Not all police abuse is physical, as the citizens of Brookside, Alabama have discovered. This small town, 15 miles northwest of Birmingham, is home to 1,253 people. It once had a small police force to match. Then in 2018, the town brought in Mike Jones as its new police chief. At the time of his hiring, Jones was the only full-time cop. But he rapidly expanded the force. In a deposition last August, he admitted he had hired eight additional full-time cops and several part-timers. And the town has just announced it has hired six more officers.
Typically a town of this size would have 2 to 3 full-time cops — not the 15+ Brookside has. Perhaps it is due to a high crime rate? It is not. From 2011 to 2018, the town reported just 55 serious crimes to the state — none of them a rape or a murder.
So what are all these cops doing? They are running a uniformed, strong-arm, traffic racket. And the money is rolling in. Vehicle stops soared between 2018 and 2020. Fines and forfeitures – seizures of cars during traffic stops, among other things – doubled from 2018 to 2019. Last year they came to $610,000. Which is 49% of Bookside’s skyrocketing revenue. By 2020 Brookside made more misdemeanor arrests than it has residents. It went from towing 50 vehicles in 2018 to 789 in 2020 – each tow representing $100s in fines. That is a 1,478% increase, with 1.7 tows for every household in town.
Every time traffic court is convened, scores of people line up to stand before Judge Jim Wooten. So many are trying to park in the grassy field outside the municipal building that police have to direct traffic. A fitting conclusion to their grift?
Cops and prosecutors from the surrounding area have noticed this gangster-style extortion. Jefferson County DA Danny Carr said of drivers burdened by fines and court costs.
“It’s my understanding that a guy can go out there and I mean, he can fall into a black hole. You know, we’ve had a lot of issues with Brookside.”
Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway agrees, saying,
“We get calls about Brookside quite regularly because they really go outside their jurisdiction to stop people. Most of the time people get stopped, they’re going to get a ticket. And they’re saying they were nowhere near Brookside.”
However, the town’s authorities have a different take. Chief Jones calls the town’s policing “a positive story”, while Mayor Mike Bryan sits and nods in agreement.
Jones poo-pooed the idea Brookside was a safe place when he took over, saying crime was higher than it appeared from the numbers the town reported to the state. Based on what, he doesn't say. And he would like to see even more growth in revenue from fines and forfeitures.
“I see a 600% increase – that’s a failure. If you had more officers and more productivity you’d have more. I think it could be more.”
It sounds like a business plan that John Gotti could have cooked up in the Ravenite Club. Or even something your cable company dreamt up.
Whatever you do, stay miles away from Brookside. Perhaps, to be extra safe, avoid going to Alabama altogether.
This is nuts. No #RollTide for me, thank you Pitt