A night with Hoover PD
Hoover Police Department Officer Kyle Brohl starts his shift at 2 p.m. and continues until 10 p.m. – depending on how long paperwork takes. Brohl grew up in a small town in Michigan, and although it took some time, Brohl has adjusted to the summer heat after a few years in Alabama.
The Hoover Sun participated in a ride-along with Brohl, joining him one Friday night in July at 6:45 p.m.
6:59 p.m. – Brohl pulls over a driver for watching what appeared to be a video on her phone and having a dealership drive away tag. He calls in the traffic stop – “Just for safety reasons,” he said. After speaking with the driver, Brohl runs her name through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) to check for outstanding warrants. The driver receives a warning for her transgressions.
7:02 p.m. – Brohl receives dispatch for a reported vehicle theft at Hendrick Hoover Auto Mall. A driver reported false information to receive a loan and refuses to return the car to the dealership. Brohl takes down information about the suspect and vehicle, letting the reporting manager know that if the car is returned he can notify police and decide not to press charges.
As Brohl heads back to the Tahoe, the manager notifies Brohl that another manager needs to file a similar report.
7:27 p.m. – Brohl prepares to leave the dealership, when the manager comes out and says the first suspect is on the phone. He talks with the suspect and tells her to return the vehicle.
7:32 p.m. – A robbery is reported. Three suspects, including an armed black male, unarmed black male and unarmed black female, reportedly robbed a victim and took $30. The robbery occurred at a Walgreens, and one officer is dispatched to stay with the victim. Other officers, including Brohl, go to patrol neighborhoods for the suspects.
The suspects are located in Chace Lake Villas, off of Old Montgomery Highway. One suspect takes off running, and Brohl pulls out his gun and tells the other two suspects to get on the ground.
A second officer arrives on the scene to handcuff the two suspects, one male and one female. Brohl keeps his gun out as the officer handcuffs the suspects.
7:42 p.m. – The third suspect reportedly ran to Barrington on the Green, also located on Old Montgomery Highway.
Four police vehicles are now on the scene, and the handcuffed suspects have been placed in the vehicles. Brohl leaves to patrol Barrington on the Green for the third suspect.
“The good thing is we have two suspects in custody,” Brohl said. With the two suspects, Brohl said Hoover detectives will likely be able to get the information they need.
Brohl drives through the area, asking residents if they have seen someone matching the suspect’s description.
“Just make sure to keep the house locked tonight,” Brohl said to one resident.
He steps out of the vehicle to check backyards and over fences for the suspect, then leaves the neighborhood to check businesses in Chace Landing.
8:10 p.m. - After leaving the search, Brohl returns to Hendrick Hoover Auto Mall to check vehicle identification numbers (VINs) on the cars that were reported stolen earlier in the night. He calls the corrected numbers into dispatch.
A call reporting a disorderly customer comes in from the McDonalds on Montgomery Highway, near Riverchase Galleria. The customer left the location, and Brohl searched for her car without success on the way to the McDonalds. The McDonalds manager told Brohl the suspect stole a drink and used profanity while children were near, but no charges are filed.
8:30 p.m. – Brohl drives across his beat, away from where officers are still searching for the third robbery suspect. By heading to where officers are absent, Brohl said it helps make sure the territory is covered and allows him to patrol some of the neighborhoods in the area.
8:47 p.m. – Brohl drives to an apartment complex to back up another officer. A woman reported knocking on her door when she wasn’t expecting anyone. After she called the police, the knocking did not continue.
9 p.m. - Brohl drives through one neighborhood where one house receives many neighbor complaints. The house is sometimes used to conduct drug deals, Brohl said, and neighbors often call police to the area.
“This is my beat, so I like to frequently patrol them,” Brohl said.
9:25 p.m. – Brohl drives to back up another officer during a traffic stop.
9:45 p.m. – Brohl returns to the Hoover Police Department Field Operations Office on Lorna Road and wraps up the night’s paperwork.