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.. Fewer than 100 of its residents graduated college. Jones had been a cop in nearby Shelby County, in the affluent suburbs south of Birmingham. Brookside is just 10 miles north of Birmingham, but in ways it is ages away. 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. But the police department in Brookside, Alabama has managed to do exactly that. Neither the mayor nor chief would talk about pending litigation, but both said they have reviewed the cases involved, including bodycam footage, and said they found no wrongdoing on the citys part. according to a state audit released this month. Over 200 people packed into the new Jefferson County Sheriffs Office Training Facility building to voice their complaints about aggressive policing by the Brookside Police Dept. This is extortion., The 46-page complaint claims each of the named police officers, under former police chief Mike Jones, knew that they were violating the constitutional, statutory, and common law rights of the Classes pled herein, and did so to create more revenue for the Town of Brookside so that they, in turn, could enjoy the fruits of that revenue in the form of pay, benefits, equipment, and receipt of the profits from policing as described herein.. It was only after she went to court six weeks later that she learned where the car was impounded. And the police chief has called for more. And while sitting in court I heard that half the court was also stopped for the same thing.. It resulted in Brookside Police Chief Mike Jones resigning Tuesday on the same day Alabama Lt. Gov. Jones had known James Bo Savelle Agent JS, as he often wrote on his reports from his days in Shelby County, according to former Brookside workers. The officers, though many, were not well paid. It was more than the car was worth in fines, she said. For years, no one had heard of or cared that the town of Brookside even existed and that possibly includes a . 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. 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. Detective Johnson had called and asked that I come to the Brookside Police Department to talk to them. reported to the state very little serious crime one robbery and no murders. Published: Mar. In addition, she said, counting on fines and fees collected from people in lower income and marginalized communities only serves to punish them further. They let her out of jail at midnight, long after her family had made bond. She was ticketed for improper tag light and driving while suspended, and her vehicle was towed. The abuses that have come to light in Brookside were simmering for years and no one in power was paying attention, she said. Click on a feature to learn more. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on an official government site. It has one retail store, the Dollar General, and three septic tank services. He lent his car to a friend, who was pulled over and arrested for drug possession. 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. Do you understand what you are charged with? the judge asked on that first Thursday in December. Her Odyssey, and all the items in it, were auctioned off, she said. Dawson and Danneman suspected what the world would come to know in January, when Brooksides reign would end as suddenly as it started. If you put anything on Facebook, he retaliated verbally to you, said Brookside resident Tammy Price. But its a common charge in Brookside. [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. 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%. I was freezing.. Lawyer Bill Dawson, who has filed multiple lawsuits against Brookside, first became aware of the towns overreach in 2019. In 2018, when the town had one full-time police officer and a few part-timers, it reported no serious crimes to the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center. We dont like writing tickets.. Free Honea Path Property Records Search. Shes in my sight.. Arrest powers are not confined to city limits or jurisdictional boundaries except within the State of Alabama.. Silverware, plates and everything like that.. 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. Vincent Witt, who sued Brookside after his treatment there. Jetts then demanded its own payment sometimes more than the citys, and demanded cash for owners to retrieve their vehicles. A California man is facing multiple felony charges in Alabama after allegedly kidnapping a woman at knifepoint and holding her hostage in Brookside on Sunday.The Brookside Police Department said officers responded to a report of a woman being kidnapped by a man in driving a white van around 2:45 p.m. on Brookside Coalburg Road. She argued that she only drove in the left lane to pass other vehicles, and her ticket on May 26, 2019 came five months before Alabamas Anti-Road Rage Act, a law making it illegal to drive in the left lane of an interstate for more than a mile and a half, went into effect. 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. Such a thing would absolutely be inappropriate, he said. (Joe Songer for AL.com).Joe Songer. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Brookside walked away. He instituted a no pleas from Brookside rule, and asked his workers to flag for scrutiny every case out of that town. If you had more officers and more productivity youd have more, Jones said. 