A Tiny Alabama Town Is Growing Its Police Force by Fining Everybody in Sight
Brookside officers have been accused of fabricating violations and are being sued.
https://reason.com/2022/01/19/a-tiny-alabama-town-is-growing-its-police-force-by-fining-everybody-in-sight/
Brookside, Alabama, has a population of less than 1,500 people. For most of the past decade it saw little crime—only 55 major crimes in eight years, none homicide or rape.
But in the past couple of years, the tiny town has generated an outsized police force, and today the Birmingham News reports why. The mayor and police force there are looking to fine anybody they can to bring in revenue.
Birmingham News columnist John Archibald reports, "In a two-year period between 2018 and 2020 Brookside revenues from fines and forfeitures soared more than [highlight=yellow]640 percent[/highlight] and now make up half the city's total income." According to the records Archibald reviewed, Brookside as of 2020 was [highlight=yellow]arresting more people for misdemeanors than it has residents[/highlight]. 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.
Brookside officers have been accused of fabricating violations and are being sued.
https://reason.com/2022/01/19/a-tiny-alabama-town-is-growing-its-police-force-by-fining-everybody-in-sight/
Brookside, Alabama, has a population of less than 1,500 people. For most of the past decade it saw little crime—only 55 major crimes in eight years, none homicide or rape.
But in the past couple of years, the tiny town has generated an outsized police force, and today the Birmingham News reports why. The mayor and police force there are looking to fine anybody they can to bring in revenue.
Birmingham News columnist John Archibald reports, "In a two-year period between 2018 and 2020 Brookside revenues from fines and forfeitures soared more than [highlight=yellow]640 percent[/highlight] and now make up half the city's total income." According to the records Archibald reviewed, Brookside as of 2020 was [highlight=yellow]arresting more people for misdemeanors than it has residents[/highlight]. 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.
