Council Candidate Criticizes Hoover PD, Police Respond

HOOVER, AL — Hoover police issued a response to a Facebook video posted by Hoover City Council candidate Ron Brown, in which he criticizes a traffic stop he endured in 2018. Brown indicated in his video that police were unorthodox in their stop and likely profiled him.

Brown said in his video that police questioned the validity of his licence during the April 2018 traffic stop, and that the officer who stopped him followed him closely for an abnormally long time before stopping him.

Brown was issued two citations during the stop — one for an expired tag and another for improper tag lights.

Brown's video can be seen here:

Hoover police issued a response to Brown's video, saying the stop followed proper police procedure.

"According to our Computer Aided Dispatch records system (CAD), the facts are as follows: a traffic stop involving Hoover Police and Mr. Brown occurred on April 7, 2018 in the area of the Lorna Road and Rocky Ridge Ranch Road," Hoover police said. "At 3:29 a.m., a Hoover police officer conducted a traffic stop on a silver Dodge Magnum (Georgia license plate) which had no visible tag light and an expired tag. The Officer reported to Dispatch that the occupant(s) in the vehicle were 'unknown,' meaning the Officer could not see the number and description of the driver and occupant(s)."

Another of Brown's complaints was that Hoover police called in multiple units to assist with what he felt was a routine traffic stop.

"Considering it was past 3:00 in the morning, and based on our standard operating procedures for Officer safety, a backup Officer arrived to assist within minutes, at 3:38 a.m.," Hoover police said in response. "This would also be common during daytime hours as well."

Brown, who is running for Place 2 on the Hoover City Council in Tuesday's municipal elections, has been vocal about the police's relationship with minorities in Hoover, including recent Black Lives Matter protests in the city.