Can you tell the story of what happened to Rev. Brookside has only one commercial building, a Dollar General, and is mostly known for its annual Russian Food Festival. A number of states, including Arkansas, Missouri, New York and Texas, have placed caps on municipal ticket revenue, according to a 2016 law review article by Brian Scott, a partner at Barmann, Bohlen & Scott in Kankakee, Illinois. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Ill be here for a while because we have some work to do.. The interim chief and Town leaders announced reforms within the police department in February 2022. It went from towing 50 vehicles in 2018 to 789 in 2020 - each carrying fines. Merrick has a lot of fish to fry. Sandra Jo Harris, a 52-year-old grandmother, claims in a lawsuit she pulled off I-22 at Cherry Avenue on Jan. 8, 2020, as she often did when she went to visit her daughter. The bags are paraphernalia. 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. He called up the department to complain about the way he was treated. The Brookside Police Department is a professional law enforcement agency operated by the Town of Brookside out of Brookside Town Hall at 2711 Municipal Drive. They also say they were forced to pay excessive fines and fees. That's a 1,478% increase, with 1.7 tows for every household in town. A search is underway for an interim Police Chief. Earning the nickname Rod the Plod after joining the police force, his storyline also centred around his relationship with Diana. U.S. Congress votes to block ESG investing, Biden veto expected, VP Harris breaks tie for 2nd time to confirm Biden judicial pick, U.S. House panel approves bill giving Biden power to ban TikTok, EU silence over Pfizer COVID contract talks is problem that won't go away -watchdog, China scoffs at FBI claim that Wuhan lab leak likely caused COVID pandemic, Law firm leaders express the benefit of strategy, culture & adaptability to weather these uncertain times, 2023 State of the Courts Report: Moving toward modernization, US enforcement seeks fraud among emerging, unregulated finance spaces, Recommended change management practices to plan, build, then deploy successful legal tech, Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals. It is part of a larger place I have come to be profoundly interested in for a number of reasons and in a number of ways (linked to art and history). Policing starts with the police officers. It is also an illustration that, despite the way it is often discussed, local government is not necessarily the most benign level of government (and can misbehave without anyone noticing). The town released the following statement on February 1: The Town of Brookside is moving forward with reforming its police department. Its unheard of.. | For a drug thats legal in a whole bunch of states. There are now just four police officers Brookside. Police Scorecard: Brookside, AL B Alabama We obtained data on 344 Alabama police departments. Again, were not talking about serious crimes. Ive been stopped no less than six times for speeding while driving under the speed limit in Alabama. All Rights Reserved. Bryan says he has full confidence in his new interim chief. I, and the town council, have been focused on restoring relationships with the community.. I think it could be more.. But what has happened in the last few years is the radical ramping up of court costs, which one has to pay even if one doesnt go to court. When buying cowboy boots, there are a few aspects to consider, such as how far up they go on your legs and their design. But the police here get around it because they dont stop you for speeding: If your lights are too bright or your tag lights too dim, theyll pull you over. Alabama has the lowest property taxes in the country (and, as the piece notes, this is a fairly poor municipality, and therefore likely has low property valuations). I am not sure I have ever seen a better example of the old saw about the self-licking ice cream cone: the money earned from the fines (which the article notes now account for just shy of half of all revenue for Brookside) is basically plowed back into the police force. I have been pulled over. Biographical note: I was talking to my mother last night and she noted that she went to elementary school in Brookside for a few years before they moved to Texas. She was not speeding, or breaking the law, she argued in the suit. Arrests have gone up too. We will capture them: Lauderdale County Sheriff discusses search for missing inmate, employee, Windshield covers and other handy gear you need for, 18 trendy cowboy boots to wear this winter, 18 books youll want to read on Dr. Seuss Day, Georgia employee faces 48 theft-related charges, Georgia getting $142M Sams Club fulfillment center, Woman indicted in Dothan double murder case, No. As of January 2021, the department announced via Facebook that it had hired six more officers, in order to "expand our dedication and commitment to provide superior community service & protection." The Facebook page is no longer available to the public. At the time, I was driving the speed limit on I-20 between Brandon and Jackson. It is part of the area that grew up around the mining that declined some decades ago alongside the mining industry in the Magic City. But if it goes to state court, they typically just dont show up. His arrest comes after an incident on April 12, when he was allegedly used his Brookside Police badge to avoid getting a ticket during a traffic stop in Covington County. This is exactly the sort of thing that can go wrong in small towns. How does the police officerper-resident ratio in Brookside compare with other places? It is a tale about turning basic police powers into an unjust money machine that serves not the cause of public safety, but of its own self-perpetuation. BROOKSIDE, Ala. (WBRC) - Several plaintiffs filed a civil lawsuit against the Town of Brookside, the former police chief, 20 police officers and a towing company, according to a court filing marked Wednesday, March 16, 2022. Brookside is a poor town, 70% white, 21% Black, with a small but growing Hispanic population and a median income well below the state average. Are We Finally Ready to See One of the 90s Most Acclaimed Bands for What It Really Was? Children from Ukraine are being used in Russia's pro-war