A former Lake Charles police officer and Lake Charles native was sworn in this month as Commander of Civil Air Patrol’s Louisiana Wing.

Col. James Viney was officially promoted at an annual banquet on April 9 where his wife, Regina Viney, and the couple’s granddaughter, Kailyn Viney pinned his new rank epaulettes onto his uniform.

Viney was sworn in by Col. David Roberts, Vice Commander of the Civil Air Patrol’s Southwest Region.

Cadet Senior Airman Samantha Jordan, a member of the Lake Charles Composite Squadron, served as flag bearer for the ceremony.

Viney said he was honored to receive the promotion, and that he will be calling upon his past experiences in the Civil Air Patrol and his professional career to do his job to the best of his abilities, making Louisiana Wing the “gold standard” to which all other wings can aspire.

Before joining LCPD, Viney joined the Civil Air Patrol as a cadet in the 1970’s, working his way up to becoming a senior member. He served in multiple positions along the way, including Commander of the Lake Charles Composite Squadron and Vice Commander of the Louisiana Wing.

Viney retired from the Lake Charles Police Department after serving his home community for 30 years. He is currently an instructor at the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office Regional Training Academy.

Established in 1941, Civil Air Patrol is the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and is a member of its Total Force. In its auxiliary role, CAP operates a fleet of 555 single-engine aircraft and 2,250 small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS), and performs about 90 percent of all search and rescue operations within the contiguous United States as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center.

The CAP was credited with saving 108 lives last year alone.