In the Italian seaside town of Viareggio, even senior officials are not above the law.
A black SUV parked in a no-parking zone was first ticketed and later seized by local police officers. What made the episode particularly awkward was that the vehicle belonged to Rodolfo Salemi, the city councillor responsible for overseeing the municipal police.
In Italy, a councillor (assessore) is a member of the local executive government with specific administrative responsibilities. In Salemi’s case, those responsibilities include supervision of the city’s police force - meaning the officers who issued the ticket were effectively doing their job to their own boss.
During an initial patrol, officers noticed the vehicle parked in a restricted area and issued a parking fine. On a second pass, however, they discovered that the car’s insurance policy had expired months earlier, in November 2025.
Driving without insurance is illegal in Italy and carries heavy penalties, including fines and the seizure of the vehicle, just as it would for any other citizen. The SUV was therefore taken into custody until the situation could be regularized.
In addition to the insurance violation, Salemi also had to pay the parking fine. On Tuesday, March 3, the councillor renewed the insurance policy, paid the penalties and began the procedure to recover the vehicle.