The Vincent City Council on Thursday voted to "temporarily abolish" the city's entire police department.
The vote came after a racist text message involving two of the three police officers surfaced.
Reportedly, the text message exchange included an unidentified officer asking, "What do y'all call a pregnant slave?" The same number then answered, "BOGO Buy one, get one free."
Per ABC 33/40, audience members attending the public hearing at Vincent Middle High School over the text messages called for the officers involved to be fired. However, Mayor James Latimer advised that law enforcement under state law and the city's personnel policy could not be fired after only one documented offense. He said the only way to get around that policy would be to disband the department.
The city council then voted to do away with its police department with an amendment by councilman Corey Abrams to add the word "temporarily" to the ordinance.
According to Latimer, Vincent will enter a contract with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office for the next year to police the city that is located in Talladega, Shelby and St. Clair Counties, with the expectation it would reestablish its police department in the future.
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