State of Denial BONUS Scene
By Marie Force
SAMANTHA HOLLAND CAPPUANO
Wife, Mother, Detective and First Lady. In that order.
By: Darren Tabor
To look at her in her element, you’d never know anything had changed. Metro Police Lieutenant Samantha Holland Cappuano sits among the Homicide detectives she commands, trading thoughts and ideas as they review the case files of now-disgraced former Lieutenant Leonard Stahl—the same former officer convicted of trying to kill her twice.
Holland Cappuano, which is how she asked us to refer to her for this article, and her team are determined to review every one of Stahl’s cases after discovering the imprisoned former officer cut corners that led to disastrous consequences.
“We’ve uncovered serious irregularities in many of his old cases,” she says. “We’re going to examine each one of them and do what we can to make it right.”
It’s just another day in the life of America’s highest-profile working mom. After a full day on the job at the MPD, she goes home to the White House where she lives with President Nick Cappuano and their children, Scotty, 14, and twins, Aubrey and Alden, 6. They consider the twins’ older brother, Elijah, 20 and a junior at Princeton, to be their “bonus son.”
“The kids have made a smooth transition to the White House,” Holland Cappuano says. “They love the pool, bowling alley and theater as well as the chocolate chip cookies that the president and I try to stay away from.”
When asked how that’s going, she says with a smile, “Not great. They’re so good. The White House staff is amazing. They take such incredible care of us. They make it possible for me to continue to work as a police officer while juggling motherhood and first lady duties.”
As first lady, Holland Cappuano has put her focus on working mothers, criminal justice reform, spinal cord research, infertility awareness and adoption, all subjects near and dear to her heart. Her father, former MPD Deputy Chief Skip Holland, died in October, almost four years after being shot on the job and left a quadriplegic. His plight has made her and her family much more aware of the challenges that come with spinal cord injuries.
“I watched my dad struggle to adapt to his new reality, and it made me see how spinal cord injuries impact a patient and the entire family,” she says. “It’s important to me to shine a light on those struggles and to encourage donations to organizations that are pursuing treatments and therapies to assist paralyzed people.”
After suffering through years of well-documented infertility, Holland Cappuano has also become a vocal advocate for more research into the causes of infertility and for support for patients enduring the invasive treatments and procedures. “They’re chasing a dream that comes so easily for some people,” she says. “I see that in my own life. My sisters will soon have six children between them. Two of my close friends are expecting. And while I’ve made peace with not being able to carry a baby, that doesn’t take away the heartache of the journey I and so many others have undertaken.”
Being a mother to Scotty and the twins, she says, is the best thing to ever happen to her. “They’ve made our family complete, and we couldn’t be happier to get to be their parents and guardians.”
Holland Cappuano and the president took in the twins after their parents, Jameson and Cleo Armstrong, were murdered in a home invasion last fall.
“They’ve very quickly become an essential part of our family,” Holland Cappuano says of the twins and their older brother. “We feel so fortunate to have them and Scotty in our lives.”
She gives credit to White House Chief of Staff to the First Lady Lilia Van Nostrand and the rest of the Office of the First Lady staff for making it possible for her to contribute to her husband’s administration while holding down a full-time job outside the White House.
Her husband’s transition from vice president to president has been bumpy, to say the least, but Holland Cappuano says she’s proud of the way he’s risen to the moment. “The American people may not know yet how lucky they are to have Nick in the Oval Office,” she says, “but I think they’ll know that before much longer. Nick is one of those rare people who always does the right thing and leads with his heart. I can’t wait to see what he and his team will accomplish over the next three years.”
She’s coy when asked about the possibility of him running for reelection. “He’s already expressed his disinterest in the long-drawn-out campaign, and that hasn’t changed since he became president. He’s waited all his life to have a family of his own, and he doesn’t want to miss anything with the kids. The next election cycle is a couple of years away, so we’re not really thinking about it right now.”
She laughs when she adds, “We have more than enough on our plates as it is.”
In May, the National Association of Police Organizations will present Holland Cappuano with one of its TOP COPS Awards. She will also deliver the keynote address at the organization’s annual gathering. When asked how she feels about the TOP COPS Award, she is visibly uncomfortable.
“There are so many amazing law enforcement officers working every day to keep their communities safe,” she says. “It feels odd to be singled out, but I’m thankful for the acknowledgment of the hard work of my team. No one does a job like mine alone. I’m blessed to work with some of the best people I’ve ever known, and I’ll accept the award on their behalf.”
The first couple will soon celebrate their second wedding anniversary. When asked how she’d sum up the first two years of their marriage, she says, “It’s been the most exciting time of my life—and his.”