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Multiple high-ranking officers are reportedly no longer employed by the public safety department tasked with protecting South Carolina’s Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) following what sources have described as a simultaneous separation last week.
Those public safety officers, four in total, were said to have been separated from Columbia Metro Airport Public Safety (CMADPS) at roughly the same time, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Unlike traditional police departments, CMADPS includes both sworn law enforcement officers and firefighters, all of whom are certified in Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF).
Those involved in last week’s departures, however, are said to be sworn law enforcement officers.
It remains unclear whether these officers were terminated outright or given the option to resign. Equally unclear is whether the departures stemmed from specific disciplinary actions or from other considerations within the department.
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Sources indicate the four officers held supervisory roles within CMADPS, including some at the department’s highest levels.
FITSNews subsequently obtained the officers’ names and sought to confirm the circumstances of their separations by requesting these records from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy (SCCJA).
As of Wednesday morning (March 4, 2026), however, the academy told FITSNews it had not yet received any paperwork indicating the officers had separated from the agency. A spokesperson further stated the four officers are still listed as “active” in the academy’s database.
“The agency does have 15 days to send in paperwork to the academy,” an academy spokesperson told FITSNews.
Prior to last week’s reported exodus, CMADPS consisted of about 20 public safety officers serving in law enforcement and emergency response roles at the roughly 2,600-acre airport – which serves as the primary commercial aviation hub for Columbia and the broader Midlands region.
FITSNews has requested comment from CAE regarding the alleged departures.
This story may be updated.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy Award–winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. He joined FITSNews in 2023 after leaving an NBC affiliate, where he served as on-air talent. His reporting focuses on public corruption in South Carolina, with an emphasis on law enforcement misconduct and abuse of power.
3 comments
Do they use breathalyzer at the airport?
They are subjected to random drug tests but that was not a factor here.
I have been told that since then 2 additional officers have resigned from the department.