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. Mayor Bryan dismissed the complaints of those who must appear in court. Police must direct traffic before the 1 p.m. court session starts. 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. People stand in line, waiting to get into the courtroom. They've also been accused of using racist language in a community that is majority white, but also has a Black population of nearly 25 percent and a small but growing Latino population. The money Hudgens spoke of was substantial. Baggett took Ubers and Lyfts to the Avondale area of Birmingham to work, at $35 a pop, plus tip. She said she was asked to pat down female inmates, and was once made to perform a cavity search on a woman suspected of having drugs. The town also expanded its towing operations, going from 50 vehicles in 2018 to 789 in 2020. I was scared to death even though I was doing nothing wrong.. The money Hudgens spoke of was substantial. Find 6 Police Departments within 8.3 miles of Brookside Police Department. He agreed to represent his niece in her traffic case. Transfer Portal. Jefferson County Public Defender Adam Danneman said he began to notice Brookside a year or so ago. The complaint alleges numerous constitutional violations, and we believe the citizens need to be protected from illegal actions by the Town of Brookside.. Police Trap, she posted in June of 2019. Chana Hodges, one of many people harassed by the Brookside Police Dept.. Brookside
Police left their jurisdiction to arrest her at her place of business. 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. Savelle made $15.82 an hour, and all others made less. She set out to challenge it. She was also charged with resisting arrest. Lord, after all this time you heard me. The Birmingham Times reported that nearly half of Brookside's revenue in 2020 came from forfeitures and fines. He described how Jones hoped to turn the neighboring community center one of the few amenities for the townspeople into a police building and jail. According to AL.com's investigation, Jones, who was hired in 2018, built a police department of 10 or more full-time and part-time officers to patrol Brookside's 6 miles of roads and 1 mile . Brookside hired Hudgens as a dispatcher in August of 2019. The ABC3340 News I-Team first exposed . Vincent Witt and his sister, Tareya, Chief Jones tried to intimidate her in a social media message, 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. The motive was to generate revenue for Brookside.. Hudgens said she quit as a dispatcher because of the way the town handled and in her mind, glossed over Savelles arrest. 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. Two or three days later Brookside police stopped him again. Will Ainsworth requested a state audit, and amid calls for state and federal investigations. 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. Bill Dawson, a lawyer in Birmingham, said he's had about two dozen people contact him with allegations, but for years, many have been too reluctant to complain. 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. And I didnt realize that until some time had passed.. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Because people overwhelmed by debt have been shown to turn to crime to pay their fines an argument can be made that this kind of policing creates crime, Crowder said. As the state audit pointed out, such fees must be reasonably related to covering the cost of administration, not to generate revenue.. BROOKSIDE, Ala. (WBRC) - House Representative Juandalynn Givan is now asking city leaders in Brookside to disband the police department. They went out and got it, in other municipalities, as armed debt collectors. 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. Jones said crime when he took over was higher than it appeared from numbers the town reported to the state. But Brookside could not make the case. I know that.. Lawyer Martin Weinberg had a client in Brookside, a young man named Thomas Hall, who was stopped for speeding and found with a small amount of marijuana. He declared bankruptcy in 2019. Thats why I hesitated to fight it. Fines . Ive always been suspicious of small town courts, and Ive seen a lot of abuses from them, he said. Jones reimagined the police department as a sort of drug task force on the corridor between Birmingham and Memphis and he was creative. she said. Government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Im like, what have I done? she recalled in March. Fairness and real justice, I believe, is something people are looking for when it comes to law enforcement. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Ive seen it, DA Carr said. Police put her in a patrol car and searched her vehicle for drugs. Jones is not alone in complaining about Brookside. In another case, Brookside police last year confiscated a 2014 Honda Civic owned by a man named Sean Wattson, even though Wattson was not driving and was not in the car, according to a lawsuit he filed against the town. These figures were provided by the city: Brookside Police. 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. Circuit Judge Shanta Craig Owens threw out another 41 cases on appeal from Brookside involving more than a dozen people, calling the evidence garbage. She said she would not consider a case credible if the only witness was a Brookside police officer. 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.