Many people that I speak to in Italy share "a.’s" negative attitude towards the police, though the reasons and severity of the negativity may differ by region.
My relatives in Sicily have no confidence in the police. We argued over dinner during the summer, about whether the police serve a purpose and protect the citizens. They said the police always arrive late, after the crime has taken place, and for this reason, they have no respect for the police; however, Sicily functions on a differnt code and culture compared to the North.
In Florence I have come across some people with an alternative political view towards police and the central government.
I dated a cop for a month or two, and three of my friends tried to convince me to break up with him, because of his profession.
"Don't dirty yourself with a cop," a friend said.
Public offices withholding information from its citizens, is such a difficult concept for me to wrap my head around. I have never tried to get information on a robbery in the States, but I know that the documents on an arrest, crime, lawsuit etc … are public, and anyone can look at them.
I read in online version of The Plain Dealer, a daily paper distributed in my hometown Cleveland, that someone I knew had been arrested. From Italy, I called the county jail located in a small town in Ohio. They did not ask who I was, they did not ask why I wanted the information, and they just answered my questions about the facts of the case.
In Italy, journalists are not free. Reporters need to recieve accreditation from the government in order to be considered a "journalist," and recieve "private" information, a throwback to fascism and Mussolini.
Today I went to Palazzo Vecchio, a historic building built by the Medici family that houses the Comune di Firenze (city hall). I had originally gone there to speak to someone in the press office, but once inside the building I noticed a sign that said Polizia Municipale.
There have been several thefts against visitors of Florence in the past weeks. All of the robberies occurred around the same time, from 2:30 a.m.-3:30 a.m. and in the streets surrounding Piazza Santa Croce — all of the victims were women.
Tourists and American students frequent the area, Piazza Santa Croce, at night. The street that faces the Piazza has a string of bars that are popular with American students and other visitors of the city. In my opinion people are profiting on the fact that some student or visitor will be walking home from the bar alone. So I am hoping that the local police will step up security in that area, especially during the hours after the bars close.
I read about those robberies in La Nazione, a local daily, but wanted to find first hand information about the occurrences. So I walked into the Polizia Municipale office. A man in uniform greeted me. I told him about the crimes reported in the paper and explained what I was looking for.
He was not forthcoming about information.
“What time did the incidents occur and who intervened,” he asked with a touch of hostility.
Italy has three types of police and each has a separate jurisdiction: Polizia di Stato, Carabinieri and Polizia Municipale.
I could not answer those questions. I had no idea who intervened. Italy’s bureaucracy is tangled and murky, to fully understand who does what will take me years. I felt he was just being difficult for whatever reason. I mentioned that I was a journalist — big mistake.
“You cannot just talk to any police on the street,” He said repeatedly.
I looked around. I thought I was in the town hall; normally a place for citizens of a community to interact with the administration, but maybe someone had slipped some hallucinates in my coffee. Maybe this conversation was taking place in the middle of the road.
He told me to go to an office near the Cascine to speak to the Segretaria Comandante. The Cascine is the most west part of Florence. It is located in no-man’s-land. I asked for the name of the person with whom I should be speaking to.
Again he told me that I could not speak to any police on the street. I explained clearly that I completely understand this concept.
I changed the question. I asked him the responsibility of this particular office. Again he told me to go to the Cascine and that I could not just speak to any police on the street.
I asked again. I am stubborn. His colleague stepped in.
“No let me explain it to her, because she keeps insisting,” he said
I understand that the men were not authorized to give me a statement related to the incidents that occurred in Piazza Santa Croce; however, as a citizen of Florence, it is a normal question to ask about the responsibilities and services of the Polizia Municipale, and in particular, the purpose of the office found in the comune.
They would not answer my question. Actually they did, they rudely and repeatedly told me that what they do there is “un segreto (it's a secret).”
I am hard headed and sometimes people need to say things directly to me, because I cannot read between the lines. A third man appeared and he shouted the same response, “è un segreto!”
"a." was right, they were telling me to "screw off." Naïve me did not catch on for the first minute. Maybe I was really in Langley, Virginia.
It turns out the men I spoke to were Vigile Urbani, not the CIA. They can give out tickets pertaining to city codes and ordinances, and cannot make arrests. I discovered that later, from the informative and forthcoming policewoman of the Polizia dello Stato, located in Piazze del Ciompi (she could not give details on crimes, but could explain the responsibilites of the police).
I do not understand why the men in the comune could not tell me that themselves. Having three men shouting at you is not fun. So I gave up and left the Polizia Municipale, and continued on my search for the press office.
I spoke to the policewoman who stood near the entrance of the comune.
“Where is the press office,” I asked.
