Brookside Police Department

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.

When Jones took office in 2018 he was the only full-time sworn officer on the department's payroll. He led the transition to full-time staffing that summer, with help from state and federal grant funding. By 2021 the department had eight additional full-time officers and several part-time officers. In January 2022 six more full-time officers were added. The department operates a reserve officer training program to expand its personnel capacity. In early 2021, Chief Jones referred to the department as employing "narcotics interdiction officers."

Along with the increase in personnel, the department, which patrols a 1-1/2 mile stretch of Interstate 22, has seen a dramatic increase in traffic citations, vehicle seizures, and charges originating from car searches. Revenues from "fines and forfeitures" grew from $51,473 in 2017 to $610,307 in 2020, making up 49% of the city's municipal income. Processing the immense number of cases in Municipal Court has created long lines and parking shortages at the Town Hall.

With the exception of one marked patrol vehicle and a military truck designated as a riot-control vehicle, all of Brookside's patrol cruisers are unmarked black SUVs with dark window tinting. Patrol officers wear plain gray clothing with no official insignia. The department's aggressive tactics have led to at least five civil lawsuits and have been criticized by members of the public and press, as well as by Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr. Jones resigned shortly after columnist John Archibald wrote a column about the department's practices. The Town of Brookside requested a compliance audit from the Alabama Peace Officers' Standards and Training Commission on January 26.

Police chiefs

• Jason Springfield
• Ray Hubbart
• Mike Jones, September 2018–January 2022

References

• Hildreth, Randi (January 2, 2020) "Brookside PD experience significant growth by tackling tough crime"
• Robinson, Carol (January 10, 2021) "Kilo of fentanyl seized during traffic stop in Jefferson County town of Brookside." The Birmingham News
• Archibald, John (January 19, 2022) "Police in this tiny Alabama town suck drivers into legal ‘black hole’" The Birmingham News
• Archibald, John (January 19, 2022) "Pastor, sister say rogue Alabama police force sought revenge" The Birmingham News
• Archibald, John (January 25, 2022) "Brookside Police Chief Mike Jones resigns after AL.com report on traffic trap" The Birmingham News
• Archibald, John (January 27, 2022) "Brookside police patrolled social media, threatening town’s critics" The Birmingham News

External links

• Brookside Police Department at brooksidealabama.com
• Brookside Police Department at Facebook.com