Tommaso Greco’s paper “Polizia e democrazia: un rapporto problematico?" [Police and Democracy: A Problematic Relationship?], published in Polizia e Democrazia, offers a thoughtful introduction to Michele Di Giorgio’s recent book, “Il braccio armato del potere. Storie e idee per conoscere la polizia italiana" [The Armed Wing of Power: Histories and Ideas for Understanding the Italian Police], which explores the history of the police in unified Italy. Rather than overlapping with the work it discusses, Greco draws out its key interpretative themes, showing how Di Giorgio’s historical reconstruction sheds light on issues that are central to the constitutional framework of the State: the ambiguous ties between the police and political power, prevailing notions of security, and the dynamics of the relationship between law enforcement and citizens. The piece serves both as an invitation to read Di Giorgio’s volume and as a clear-sighted reflection on the current state of democracy in Italy.