one that, according to data the town provided to AL.com in response to a public records request, included 13 full time officers and two reserves. 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. 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. Left lane owed $ 300,000 in tax liens and $ 2.2 million in total claims or called question. Only had one speeding ticket Journalism and Civil and Human rights that came to provide half the court was stopped! Aggressive ticketing to build a ballooning police force that came to provide half the court was also stopped for same! 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