L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D e a r r e a d e r s , a n A u g u s t assortment of I t a l i a n c o n - n e c t i o n s f o r you. *** Roman police inspector Brigadier Giovanni Mai- m o n e r e t i r e d f r o m t h e p o l i c e d e p a r t m e n t a n d received a pension immedi- ately. However, when his partner Dox von Coburg- er Land retired from the Roman police force at the age of 15, the authorities decided that he was not enti- t l e d t o a p e n s i o n . W h y ? Because he was a dog and not a person. They ignored the fact that Dox had solved more cases than any other detective on the force (con- tributing to the arrest of 560 s u s p e c t s i n 1 7 1 a s s i g n - ments), received 38 decora- tions for his accomplish- ments, and was wounded seven times in the line of duty. Since he held the rank of corporal, lower-ranking h u m a n p o l i c e m e n h a d t o s a l u t e h i m w h e n h e approached. There was, nonetheless, no denying he was a dog. Although the uneven-eared German shepherd — half of his left ear had been shot off by a fleeing gunman — man- aged a few stunts that nor- mal dogs could barely imag- i n e — e m p t y i n g a l o a d e d pistol or untying a man's r o p e t o a c h a i r , f o r i n s t a n c e — D o x w a s m o s t famous for a truly canine feature, his nose. He could follow trails far older and farther than other dogs, and even recognized the scent of criminals he had pursued years earlier. In one famous case, Dox led police to the hideout of a suspected jewel t h i e f . W h e n t h e m a n protested his innocence and no evidence could be found, t h e p o l i c e w e n t b a c k t o h e a d q u a r t e r s , b u t D o x insisted on returning to the scene of the crime, found a loose button, and then led the police back to the sus- pect. Finding a suspicious closet, he opened the door w i t h h i s m o u t h , p u l l e d a coat off a hanger, and point- e d h i s n o s e a t t h e s p o t where the button had been torn off. The loose button he h a d f o u n d e a r l i e r c l e a r l y belonged there, and the sus- pect confessed. Although he was a police officer, Dox really belonged to one man, Brigadier Gio- vanni Maimone, who was so strong he was sometimes called the "Hercules Cop." The team performed many s p e c i a l a s s i g n m e n t s , b u t c o u l d m o s t o f t e n b e s e e n patrolling Rome on a motor scooter. Dox could open the s c o o t e r t r u n k w i t h h i s mouth. When Dox retired, Maimone did the same and opened a dog training center called Casa Dox, where the 1 9 - y e a r - o l d d o g d i e d i n 1965. Feeling that Dox had never received his proper recognition as a civil ser- vant, Maimone continued to sue for a pension. In 1974, 13 years later, the court agreed and gave Dox a posthumous award. *** Art theft from museums generates the most head- lines, but experts say that more than 50% of art van- ishes from homes and busi- nesses. Art crimes are said t o b e a $ 6 b i l l i o n a y e a r global business, and Interpol says that Italy and France suffer the most. And while in the US the FBI has just a dozen agents dedicated part- time to art crime, Italy fights art crime with over 200 offi- cers. Founded with only a h a n d f u l o f m e n , t h e y a r e considered a touchstone for similar forces throughout the world. Art thieves in Italy have had to work harder since 1 9 9 1 , w h e n G e n e r a l Roberto Conforti reorga- n i z e d t h e C a r a b i n i e r i T u t e l a P a t r i m o n i o Artistico, a quasi-military b r a n c h o f t h e c o u n t r y ' s police force that safeguards the nation's artistic patrimo- ny and investigates crimes against the country's trea- sure trove of art. Carabinieri is one of three branches of Advancing our Legacy: Italian Community Services CASA FUGAZI If you know of any senior of Italian descent in San Francisco needing assistance, please contact: ItalianCS.org | (415) 362-6423 | info@italiancs.com Italian Community Services continues to assist Bay Area Italian-American seniors and their families navigate and manage the resources needed to live healthy, independent and productive lives. Since Shelter-in-Place began in San Francisco, Italian Community Services has delivered over 240 meals, over 900 care packages and made over 2000 phone wellness checks for our seniors. law enforcement in Italy. In a d d i t i o n , t h e r e i s t h e Guardia di Finanza, which g o v e r n s m o n e y - r e l a t e d crimes, and the Polizia di Stato, the national police force. Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Artistico was formed in 1969, a full year before the United Nations Educational, Scientific and C u l t u r a l O r g a n i z a t i o n (UNESCO) recommended that all countries try to stop t h e i l l e g a l t r a f f i c k i n g o f stolen art. This elite force operates from headquarters in Piazza Sant' Ignazio in Rome's ancient heart. Visi- tors have included delega- t i o n s f r o m H u n g a r y a n d Palestine. All came to learn Italy's tricks of the trade for tracking stolen works of art. Roughly 2,000 art thefts a r e r e p o r t e d a n n u a l l y i n Italy. Private collections, galleries, antique dealers, churches, and archaeologi- cal sites are the hardest hit. Almost half of these works now make it back to their original owners. One of the strongest weapons at the Carabinieri's disposal is its d a t a b a n k o f s t o l e n a r t . Updated daily, this powerful tool is considered one of the best in the world. Based on countless catalogues and photographic archives, it can respond immediately to questions concerning stolen works of art. An important art recovery on Conforti's watch was the 1994 retrieval of 20 Renaissance paintings stolen from the small Bet- ona Museum in Umbria in 1979, eventually traced to K i n g s t o n , J a m a i c a , a n d returned to Italy.

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