The Batesburg-Leesville Police Department used racially specific language that the ACLU of South Carolina called a “red flag” in a recent scam alert posted to social media.

“We have been alerted and subsequently addressed a ‘Romanian Gypsy Ring’ this morning at our Wal-Mart,” the department posted Dec. 8. “These offenders will use guile and trickery in an attempt to take yours and your loved ones money. They will target our senior citizens mostly but will also prey on any individual they believe they can victimize. They usually ask for money but will also ask for baby formula along with diapers that they will ultimately sell for their own profit. PLEASE, do not give these individuals anything and make sure you give us a call so that we can address them accordingly.”

Upon noticing the social media alert, the Chronicle relayed it to the ACLU to get their take on the language used.

"The U.S. Constitution guarantees equal protection under the law, and that includes freedom from discriminatory policing,” Paul Bowers, director of communications for the ACLU of South Carolina, said in a statement. “The use of racial stereotypes in an official police statement is, at minimum, a big red flag."

Reached by the Chronicle, Batesburg-Leesville Police Chief Darren Amick said he wasn’t surprised by the ACLU’s response to the alert.

“I understand in today's world people can be sensitive in reference to labeling people, I get that, I get it 100%,” he said. “I know the Romani people, it’s a very rich culture, still is today. So to label them, that wasn’t my intent. My intent was to make sure my people in the town and adjacent towns knew that these people, more likely than not, it was a flim-flam and not to give them money.”

He said the same group identified as the “ring” in the post were at the Wal-Mart at 115 East Church St. last year and had a baby with them, asking for diapers and formula that they then would sell at flea markets, attributing this conclusion to “intel we get through law enforcement networks.”

Amick provided incident reports he said related to the ring’s activity at the Wal-Mart last year, They detail two service calls, one from December 2022 and one from January 2023, each dealing with a different woman asking for money at the Wal-Mart, the first doing so outside with a cardboard sign and the other going up to customers inside the store. The latter woman was arrested for trespassing; the booking report notes her place of birth as Romania.

Asked if he would change the language the department uses to describe such activity in the future, Amick was noncommittal, emphasizing that his focus is on protecting Batesburg-Leesville residents from potential scams.

“I would remain neutral on that,” he said. “I understand why you called and had to query. ... And I think in today's world, we can always do better when it comes to labeling people. But that's what we know in the law enforcement world, we know them as these travelers or these Gypsies or these Romani or Romanian rings of crime.”