Alabama town moves to dissolve its police department over texted racist joke

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August 5, 2022

By David K. Li, NBC News

The Vincent City Council took action after the comment was shared among officers.

Residents in Vincent, Ala., crowded an emergency council meeting on Thursday as city officials decided to disband the local police force.
(WBRC FOX6 News)

Lawmakers in a small Alabama town on Thursday moved to fire its police chief and dissolve the entire department after a racist joke was texted among officers.

The Vincent City Council, representing almost 2,000 people about 35 miles east of Birmingham, voted unanimously to begin the process of ending city police services and contracting with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.

“I have thought long and hard about this. It’s not a decision that I have come to very easily,” Mayor James Latimer said at the council meeting Thursday ahead of votes to terminate the chief and assistant chief and end the department.

“As all of you know, I’ve always wanted us to have the best police department possible. I think in light of recent events, it’s no longer possible, at least in this moment, for us to continue services of the police department.”

Shelby County Sheriff John Samaniego said he backed the move.

Discover more about this notable decision.

The disbanding of the department allows the community to consider alternatives to law enforcement.

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