Gang awareness program today in Batesburg-Leesville

The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department will hold a gang awareness program at 7 p.m. today at the Ridge Road Community Center, 1257 Ridge Road, Batesburg-Leesville.

The program is designed to inform parents, grandparents and other adults and citizens about how they can determine whether teens and young adults are involved in gangs, Lexington County Sheriff James R. Metts said.

Some signs a teen might be involved in a gang:

• A new set of friends

• Preference for specific clothes or clothes in a particular color

• A slip in grades

• Use of symbols like the “Star of David,” pitchforks and pyramids

• Behavior problems