About Us Contact Us BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - The Alabama House passed a bill that would make it illegal to move police jurisdiction signs. (Joe Songer for AL.com).Joe Songer. BROOKSIDE, AL (WBMA) - A federal lawsuit has been filed over allegations Brookside Police should not have written traffic tickets under an old Alabama law. 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. Lawyer Bill Dawson, who has filed multiple lawsuits against Brookside, first became aware of the towns overreach in 2019. Not for speeding, or running a stop sign, or any violation. But in 2018 it began building a police empire, hiring more and more officers to blanket its six miles of roads and mile-and-a-half jurisdiction on Interstate 22. 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. Jones still has some supporters in town. He pushed the boundaries of the towns police jurisdiction beyond the town limits, and blanketed nearby Interstate 22 with police cars. In 2018 total revenue for the town of Brookside was $586,000. In an email to her May 29, 2019, Mike Jones defended the stop, and the ability to ticket outside of Brookside. 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. Since news broke in late January of how police in Brookside, Alabama, allegedly were preying on motorists to pay their own salaries, all eyes have been on the hamlet that appears to have . 2022-08-08; 2022-09-26; 2022-12-12.2. Franklin said she believes the only reason she wasnt arrested was because she works for Jefferson County. But in Brookside, Alabama, a top-down scheme pushed by its police chief, mayor and council has . She had no preparations for such an invasive procedure. As the department grew, employees say it reflected Jones vision. People abused by small town's "policing for profit" file class action seeking accountability. Then she saw the officer tap the radio on his chest. This Court has jurisdiction over this case under 28 U.S.C. I wouldnt be surprised if they opened up an investigation. 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. 10, 2022 at 9:06 PM PST. This is at the corner of Roberta Road and Mulberry Road, which is far away from their city limits.. Police Trap, she posted in June of 2019. He looked closer and noticed troublesome code words that offered vague excuses such as driver acted nervous to justify questionable stops. The ABC3340 News I-Team first exposed . Stories of how Alabama legal systems criminalize poverty. Jetts then demanded its own payment sometimes more than the citys, and demanded cash for owners to retrieve their vehicles. Perez is angry at his treatment. I see a 600% increase thats a failure. Savelle had a history of trouble. By 2020, McDonald had seen enough. Police under Jones stopped drivers for minor traffic violations. The Alabama Legislature in the last week of this years session passed a bill sponsored in the Senate by a Republican and in the House by a Democrat that bars municipalities from using fines and traffic fees to supply more than 10 percent of their budgets. Asked in December how many officers were on staff, he refused to say, citing security concerns, though police staff sizes are reported regularly to the government for public consumption. A court worker told her she would have to plead guilty or go to driving school. Military vehicles used by the Brookside Police Dept. Even the claims of retaliation for social media posts are not unusual in Brookside. 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. Free Honea Path Property Records Search. Perez is Hispanic, and his passenger was a Brookside resident, also Hispanic, who didnt have her purse with her, Perez said. Officers said they stopped her because the tag light on her Honda Odyssey was not visible from 50 feet away. Police gave him a ticket for running a stop sign, which he disputed. 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 town's latest release came out early February 1st. I always pray, and this day has come at the right time, Netta Womack said at the town hall. 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. A third calls for guidelines on how cities and towns handle municipal courts. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Her Odyssey, and all the items in it, were auctioned off, she said. All rights reserved (About Us). In the meantime, well continue to make good on our promises to reform policing in Brookside, said Mayor Bryan on Wednesday. (Joe Songer for AL.com).Joe Songer. Officers began to pick up the bags and bring them into the little town hall, said Kimberlee Hudgens, a Brookside dispatcher at the time. He informed me that my case was never closed, said Jones, who lives in Forestdale near Birmingham. "It's the wild, Wild West, and they created their own wild, Wild West.". Stories from people stopped in the ticket-happy town continue to roll down like an avalanche, since AL.com last week published the 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 town has also grown its police force in size and now has one officer for every 144 residents. Vincent Witt and