When Jones was hired as chief in 2018, he was the only full-time police officer, he said in sworn testimony for a lawsuit . The municipal court in Brookside has been suspended until further notice. For a drug thats legal in a whole bunch of states. While it isnt some dramatic tale of mass violence or denial of human rights on a societal scale, as we often associate with authoritarian regimes, it nonetheless is a very clear illustration of how the power of the state, specifically law enforcement, can be used with impunity to victimize citizens who end up having limited, if any, recourse. The Jan. 19 report says that Police Chief Mike Jones was Brooksides only officer in 2018, and the town of about 1,250 had reported almost no serious crimes for the previous eight years. We are still working to obtain comprehensive data from every jurisdiction in the nation. Mayor Mike Bryan has only been mayor for two months. Frankly, a lot of people have fear of something just like that. By 2020, that meant more misdemeanor arrests than the town has residents. Priority number one is to look at the rules and regulations and ensuring that officers are following them. The Police Industrial Complex. 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. And making money from pulling people over on the highway is not news. News / Feb 27, 2023 / 07:46 PM EST. City of Brookside Village. Brookside announces intended Police Department reforms, Shelby Co. mom's mission: Making insulin affordable for everyone. 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. Thats when he started pulling Brooksides legal documents and realized that cops seemed to be bilking motorists along part of the nearby highway for cash. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. 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. 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. 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It is not improving the lives of anyone, save perhaps for whatever benefits the burgeoning Brookside police department receives (or the vendors selling riot control vehicles and SWAT training to a tiny town that needs neither). He was a deputy chief then an interim chief. These crimes include: Crimes in ProgressMotor vehicle crash with injuriesFireMedical emergencySuspicious activities. Revenue into the town jumped from $431,637 in 2016 to $1,233,469 in 2020. Infuriating indeed. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. We are committed to correcting that.. 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. Copyright 2023 City of Brookside Village - All Rights Reserved. Jones, as police chief, built a force of 10 or more full- and part-time officers with 10. Brookside makes $175 off each tow -- . Here is Brookside relative to Birmingham. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The hardwoods scattered through the more "park-like" portions of the park are good for Red-eyed and Yellow-throated Vireos, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Orchard Orioles, Black-and-white Warblers, and various flycatchers. You receive an emergency call from the hospital director of security at 7:00 a.m. on a Thursday morning, just as you are preparing to leave your home for your 20-minute commute. Joanna Weiss, co-director of the Fines and Fees Justice Center, told me there were many potential constitutional and other violations documented in Brookside, and ample reason for the Department of Justice and state officials to intervene. Actual product and specifications may vary in dimension or detail. But the bottom line is when you choose not to fund your government through taxes, then your governments going to find ways to make that money up. Brookside Police Department. The police have ordered vehicles towed for lack of insurance, while ignoring owners' efforts to show insurance documentation. Bayshore Gardens. Supreme Court Appears Poised to Rein In Civil Asset Forfeiture: Sandy Hook Parents Sue Alex Jones For Defamation. Home and Away actor Johnny Ruffo has given his fans a health update following his terminal brain cancer diagnosis. The Brookside PD is currently under investigation. She pulled to the side of the road as the SUV pulled behind her, and a wrecker simultaneously parked nearby. 3.1.2023 5:00 PM, Emma Camp Even though he didnt end up filing a formal report, officers seem to have taken note. 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. Hassan Kanu writes about access to justice, race, and equality under law. Its really frightening. 3.2.2023 12:01 AM, Jacob Sullum 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. Floor plans are artist's rendering. Two dogs handing a helping paw to Merseyside Police are heading to Crufts hoping to extend their owner's decorated record at the event. Scott Shackford is a policy research editor at Reason Foundation. Following Jones resignation, Henry Irby was named interim chief of the department. Phone: (281) 485-3048 A white man accused of accelerating his car and yelling at a Black family in what Las Vegas Metro police called a racial-motivated fight that left the suspect . The remnants of the mines, the industry, and the infrastructure (such as the railroads) have all been featured in many Photos for Friday (a lot more here). Allegedly, the officer called him the N-word, told him to stay out of Brookside, and walked off. That's a model for state officials to follow today. The police there fine so many people that they have to direct traffic around town hall for the monthly municipal court because there are so many people there trying to contest the charges against them. But if it goes to state court, they typically just dont show up. After that, he spent five years reporting on mostly employment law. In Floridathey have the power to destroy your life. Earlier this week, Brookside's police chief resigned. She turned on her lights, according to her lawsuit, because of the approaching darkness. It parked a riot control vehicle townspeople call it a tank outside the municipal complex and community center. Governing Magazines report also noted that a probate judge in Georgia alleged that the city of Cecil created a police department and court in part to pay off a debt owed for sewer services.. Brookside, AL is not a place that needs a riot control vehicle. