Staff Sections

Main Content

Hickory Composite Squadron Safety Officer draws on police career in Civil Air Patrol

Maj Capobianco promotion
2 of 3
At his promotion ceremony, Maj Mauro Capobianco has his new rank pinned on by Lt. Col Reid Mackay, DCC NC124 and his grandson, Charles Willis. Photo credit: Lt Col Tony Wright, NC124 Squadron Commander. (click image to view full size)
Story Tools

Major Capobianco documents his experiences as a police officer in new book

By Lt. Col. Tony Wright, CAP
Squadron Commander NC124

3/27/2015–Hickory, NC– Major Mauro J. Capobianco came to the Civil Air Patrol in 2008 with 27 years of experience with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. If asked he'll tell you that he joined CAP primarily for the Cadet Program, to which he brought his then 12 year old grandson, Charlie. This afforded him a unique opportunity to spend time with his grandson. Unfortunately, upon entering High School his grandson elected to join the Naval Jr. ROTC program. However, Major Capobianco, the true volunteer that he is, stayed on in CAP. 

His achievements include CPPT, SLS, TLC, CLC in addition to numerous on-line achievements. At one point he was a qualified Scanner and Observer, and flew many a mission with various pilots. He also brought his 20 years of NYPD police experience to Wing Headquarters when he was appointed by Col. Roy Douglass to the position of Drug Demand Reduction Administrator for the North Carolina Wing. He is currently our Squadron Safety Officer. During some of his Safety Briefings he is fond of stressing “Situational Awareness”, paying attention at all times to everything that is going on around you. You might call it Police Academy 101, or “enhanced ORM”! 
 
His experience with the NYPD led him, in his retirement, to a position with the State of Florida, where he was employed as a Child Abuse Investigator for their Dept. of Children and Family Services. His educational achievements include an AAS in Police Science (With Honors), a BA in Social Sciences (Magna Cum Laude), and a BSN in Nursing. He has practiced as an RN in New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, as well as doing a short stint passing out medication to inmates at the maximum security prison in Taylorsville, NC. He is currently licensed as an RN in North Carolina, and serves as our Assistant Health Services Officer. 
 
While a US Army Military Police vet who spent 13 months in Korea in 1959 and 1960, and was discharged in  May of 1962, he also spent from 1985 to 1987 in Southern Italy, where he was employed by the US Department of Defense as a Nurse Consultant assigned to the USAF San Vito Air Station in San Vito, Italy. While in Italy he received a Letter of Commendation from Lt. Col. Robert H. Brannon USAF, MSC who was the Commanding Officer of the USAF Clinic. Major Capobianco currently possesses a Private Investigator’s license and is the owner of Anova Investigations, with an office in Hickory, NC. His is a member of the VFW, and the American Legion, as well as many other Professional Investigator’s Associations. He has served as the Commander of Flotilla 26-05, based on Lake Hickory, and is currently the Materials Officer for Division 26 of the 5th Southern Region of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary.  
 
On March 13, 2015, Major Capobianco’s penned his first novel which was released on Amazon.com. He has drawn on all of the above experiences and has authored an exciting book entitled “Some Call It Justice”. The book follows the exploits of police officer “Martino Caporusso”, and his exciting exploits working in some of the most dangerous neighborhoods of Brooklyn, New York. 
 
If you would like Major Capobianco to provide details that will be useful for Moral Leadership programs and DDR presentations, or you need additional information about his book, you can email Major Capobianco at Anovapi@aol.com, or call him at 828 328-9700.