for comment for this story. In the documents, however, he testified that he believed Winkeler would be a great officer if given the proper training and allowed to attend the academy.

Winkeler left the Latta department on March 27, 2017. He was hired by Florence Airport on Aug. 2, 2019.

At the time of his death, he had completed four weeks of video-based training but hadn't yet attended the academy's eight-week live program, records show.

Florence Airport police officials did not respond to emailed questions seeking comment.

Academy backlog

Wait times to get into the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy have ballooned at times over the years.

In 2019, Reynolds and North Charleston officials proposed separate bids to establish a Lowcountry training academy but its governing board, heavy with officials from the Midlands, swatted theidea away.

Academy officials have long been protective of their turf, favoring a centralized facility that provides a uniform level of training to officers from departments both large and small. They worry that consistency will be lost if the system is fractured. The academy, perennially strapped for cash, also is leery of competition that might siphon off training funds.

And Swindler said recent changes have all but eliminated wait times.

Before the end of June 2019, the average wait to get into the academy was 106 days, he said. Since then, officials introduced four weeks of video-based classes to the academy's curriculum. If students pass the video courses and a series of tests, they are given a slot for the eight-week, in-person academy.

Wait times are now less than two weeks, Swindler