his sister, Tareya, who said the small police department fabricated charges against them and listed them as fugitives because Witt complained about an officers racist remark. We were required to be jailers as well, but had no formal training.. A dark, seemingly unmarked SUV pulled behind her, she said. She wore a tank top and was denied a long-sleeved shirt. The Town of Brookside released this statement: To investigate and address the issues raised by the recent news accounts of our Police Department, on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, the Town of Brookside requested the Alabama Peace Officers' Standards and Training Commission (APOSTC) perform a compliance audit of the Brookside Police Department . We dont like writing tickets.. The office of state Attorney General Steve Marshall, a Republican, declined to comment Friday about the traffic stops in Brookside. Sarathy Jones said the issues in Brookside should be a warning for towns and small cities to examine their revenue sources and ensure their local governments aren't turning to law enforcement as moneymaking arms. Sheriff Pettway gaped at the Brookside ratio. 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. Alabama state rep. calls for Brookside mayor's resignation amid ticketing scandal, told the NBC affiliate WVTM in Birmingham, wake of the 2014 fatal police shooting of Michael Brown, Attorney describes 'debtors' prison' scheme targeting poor minorities. Brooksiders tell vivid stories about their experiences as Jones built the police department in his image, and protected that image with intimidation, threats, embarrassing social media posts and even blue-light traffic stops. Jones could not be reached for comment Friday. The lowest-paid officers made $12 an hour. Between April 2018 and June 2020, they handed out 406 of those tickets, or about 15 a month, according to documents filed in the lawsuit. The Brookside Police Department, located in Brookside, Alabama is a law enforcement agency that has been granted specific police powers in Jefferson County. (Joe Songer for al.com).Joe Songer. The accounts of drivers dozens of them are strikingly similar. I dont condone it, but you know, Im not the chief out there.. Yet the Brookside stories come at an alarming rate. Transfer Portal. 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. It comes in the . The military-styled vehicles have already been returned to the State, our police cars have been re-striped, and the Town is investing in new, easily identifiable uniforms for the police officers., Civil RICO case filed again by John Archibald. The town announced that all police cars and uniforms would be clearly marked. But Jones sold Brookside a vision of how to turn a sleepy department into an intimidating and lucrative force. (a) (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the police jurisdiction in municipalities having 6,000 or more inhabitants shall cover all adjoining territory within three miles of the corporate limits, and in municipalities having less than 6,000 inhabitants, the police jurisdiction shall cover all adjoining . The town began to tow huge numbers of cars, and reap huge rewards. At right, clockwise from top: Netta Womack, who prayed for relief, plaintiff Jori Jones, Chana Hodges, and Rev. Will Ainsworth, have said Brookside and towns that use overly aggressive policing to fill their coffers must change. I was just looking at him like, so this is what this stop is about?. Town officials ignored signs of trouble because they were so infatuated with the influx of money that they had blinders on, she said. By last summer, he said in a deposition, Brookside had hired eight additional full-time officers and several part-timers. Wayne Jett, the owner of Jetts Towing, referred questions to his lawyer, Jay Tidwell. On top of the third party audit, the town has retained a former Jefferson County judge to . 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. The Planning Jurisdictions and City/Town Limits in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. 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. Like those on Dec. 2. A police report said he drunkenly and aggressively harassed a woman and her companion. She complained directly to then-Brookside Police Chief Mike Jones. As a single mom that really messed me up, she said. It resulted in Brookside Police Chief Mike Jones resigning Tuesday on the same day Alabama Lt. Gov. The Birmingham News recently investigated the tiny town of Brookside, Alabama, a place "with no traffic lights and one retail store [that] collected $487 in fines and forfeitures for every man . It wiped out half her income. So it was a bit of a moral outrage because I had sat in court three times now and it was no longer a mistake., This was an intentional policy of the city and my niece just happened to get caught up in it and happened to challenge it. Theyd be given a Gideons Bible because the previous mayor was a Gideon, and theyd be released from jail.. 