rally, This disease took decades to plummet. If you put up a fight, its as if they dont pursue it because its just not in their profit plan. It isnt like a bunch of city services are being funded (not that that would justify it, but it would at least there would be a thin reed of positive motivations in all of this). Anyone who drives past Brookside or into town should be able to identify a police vehicle, and a police officer, in case they need help, says Bryan. State Representative Juandalynn Givan still insists that Brookside mayor Mike Bryan needs to resign. People say, I was ticketed for driving 2 miles per hour over the speed limit, or I was ticketed for running a stop sign that I didnt run, over and over and over again. The police chief of a small Alabama town with 1,253 residents resigned after a report about policing practices was released . If the idea that a former mining town a few miles north of Birmingham is a hotbed of speeders and reckless drivers seems more than a bit suspect, a read through the cases Archibald describes shows exactly what you might expect. It still had paper tags on the back, from within a week of his purchase. Theres no trust. BROOKSIDE, Ala. (WBRC) -The town of Brookside is facing another lawsuit. I have highlighted I-22, a relatively new section of interstate that goes from Birmingham to Memphis (I have to wonder as to the degree to which the full opening of I-22 was not the impetus for this move to aggressive policing since it meant more traffic near the towns borders). He lives in Washington, D.C. Reach Kanu at hassan.kanu@thomsonreuters.com. Home and Away actor Johnny Ruffo has given his fans a health update following his terminal brain cancer diagnosis. Police put her in a patrol car and searched her vehicle for drugs. I believe it was primarily focused on larger vehicles and high-caliber weapons. The police chief and mayor told Archibald they don't even know how the money from the fines has been spent. See Mayor Hundl's State of the City Presentation Here. Brookside Police Department Contact Information Address, Phone Number, and Fax Number for Brookside Police Department, a Police Department, at Main Street, Brookside AL. Jones testified his officers wear gray uniforms with no Brookside insignias. Last year, based on Jones testimony, Brookside had at least one officer for every 144 residents. News / Feb 27, 2023 / 07:46 PM EST. That's a model for state officials to follow today. Alabama police have significant incentives to engage in forfeiture. Jones resigned less than a week after the AL.com report came out. The current listing price for this horse property is $299,999 and has been listed by Keller Williams Performance Real Estate. Ive never seen information that documented that actually this was the case, but that was what was said. Because the Town is launching the independent inquiry, the February 3 and 10 monthly court sessions are postponed until a date to be determined. Brookside, Alabama, has a population of less than 1,500 people. And if you go in and agree to pay your money, the court has an ability to stack charges on people. 3.2.2023 4:00 AM, Veronique de Rugy Its a former mining town, its population about the same as it was a decade ago. If you had more officers and more productivity youd have more, Jones said. A police vehicle patrols outside an Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama, on March 29, 2021. people stay away from Brookside, a small Alabama town just outside Birmingham. That contributed a 14% chunk of the citys total income, a number that would be considered high in much of America. Its really frightening. Upkeep is not insignificant. | Indeed, before getting into more details from the piece I will note that I am quite familiar with the area surrounding Brookside and have some specific experience with Brookside itself. Some fearing for their lives. I still remember. Archibald reports the terrible tale of Rev. In February, Givan and the Jefferson County Sheriff's office held a town hall discussion over the accusations. . 3.2.2023 12:01 AM, Jacob Sullum All of this underscores the perils of policing for profit instead of supporting public safety. But an officer grabbed the phone and threw it to the ground, breaking it, the lawsuit says. We had no knowledge of Mike Jones whereabouts after his resignation January 25, Brookside Mayor Mike Bryan said in a statement. In the ensuing years, hes hired additional full-time officers. But when she did, the unmarked SUV pulled into the street, crossed the center line and sped toward her car, blue lights flashing. 2 Bd, 2 Ba. City Hall & Municipal Court: 6243 Brookside Road, Brookside Village, Texas 77581. And, thematically, it touches directly on my interests in democracy and how it can go awry. @Jim Brown 32: @Steven L. Taylor: Oh, and as I was trying to note, this isnt truly a rural community. Subscribe to our WBRC newsletter and receive the latest local news and weather straight to your email. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. Thats a 1,478% increase, with 1.7 tows for every household in town. BROOKSIDE, Ala. (WBRC) - The town of Brookside has released its next steps to reform the police department after accusations of aggressive policing and the resignation of the towns police chief. He said response times were long because Brookside often had to rely on the Jefferson County Sheriffs department for service. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. Of course, what is striking to me from the budget discussion in the piece is that the money generated is mainly just being spent on more policing. All rights reserved. $1,189/mo. That makes almost all lawsuits challenging police enforcement action an uphill climb, if not a lost cause altogether. The next year, it doubled. If you appeal, if you plead not guilty, theyll say, Well hear that later. There are a number of other examples. It parked a riot control vehicle townspeople call it a tank outside the municipal complex and community center. Birmingham News columnist John Archibald reports, "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 city's total income." Im just not going to do it, Bryan said. But in the past couple of years, the tiny town has generated an outsized police force, and today the Birmingham News reports why. COVINGTON COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) On Monday, the former chief of the Brookside Police Department was arrested and charged with impersonating an officer, allegedly in order to get out of a traffic ticket. I was in Brookside proper twice in late 2016. The Brookside Police Department didn't respond to requests for comment. Irby spent more than 30 years . Brookside, just north of Birmingham, already faces at least 10 lawsuits about its policing. 