From the Stanford Prison Experiment of the seventies to the incredibly recent protests highlighting police brutality in America, it is a well-proven notion that those in places of power often have the tendency to abuse it. The police station located in Piacenza, Italy proves just that— the entire station was arrested for crimes such as torture and drug dealing.
The Piacenza police officers, or Carabinieri, allegedly committed many crimes before Italian public prosecutor Grazia Prandella instigated an investigation.
For instance, Carabinieri would often confiscate illegal drugs and then resell those drugs for profit. A wiretapped conversation proves just this.
“Man, you have to get rid of it as soon as possible, I found a kilo and a half on him. I confiscated the rest and kept the good stuff. I struck gold,” said one Carabiniere in the conversation.
Sounds like a line straight out of a Mafia drama— but it does not stop there. Evidence shows that Carabinieri also perpetuated intense police brutality and torture. Testimonies from officers depict an instance of the Carabinieri brutally beat a man arrested for drug dealing.
Another instance picked up in an audio recording indicates that the Carabinieri tortured a man who was pleading for mercy the entire time. The sounds picked up on the recording indicate the man was going through intense psychological and physical torture at the hands of the Carabinieri.
All these crimes significantly intensified as a result of lockdown under COVID-19, according to the investigation. A less violent crime but a serious violation of Italian law nonetheless was the Piacenza Carabinieri’s breaches of the national lockdown measures— one officer hosted an Easter party gathering at his home, but was spared from any punishment when neighbors reported him to his Carabinieri colleagues.
Luckily, the 22 people involved in this case are finally being investigated. But these gross injustices contribute a fascinating element to the discussion of police brutality and abuse of power. Movements of defunding, reforming, or abolishing certain police systems are at the forefront of American conscience right now— maybe it’s time to globalize that conversation.
Read about another interesting scandal in Italy here.
