Batesburg-Leesville hires well known Lexington County lawman as new Chief of Police

Batesburg-Leesville, SC 11/19/2022 - Batesburg-Leesville Town Manager, Ted Luckadoo, has announced the hiring of Darren Amick as the new Chief of Police for the Town of Batesburg-Leesville. Chief Amick will be stepping into the new role following the retirement of Chief Wallace Oswald, who served as Chief of Police for 42 years, on July 1, 2022.

After a 2-month process which included panel interviews with highly regarded law enforcement officials, city managers, and officials from the Solicitor’s Office, the decision was made that Amick was the best choice and brought the most management and leadership experience to continue what Chief Oswald has built over the last 42 years. Luckadoo, stated “I can’t begin to describe how difficult it has been to go through this process and to find the person you feel is right to follow in the footsteps of a highly regarded 42-year Police Chief. We had a wonderful pool of candidates, both internal and external, and there were so many great options to decide from, but ultimately you must select a candidate based on overall credentials and ability to lead and Darren was the most qualified and experienced person. I know he will come in and lead the department, pick up on where Chief Oswald is leaving off, and move us into the future. Change is always difficult, but I know his experience will be very beneficial during this time of change.”

Amick, who resides in the Gilbert area, has an extensive career in law enforcement that stretches over 36 years. He began his career in April 1986 as a telecommunications operator for the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. After serving in that role for a year, he became a deputy and from there his career advanced up the ranks within the Department. During his time at Lexington County, he attended and graduated from the prestigious FBI National Academy. His most notable roles within the Sheriff’s Department were Lieutenant of Narcotics/Task Force Commander (2001-2003),Captain/Region Commander (2005-2007), Captain/Headquarters Commander (2007-2010), and his final position within the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department was Major of Operations (2010-2014). These leadership positions over that 13-year period afforded him the opportunity to gain valuable leadership and management experience. During his career, Amick served for 3 years in the 11th Circuit Solicitor’s Office as a Chief Investigator, where he investigated and prepared Capital murder cases for trial.

In 2012, Amick decided to retire and return to the Sheriff’s Department in his same role as Major of Operations. More recently in November 2020, Amick went to work at the SC Criminal Justice Academy, where he serves as an Instructor/Training Coordinator for their Mobile Training Unit. “When you talk about Amick’s experience and leadership, he has led from the front across many

different aspects of law enforcement to include instructing, community policing, narcotics, operations, investigations, and most importantly administration,” Luckadoo stated.

Amick, a native of the Chapin area of Lexington County, is excited about the opportunity to lead the Batesburg-Leesville Police Department, which he is very familiar with, having worked closely with Chief Oswald and the department over the years while at the Sheriff’s Department. He stated “I’m looking forward to working with the men and women of BLPD, the Town Council, and more importantly the community as we provide professional law enforcement services. I know following in the footsteps of Chief Oswald will be no easy task, but I know he has built a strong foundation of success and I intend to continue and build on those successes. My vision is one of strong community relationships, community policing, and serving others.”

Chief Oswald officially retires June 30, 2022, and Chief Amick will begin his new role in the next couple of weeks, which will afford him some time with Chief Oswald before his retirement. In Amick’s first official move, he is promoting Captain Dave Bouknight to the rank of Major to serve as Assistant Police Chief. Amick understands the importance of having the internal knowledge

and feels Bouknight is the person to serve by his side in his new role.