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. I clearly did not run the stop sign as I had just seen them sitting on top of I-22 overpass. Dawson argued in a lawsuit against Brookside and Chief Jones that Brookside has continuously used the false left lane violation as a reason to stop and detain hundreds of motorists. 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. I could take over the whole county with numbers like that, he joked. This is shocking, said Crowder. The town collected surplus valued at $760,846, more than accepted by Birmingham or Montgomery, and among the highest totals in Alabama. The citizens of this state and those traveling through this state should enjoy the opportunity to freely access our roadways, he said. He was very ugly from the start.. He was charged with 31 counts of criminal littering, and town Judge Wooten had fined him $14,268. Many drivers said they have long feared driving in Brookside, afraid of being unjustly pulled over, and the treatment they would receive if they were. Officers appeared to approach drivers with the presumption that they were guilty of something, many drivers would later say. 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. He stated that I issued threats, incited a riot, and slandered the Brookside Police Department in my Facebook posts. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Sheriff Pettway said those who face charges in Brookside and want to ensure justice can get a bond and appeal their case. Netta Womack tells her story about Brookside police at a town hall Tuesday February 1, 2022. His car was towed with apologies from the tow-truck driver costing him several hundred dollars. she said. 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. 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. BROOKSIDE, Ala. (WBRC) - A new audit of the town of Brookside released by the Alabama Dept. Law-abiding citizens should not fall prey to a renegade police department that is accountable to no one.. 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 [] 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. Police must direct traffic before the 1 p.m. court session starts. 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. At least two others were in arrears on child support, and another had been charged with harassment, though the charges were dropped. In May of 2019, the month Brumlow was stopped, Brookside officers ticketed 75 people for driving in the left lane. Chief Jones testified under oath that just one of the 10 Brookside vehicles is painted with police striping, but nine others bear no emblems, and seven are tinted all the way around, making it impossible to see inside. 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. Baggett took Ubers and Lyfts to the Avondale area of Birmingham to work, at $35 a pop, plus tip. Walker told the judge he will fight the charge. Givan said this time she especially wants to hear from women. The town of Brookside, Alabama holds municipal court once a month. Since 2011, Brookside reported to the state very little serious crime one robbery and no murders. In his call to Jones this week, the investigator said he could not tell me anything because of the ongoing investigation, Jones said. Ramon Perez came to court last month ready to fight the tickets hed been handed by Brookside police, including one for rolling through a stop sign and another for driving 48 mph in a 40 zone. Privacy Policy 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 may cost some money to go through that process, he said. In February, Brookside even suspended court. II. Address, Phone Number, and Fax Number for Brookside Police Department, a Police Department, at Main Street, Brookside AL. Hodges made monthly payments to chip away at the $400 fine, but moved away and forgot about it after paying about half. As the state audit pointed out, such fees must be reasonably related to covering the cost of administration, not to generate revenue.. (Joe Songer for al.com).Joe Songer, I see her, she heard the man say. I had to be patient., Netta Womack tells her story. The complaint alleges numerous constitutional violations, and we believe the citizens need to be protected from illegal actions by the Town of Brookside.. brookside, alabama police jurisdiction map. By 2020 - due almost entirely to aggressive policing - it rose to $1.2 million. Attempts to reach Tidwell were unsuccessful. The complaint seeks return of property and damages. Michelle Jones, of Forestdale, has fought the Brookside police department for three years. But his approach which posited that Brookside was dirty, unsafe and drug-infested offended other residents, who argued drugs exist everywhere. But Brookside could not make the case. The law is the law.. For driving with an expired tag. He said response times were long because Brookside often had to rely on the Jefferson County Sheriffs department for service. A year before, Brooksides low-key, one-man police department had begun to metastasize, at the behest of town leaders, into an insatiable band of reverse Robin Hoods, stopping so many cars, detaining and arresting so many people that it couldnt keep up.