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> Alabama police chief steps down amid corruption scandal

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Phillip_McCavity
#1 2022-01-26 21:23:26

Alabama police chief steps down amid corruption scandal

https://reason.com/2022/01/26/police-ch … n-outrage/ [Highly Credible Source (Conservative)]

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 Jones had embarked on a system of ramping up fines and forfeitures to bankroll its government. Archibald calculated that the town's revenue nearly tripled across four years entirely from these fines, targeting primarily anybody passing through or nearby Brookside on Interstate 22.

This wasn't just a speed trap to catch the unwary. The town is facing at least five federal lawsuits from people who claim that the police fabricated charges and retaliated against those who complained. The monthly traffic court was swamped with people attempting to fight or resolve traffic charges. By 2020, half of the town's $1.2 million in annual revenue was coming from fines and forfeiture, and the money was being funneled to a disproportionately large police force for a small town.

Jones defended the town's predatory practices to Archibald, seeing the mass fining as a "positive story" and saying he'd be able to get even more money with more officers. Within a week of Archibald publishing his story, Jones had resigned. Archibald wasn't able to reach Jones for an explanation, and the town itself would only confirm he was gone.

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Tom Leykis
#2 2022-01-26 21:31:34

Re: Alabama police chief steps down amid corruption scandal

Sounds like New Rome, Ohio.  Same game.

http://newromesucks.com/

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#3 2022-01-26 21:35:38

Re: Alabama police chief steps down amid corruption scandal

Tom Leykis wrote:

Sounds like New Rome, Ohio.  Same game.

http://newromesucks.com/

They used something called "dissolution" to make the town not exist anymore... I didn't even know that was possible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Rome,_Ohio

Dissolution

After further investigation of New Rome's history of misconduct, Attorney General Jim Petro, on the recommendation of State Auditor Betty Montgomery, concluded that it should be dissolved, though its residents had voted against dissolution in 2003. At the Attorney General's urging, the Ohio General Assembly passed a law later that year primarily targeted at New Rome. It allowed the state to seek dissolution of a village that had fewer than 150 people if the State Auditor found it provided few or no public services and had a pattern of wrongdoing or incompetence. On December 1, 2003, Petro filed suit for New Rome's dissolution in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. The complaint cited New Rome for violating state election requirements 23 times since 1988, failing to file a tax budget and failing to provide at least two municipal services.

The village officials did not contest these allegations, but instead challenged the dissolution statute as contrary to the home rule provisions of the Ohio Constitution. Judge David Cain upheld the constitutionality of the statute and granted summary judgment to the State of Ohio on July 30, 2004. In his decision, Cain held that as a result of town officials' malfeasance and nonfeasance, New Rome had effectively dissolved itself. "When the electorate allows key offices to go vacant for unreasonable amounts of time and allows other conditions ... to cause ruin and decay," Cain wrote, "it can easily be inferred that this small group of local citizens has abandoned any right it had to operate a local government unit. The corporate powers have already been surrendered. The body is already dead. The statute merely provides for a decent burial." Judge Cain granted the order to formally dissolve New Rome on August 9, 2004, and also ordered the clearing of all unpaid traffic tickets and all drivers licenses suspended by the village. No appeal was filed by the September 9 deadline, and on that date New Rome was irrevocably absorbed into Prairie Township.

The town's dissolution became the subject of a 2018 short film, The Fall of New Rome.

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Phillip_McCavity
#4 2022-01-26 22:12:00

Re: Alabama police chief steps down amid corruption scandal

wrote:

They used something called "dissolution" to make the town not exist anymore... I didn't even know that was possible.

Very unusual to do that.

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#5 2022-01-27 00:13:08

Re: Alabama police chief steps down amid corruption scandal

Phillip_McCavity wrote:

Very unusual to do that.

Needs to happen to Sausalito. It needs a lot more diversity.

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