Police dept. disbanded over texts

Vincent, Ala., adopted an ordinance on Thursday temporarily disbanding the city’s police department after the discovery of racist texts between officers.

An unidentified officer texted a joke about a “pregnant slave” to a co-worker in June, according to Birmingham-based news site AL.com.

Vincent Mayor James Latimer (R) said at a Thursday public hearing that the police officers involved in the situation could not legally be fired because of a policy requiring two formal complaints and a verbal warning before removal.

“Based on our personnel policies, we cannot terminate them,” the mayor said.