“I am not sure, go to the Polizia Municipale and ask them,” she said
I have changed this post several times due to sources taking offense that I published private conversations, and colleagues advising me to be more specific on the reasons why some groups are against police; and I posted a photo as proof that people lack respect for the police, however I do not want the reader to confuse other's opinions with my own, thus I deleted the photo.
I may have lost some friends over this post, but what I have written is the truth and I believe that people need know that information that should be public, is actually private in Italy.
I read in online version of The Plain Dealer, a daily paper distributed in my hometown Cleveland, that someone I knew had been arrested. From Italy, I called the county jail located in a small town in Ohio. They did not ask who I was, they did not ask why I wanted the information, and they just answered my questions about the facts of the case.
In Italy, journalists are not free. Reporters need to recieve accreditation from the government in order to be considered a "journalist," and recieve "private" information, a throwback to fascism and Mussolini.
Today I went to Palazzo Vecchio, a historic building built by the Medici family that houses the Comune di Firenze (city hall). I had originally gone there to speak to someone in the press office, but once inside the building I noticed a sign that said Polizia Municipale.
There have been several thefts against visitors of Florence in the past weeks. All of the robberies occurred around the same time, from 2:30 a.m.-3:30 a.m. and in the streets surrounding Piazza Santa Croce — all of the victims were women.
Tourists and American students frequent the area, Piazza Santa Croce, at night. The street that faces the Piazza has a string of bars that are popular with American students and other visitors of the city. In my opinion people are profiting on the fact that some student or visitor will be walking home from the bar alone. So I am hoping that the local police will step up security in that area, especially during the hours after the bars close.
I read about those robberies in La Nazione, a local daily, but wanted to find first hand information about the occurrences. So I walked into the Polizia Municipale office. A man in uniform greeted me. I told him about the crimes reported in the paper and explained what I was looking for.
He was not forthcoming about information.
“What time did the incidents occur and who intervened,” he asked with a touch of hostility.
Italy has three types of police and each has a separate jurisdiction: Polizia di Stato, Carabinieri and Polizia Municipale.
I could not answer those questions. I had no idea who intervened. Italy’s bureaucracy is tangled and murky, to fully understand who does what will take me years. I felt he was just being difficult for whatever reason. I mentioned that I was a journalist — big mistake.
“You cannot just talk to any police on the street,” He said repeatedly.
I looked around. I thought I was in the town hall; normally a place for citizens of a community to interact with the administration, but maybe someone had slipped some hallucinates in my coffee. Maybe this conversation was taking place in the middle of the road.
He told me to go to an office near the Cascine to speak to the Segretaria Comandante. The Cascine is the most west part of Florence. It is located in no-man’s-land. I asked for the name of the person with whom I should be speaking to.
Again he told me that I could not speak to any police on the street. I explained clearly that I completely understand this concept.
I changed the question. I asked him the responsibility of this particular office. Again he told me to go to the Cascine and that I could not just speak to any police on the street.
I asked again. I am stubborn. His colleague stepped in.
“No let me explain it to her, because she keeps insisting,” he said
I understand that the men were not authorized to give me a statement related to the incidents that occurred in Piazza Santa Croce; however, as a citizen of Florence, it is a normal question to ask about the responsibilities and services of the Polizia Municipale, and in particular, the purpose of the office found in the comune.
They would not answer my question. Actually they did, they rudely and repeatedly told me that what they do there is “un segreto (it's a secret).”
I am hard headed and sometimes people need to say things directly to me, because I cannot read between the lines. A third man appeared and he shouted the same response, “è un segreto!”
"a." was right, they were telling me to "screw off." Naïve me did not catch on for the first minute. Maybe I was really in Langley, Virginia.
It turns out the men I spoke to were Vigile Urbani, not the CIA. They can give out tickets pertaining to city codes and ordinances, and cannot make arrests. I discovered that later, from the informative and forthcoming policewoman of the Polizia dello Stato, located in Piazze del Ciompi (she could not give details on crimes, but could explain the responsibilites of the police).
I do not understand why the men in the comune could not tell me that themselves. Having three men shouting at you is not fun. So I gave up and left the Polizia Municipale, and continued on my search for the press office.
I spoke to the policewoman who stood near the entrance of the comune.
“Where is the press office,” I asked.
“I am not sure, go to the Polizia Municipale and ask them,” she said
I have changed this post several times due to sources taking offense that I published private conversations, and colleagues advising me to be more specific on the reasons why some groups are against police; and I posted a photo as proof that people lack respect for the police, however I do not want the reader to confuse other's opinions with my own, thus I deleted the photo.
I may have lost some friends over this post, but what I have written is the truth and I believe that people need know that information that should be public, is actually private in Italy.
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2 comments:
Have you seen much media coverage of the American student accused of murdering her roommate in Perugia where you are?
hi Karen Scott,
Definately, I have been following the trial. Are people in the states following the story? Do they believe Knox is innocent or guilty?
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