23 comments. Art in the Park. Karen Jones, 57, owns seven Shiba Inus who all work as wellbeing dogs and assist . Fortunately, I could tell the officer the exact statute in the MS code to counter his threat about me recording. What is Merrick Garland doing with this for that matter? The police there are looking for any reason they can find to pull people over and cite them: Brookside officers have been accused in lawsuits of fabricating charges, using racist language and "making up laws" to stack counts on passersby. Vincent Witt, a Black Baptist preacher, was driving through Brookside with his wife and he had just bought a new black Cadillac. Actual product and specifications may vary in dimension or detail. Right? One big problem is the law has developed in a way that gives a lot of immunity for many things these police departments do, Dawson said. Let me just back up and say that between 2011 and 2018the year when this change beganBrookside had reported a total of 55 crimes over that eight-year period. We'll end with this incredible and telling quote from Brookside's police chief, Mike Jones, who really does not see a problem here at all and thinks funding his town with fines is a "positive story. After that, he spent five years reporting on mostly employment law. Witt and his sister Tareya, who wasn't even in the car, were then charged a few days later with impersonating police . One will also note that it does not, according to this map, actually touch I-22 (although the story notes that 1.5 miles of that highway is within its jurisdiction). The blue circle (and the blue x in the above-which is actually a little off) is the cluster of streets where a chunk of my mothers family is from. He spoke with WBHM's Mary Scott Hodgin. Witt linked above. She was also charged with resisting arrest. It is maybe a 10 minute drive from downtown Birmingham. **Checks can be made payable to Community Club of Brookside. All Original Content Copyright by OTB. It isnt like a bunch of city services are being funded (not that that would justify it, but it would at least there would be a thin reed of positive motivations in all of this). s to local yokel cops like these using the interstates, I have long argued that they should not have jurisdiction on federal highways, certainly not interstate highways. Nice little racket. By 2020 Brookside made more misdemeanor arrests than it has residents. Subscribe to our WBRC newsletter and receive the latest local news and weather straight to your email. The demand is for higher police protection from all those bad people from elsewhere. By 2020 Brookside made more misdemeanor arrests than it has residents. Thanks for flagging this, Dr. Taylor. BROOKSIDE, Ala. (WBRC) - The town of Brookside has released it's next steps to reform the police department after accusations of aggressive policing and the resignation of the town's police chief. Charging people all these high fines and fees is not necessarily illegal. I lived in Arizona at the time, so it was a major pain in my ass, but if I remember correctly everything got dropped to a speeding ticket (2 miles over) and some kind of misdemeanor for the roach. 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.. The second area is to build trust with all the residents of Brookside. ", "I see a 600% increasethat's a failure," Jones told Archibald. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. The Justice Department is urging a federal judge to let a class-action lawsuit go forward against an Alabama town accused of policing for profit with excessive fines and aggressive enforcement of local laws. 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. I ran into a similar trap in Tupelo, Mississippi in 2001 or so. Unlike the @EddieInCA Im almost always actually speeding when Im stopped for speeding. Brookside makes $175 off each tow Community Club of Brookside. Still, there are some actions local and state authorities in addition to DOJ -- can take to deter police departments engaged in patterns of extractive and abusive practice. 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. Its more or less one of the (in)famous antidrug commercials of my youth: I-22 intersects I-65, the main N-S corridor through Alabama. Defendants must pay thousands in fines and feesor pay for costly appeals to state courtand poorer residents or passersby fall into patterns of debt they cannot easily escape. 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. You just really need to read the whole thing. Baxley opened an investigation, established a makeshift office of public defenders to represent anyone charged by Fruithurst police, and sued officials in federal court. You have a home here? Heres a zoom-in. Its an extreme case where Brookside has 1,253 people and at least 10 full-time police officers along with several part-time officers. Thanks for covering this Stevenespecially as you can give needed local perspective. Vincent Witt? For Municipal Court information or inquiries, email infomc@brooksidevillage-tx.org, or visit the link below for more information about coming to court. I will warn you, it is all quite infuriating and describes practices that ought to be unacceptable. As for the allegations surrounding the police force, especially during traffic stops. These cops line up along 1 miles of the interstate They. * It is adjacent to the town where my grandparents (and a huge chunk of my family) lived when my mother was born (a small neighborhood that was once part of a company town). This is, not to put too fine a point on it, insane. Brookside is certainly a case study in the lack of accountability for police funding and spending. 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 until recently was known for its quirky Russian food festival and the states only onion-domed Russian Orthodox Church. 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