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim "they were deprived of their constitutionally protected liberty interest when they . One thing Im specifically curious about: what, if any, local taxes exist for Brookside. 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. That's a 1,478% increase, with 1.7 tows for every household in town. Its star shined brightly and peaked by the mid-20th Century (if not a tad before). The tiny town of Brookside, with a population of less than 1,500, became a national news story last week when John Archibald of the Birmingham News reported that its mayor and Police Chief Mike . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); NEXT: Cops With Super Sniffers Fool No One Except the Judge. Thankfully, its not that often. My family has two. Over the last several months, the Brookside Police Department has faced scrutiny over its ticketing practices, as well as alleged corruption. **These connections made this story really bore into my head, and hence the very long post. Witt says he asked if Brookside pulled everybody over like this and says the police officer called him a racial slur and told him to stay out of the town. Did you encounter any technical issues? 3. The report also spotlights, yet again, the sort of abuses enabled by the U.S. Supreme Court's broad grants of legal immunity to law enforcement officials. Brookside, NJ 07926. Brookside until recently was known for its quirky Russian food festival and the states only onion-domed Russian Orthodox Church. 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. *Birminghams nickname is The Magic City as it grew out of nothing in the very late 19th Century to become a boom town and center for mining and steel production. For Municipal Court information or inquiries, email. This is exactly the role of the DOJs Civil Rights Division, and the state attorney general has similar authority under Alabamas laws and constitution, Weiss said. This is a place linked to where a significant portion of my family originated. 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. 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. @Jim Brown 32: @Steven L. Taylor: Oh, and as I was trying to note, this isnt truly a rural community. Copyright 2022 WBRC. The National Read Across America Day takes place every year on March 2, Geisels birthday. I would recommend reading the entire piece, as well as the story of Rev. 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. Months of research and dozens of interviews byAL.comfound that Brooksides finances are rocket-fueled by tickets and aggressive policing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Elkhart Police Department at 574-389-4789 or Crime Stoppers at 574-288-STOP. The Town of Brookside is committed to reforming our police department and setting a new standard for community policing in Brookside and Alabama, says Bryan. Like a lot of places with lower tax revenues, municipalities in Alabama need to get creative to raise money. At one point, the department had 14. Not even close. 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. According to the legal complaint filed on Feb. 21, the plaintiff named Anyl Pascal claimed he was pulled over by a Brookside police officer late at night in January 2021 for allegedly speeding. Ive covered a lot of communities like this that did the same sort of thing, but never quite on the same scale. Brookside has only one retail store and a volunteer fire department, but at least one police officer for every 144 people. Frankly, they are really just jobs programs built off a privateer model. Unlike the @EddieInCA Im almost always actually speeding when Im stopped for speeding. The town doesn't even have a formal budgeting process. Charging people all these high fines and fees is not necessarily illegal. Well, mining in the region collapsed decades ago and this started in Brookside in 2018, so while I take the general point, I think it is a gross overgeneralization. Based on his deposition, it would have been one officer for every 144 peopleway more than the national average, which would be one for every 588 people. 3.2.2023 4:00 AM, Veronique de Rugy 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Theres no trust. 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. Town revenue from fines and police seizures of peoples property surged to $610,000, about half its income, AL.com reported. A Department of Justice spokeswoman told me the agency is aware of the reporting on Brookside and will consider that information, along with other information we may receive in deciding if an investigation into a pattern of unconstitutional law enforcement may be appropriate.. It went from towing 50 vehicles in 2018 to 789 in 2020 - each carrying fines. At the time, I was driving the speed limit on I-20 between Brandon and Jackson. You just stopped everybody. 2. Those transfers were suspended* under the Obama administration. 2023 Cable News Network. Brookside, Alabama, has a population of less than 1,500 people. 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