Cosimo Castronovo

Captain Coz Castronovo began his law enforcement career with the Aventura Police Department in 1997.  During his nearly 25-year career with the agency, he worked in the Patrol Division as both an Officer and a Field Training Officer, as a Detective in the Street Crimes Unit, Background Investigations, the Community Policing Unit and as a Corporal in the Administrative Division.  Coz was also a member of the elite S.W.A.T. Team for 12 years where he served as both an Operator and as a Team Leader.  During his career, Coz was the recipient of numerous awards where he was recognized for his outstanding achievements and decision-making skills.       

 

In 2008, Coz was promoted to Sergeant.  He served the next several years as a supervisor in the Patrol Division, the Crime Suppression Team, the Criminal Investigations Division, Internal Affairs and as the Assistant Accreditation Manager for CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies) for the agency.  In 2016, Coz was promoted to Captain.  During his numerous years as a member of the Command Staff, Coz supervised both the Administrative Division and the Operations Division of the agency.  He was named the Accreditation Manager for CALEA upon his promotion to Captain.  In 2018, Coz was honored to be selected to attend the prestigious F.B.I. National Academy where he graduated as a member of NA Session #272.      

 

Although he was responsible for numerous specialized units throughout the agency during his time as a Captain, his passion was always ensuring that a fair and objective review/investigation took place when it came to complaints against agency personnel.  Coz spent nearly 10 years as a supervisor of the Internal Affairs Unit.  As Captain of the Administrative Division, he was responsible for supervising Internal Affairs Complaints, Citizen Complaints, Use of Force Reports, Vehicle Pursuit Reports and Vehicle Crash Reports for the agency.  Due to his unwavering integrity, Coz developed a reputation throughout the South Florida Law Enforcement Community as someone who could be trusted, who was unbiased and who had impeccable interpersonal skills.  The investigations that he and his team conducted were known to be thorough, impartial, completed in a timely manner and his conclusions were well supported by facts that were clearly articulated in their reports.  

 

Captain Coz Castronovo retired from the Aventura Police Department in 2022.  In addition to his many accomplishments in the law enforcement profession, he has also attained several impressive academic achievements during his career.  In 2004, Coz earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Union Institute and University.  In 2008, he earned a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Florida International University (F.I.U.)  Since 2008, Coz has been employed by Florida International University as an Adjunct Professor for their Undergraduate Criminal Justice Program where he is routinely one of the university’s highest rated professors.  

Captain Coz Castronovo is a well-respected authority in the law enforcement community who is known for his reputation regarding the investigation of citizen complaints, supervising detectives/investigators, maintaining procedural integrity, making informed decisions and recommendations and operating with transparency.  These skills are what makes him an expert in understanding the importance of obtaining and maintaining public trust.  Coz is a talented instructor who is known for creating a positive learning environment where students feel extremely comfortable asking lots of questions.  The valuable experience that he has obtained through his many years of investigating and supervising cases such as citizen complaints, use of force issues, vehicle pursuits and crashes and the real-life stories that he shares and that participants can learn from make attending his Internal Affairs Class a “can’t miss training course.”