Mike Jones (Helena)

Michael Ryan Jones (born c. 1976) is a former Helena Police sergeant, founder of Event Operations Group in Pelham, former president of the Helena City Council, and former chief of the Brookside Police Department.

Jones graduated from Thompson High School in 1994 and began his career as an officer in the Helena Police Department, beginning with the Boy Scouts of America's "Explorer" program. Over the course of his career he was awarded 11 commendations for outstanding service in the line of duty. He led the department's Community Service and Crime Prevention programs, served as commander of the Explorer Division, Emergency Response Team Leader, patrol supervisor, and tactical training coordinator. He also represented the department at City Council meetings.

Jones developed the Alabama Law Enforcement Advisors Association, which he serves a board president and director of its State Academy. In 2003 he was appointed as a staff training advisor for the Explorer training academy at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation. He developed the "Volunteers in Police Service" program which was adopted nationally by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Jones founded his own business in 2006, employing thousands of part-time workers as an event management and security contractor for events at the BJCC, the Barber Motorsports Park, the Talladega Superspeedway, the University of Alabama, and Auburn University, as well as contracting for day-to-day operations at venues like WorkPlay and the McWane Science Center. By 2011 Jones had been named a "Top 40 Under 40" business leader and had 33 full-time employees at newly-opened offices in Pelham's Oak Mountain Business Park. By 2012 he was serving on the International Business Advisory Board for the University of Alabama's Culverhouse College of Business. In 2014 the company was named "Small Business of the Year" by the Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce.

Jones challenged incumbent Barbara Hyche for a place 2 seat on Helena's City Council in Helena in 2012. He ran on a campaign of strengthening law enforcement, improving traffic, economic development and improvements to educational and recreational facilities. He won that race and was unopposed for a second term in the 2016 election. When the new council was seated in November 2016 he was elected council president.

In September 2018 Jones' company stopped doing business, and was named in multiple lawsuits from lenders, insurers and vendors for hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid bills. Jones accepted an appointment to serve as chief of police for Brookside, and then resigned from the Helena City Council effective November 25.

Under Jones' command, Brookside's police department grew rapidly, earning enormous revenues from citations issued in traffic stops. In July 2020 Jones contracted COVID-19 and received respiratory support and plasma therapy in intensive care.

The department's aggressive practices were detailed in a January 2022 column by John Archibald for The Birmingham News which provoked significant outrage. Jones resigned from the department a few days afterward. In April of that year Jones showed his badge to a Covington County sheriff's deputy to get out of a speeding ticket. A warrant for his arrest was issued when it was determined that he had resigned his position. He turned himself in on May 1 at the Covington County Jail.

References

• Chapman, Beth (October 10, 2011) "Mike Jones and Event Operations Group continues award-winning work" Shelby County Reporter
• "City Councilman Mike Jones' company wins Small Business of the Year Award" (August 4, 2014) Helena City News
• Gould, Cynthia (November 14, 2018) "Helena Council President dodges questions about his private business' unpaid bills" ABC3340.com
• Brooks, Graham (November 26, 2018) "Mike Jones resigns as Helena City Council president" Shelby County Reporter
• Grantin, Linda (July 27, 2020) "Brookside police chief battling coronavirus in ICU". wvtm13.com
• Archibald, John (January 19, 2022) "Police in this tiny Alabama town suck drivers into legal ‘black hole’" The Birmingham News
• Archibald, John (January 25, 2022) "Brookside Police Chief Mike Jones resigns after AL.com report on traffic trap" The Birmingham News