An Alabama Town Dissolves Its Police Department After Racist Texts Were Sent Between Officers

An Alabama town abolished its police department after texts between officers joking about slavery surfaced.

On Thursday, the city of Vincent voted to disband its police department following racist texts between officers. Police Chief James Srygley and Assistant Chief John L. Goss allegedly texted jokes about a pregnant slave to other officers.

“What do y’all call a pregnant slave?” asked a text message by someone identified only as “752.”

The unidentified respondent texts back “?” in one message and “??” in a second, before “752” responds with “BOGO Buy one, get one free.”

The texts later surfaced on social media. On Tuesday, Alabama Mayor James Latimore said, “appropriate action has been taken” against the officer who’s the culprit behind the text.

The remaining officer still employed by the city, officer Lee Carden, resigned shortly after the vote.

Vincent is located in the center of Alabama and has a population of less than 2,000. As of Sunday, the police department section of the city’s website has been wiped clean.