They would not share the footage. Covington County's affidavit for a warrant to arrest former Brookside police chief Mike Jones. A Peace Officer sworn in the State of Alabama can enforce the law anywhere in the State of Alabama, he wrote in an email. Brookside has two drug-sniffing dogs one named K9 Cash to search the cars of stopped motorists. 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. 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. Ive been irritated in these comments that come from Mike Bryan, McDonald said. 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. Jones was the highest earning officer before his resignation, at $16 an hour, not counting overtime. Arrests on Brookside warrants went from zero to 243 in the span of two years, according to statistics Chief Jones presented to the council. Popularity:#11 of 45 Police Departments in Jefferson County#69 of 565 Police Departments in Alabama#2,237 in Police Departments. Brookside Police Department of Brookside, AL spotted in the Jefferson County Sheriff Department District at Roberta Road and Cherry Avenue., And in July, Brookside Police Department of Brookside, AL operating outside its city limits. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. State agents last week began an inquiry and audit into the Brookside Police Department to find out whether it and its officers complied with state laws and regulations, according to a statement from Chief R. Alan Benefield, executive secretary of the Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission. 43 Brookside should consider such a policy. In May of 2019, the month Brumlow was stopped, Brookside officers ticketed 75 people for driving in the left lane. 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. The town faces several state investigations, and has brought in outside help to rebuild the department. Officer Deshawn Mark Cook, who worked in Brookside as recently as Thursday, was arrested Friday on charges of first degree rape stemming from 2021. An audit by the Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts last week issued a report citing Brookside for myriad errors, including poor financial controls, missing guns and guns with no explanation. 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. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. John Archibald: Brookside is an extreme example of a type of policing that's going on all over this country. Police must direct traffic before the 1 p.m. court session starts.. called for the second town hall meeting this week. Video above: Federal class action lawsuit filed against Town of Brookside, police officers Advertisement 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. Ramon Perez felt that way as well, sitting in the courtroom and hearing defendants plead to the same charges over and over. He waved it around the restaurant, in front of customers and staff. John Walker was stopped in Brookside for following too closely. I should have brought a lawyer, but right now my time is not there, he said. Before the hiring blitz, Brookside's one full-time officer and several part-timers patrolled the city and its stretch of Interstate 22, writing tickets worth about $82,467 in fines. See also: Savelle among those sued by preacher who claimed Brookside revenge. 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. 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. The deputy gave him a professional courtesy verbal warning and sent him on his way. Second, the town would likely benefit from a relationship with a research organization to provide annual information on the existence of any red flags detected in statistical trends and patterns. 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. Suggest Listing His phone is not accepting calls and he did not return emails to an address listed as belonging to him. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Harris lawyers contend she was taken to the Brookside jail, strip-searched, and told she could be jailed up to two days. After being pulled over on Interstate 22 for allegedly speeding in February 2021, Anyl Pascal was arrested by Brookside police and taken to jail. Perform a free Brookside, AL public property records search, including property appraisals, unclaimed property, ownership searches, lookups, tax records, titles, deeds, and liens. Police stops soared between 2018 and 2020. He stated that I issued threats, incited a riot, and slandered the Brookside Police Department in my Facebook posts. 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. I dont condone it, but you know, Im not the chief out there.. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. And it broke her heart, it broke my heart.. Officers, dressed completely in dark, unmarked uniforms approached her, and one accused her of flickering her lights to warn others of their presence, her suit alleges. 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. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Despite that, the Shelby County case was dropped without explanation under the condition that he pay $100. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT) As the Brookside Police Department debacle continues, the call for Mayor Mike Bryan and other leaders to resign still rings among those who have been victims by the city's officers. Leadership should be aware that large-scale statistical analyses are inherently untimely and mask individual behavior. Franklin said she believes the only reason she wasnt arrested was because she works for Jefferson County. The Brookside police staff, based on this data, came to one officer for every 84 residents in January. Privacy Policy People who had their vehicles towed and impounded by Jetts Towing after a traffic stop. Over-policing can also create the perception of racial profiling when it appears to target minority citizens. It frightened her, and led to more trouble. Stories of how Alabama legal systems criminalize poverty. The town now faces 13 lawsuits. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is the police department that serves the area, where Mike Hale is the sheriff. "This city is a ticking, ticking time bomb waiting to explode," state Rep. Juandalynn Givan, who has called for other town officials to resign, told the NBC affiliate WVTM in Birmingham. Another town hall is scheduled for Thursday at 6 pm at Birminghams Carver High School. AL.com story revealed a department so intent on ticketing and criminalizing motorists, arrested Savelle for public intoxication and two counts of harassment that night. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 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. Please keep your posts factual and post links to reliable sources. 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. But Brookside revenues from fines and forfeitures soared after that, and the towns law-enforcement goals and its reputation changed. Jones was stopped on April 12 by a Covington County deputy after being clocked driving 78 mph in a 55 zone on Alabama 55 south. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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. She insists like many others stopped by Brookside police that she did not run the stop sign at all. 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). During his time as a council member, Mike Bryan voted for and helped to pass ordinances strengthening the Brookside Police Department in addition to passing city budgets with revenues increasing over 600%, she said. She called for the second town hall meeting this week.. Givan and Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway held the first town hall, in which 200 people gathered and 31 told stories of harassment and abuse. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The deputy has since also issued a speeding ticket to go along with the impersonation charge.. Will Ainsworth want to know how such a department could have existed. 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. I feel bad for those guys who struggle, Perez said. Its more important now than ever before that law enforcement maintain high levels of professionalism and integrity, he said. He lent his car to a friend, who was pulled over and arrested for drug possession. Everybodys got a story, he said. We dont like writing tickets.. There is no trust," Representative Juandalynn Givan said. City officials have said they cannot comment on personnel issues, though they did provide, as part of the records request, a breakdown of officer pay. AL.com in January reported how Brookside used fines and forfeitures to bring in almost half the town revenue in 2020, and how its police department grew exponentially under Chief Jones. This is shocking, said Crowder. 2023 County Office. Sheriff Pettway gaped at the Brookside ratio. It showed police in 2020 patrolled 114,438 miles in the 6.3-mile town and issued more than 3,000 citations a 692% increase from 2018. Neither the police nor the town have responded to questions since the original story ran. 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. Periodic review of bodycam video can be used to monitor and investigate possible profiling or other alleged misconduct. Michelle Jones made an official complaint to the Alabama Attorneys Generals office three years ago, arguing that Brookside police stopped her out of jurisdiction, issued a bogus citation and threatened her with more charges after she criticized them on Facebook. 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