Archaeologists are likely to have at least some familiarity with the successes of the Italian Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Property (TPC) in the interdiction of the illicit antiquities trade and the repatriation of looted material. Despite this recognition, there has not been a substantive study that examines how this organization operates in practice. Laurie Rush and Luisa Benedettini Millington address this scholarly gap by offering an account of the Carabinieri TPC's operational organization, technical expertise, capabilities, and track record. This book does not aim at critique or theory-building; rather, it delivers a thorough description of how a specific law enforcement agency works to protect cultural heritage.

The history of the Carabinieri TPC dates to 1969, when the Italian Ministry of Public Education established what was then the only dedicated policing unit for protecting cultural property in the world. In the years since, it has assumed additional responsibilities and took on its present identity in 2001. Books like Peter Watson and Cecilia Todeschini's The Medici Conspiracy: The Illicit Journey of Looted Antiquities from Italy's Tomb Raiders to the World's Greatest Museums and Jason Felch and Ralph Frammolino's Chasing Aphrodite: The Hunt for Looted Antiquities at the World's Richest Museum have brought the Carabinieri TPC to the forefront of scholarly and public awareness but have left the internal operation of the organization somewhat opaque. Embedded within the Carabinieri TPC and with access to internal records and key personnel, Rush and Millington offer a unique perspective on how the organization deals with theft, looting, forgery, smuggling, and money laundering in the art trade. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the day-to-day law enforcement efforts that result in the successful recovery of stolen or looted art and antiquities lack the riveting drama of antiquities traffickers, collectors, and museum directors and curators who have been involved in the illicit trade. The work of the Carabinieri TPC is mundane, yet vital at the same time.

The book is organized around three main themes. First, Rush and Millington examine the activities of each office from which in the Carabinieri TPC operates. Methodically taking readers through its headquarters in Rome, its regional offices, and its activities in northern, central, and southern Italy, they illustrate the broad scope of its policing mandate. Second, the authors turn to the internal workings of the organization and describe the investigation techniques that the Carabinieri TPC employs; its approach to repatriation from international art dealers, collectors, and museums; and the training required to be an officer with the unit. Finally, Rush and Millington look at how the Carabinieri TPC's mission has expanded because of its success, particularly in regard to protecting cultural heritage in Iraq. This discussion is particularly important in light of the role of the organization in the new UNESCO training program for cultural property protection in times of conflict, which was launched after this book's publication.

Rush and Millington conclude that there is a coherent “Italian Model” to cultural heritage protection. It involves coordinating law enforcement personnel across different police forces through joint training, educational programs, and officer exchanges; developing public and private databases of stolen art and antiquities; increasing cooperation between police authorities, museums, and archaeologists; and focusing investigations on routes and border crossings that implicate the illicit trade in other forms of clandestine smuggling. While this kind of programming requires a considerable effort to begin and sustain, there is evidence that it is working in the Italian case. Between 2004 and 2011, illicit looting activities decreased from a reported 250 instances per year to 50; between 2006 and 2011, the number of archaeological objects recovered increased from 26,649 to 35,727 (p. 175). Rush and Millington conclude that the Carabinieri TPC's approach has much to offer countries as they develop policing programs to protect cultural heritage.

Readers will engage this account in different ways. Archaeologists with field projects in Italy will be interested in the detailed descriptions of the Carabinieri TPC's activities—and those of the illicit trade—in the regions that they study. Those who have worked on cultural property cases with law enforcement may be interested to learn more about how an investigation proceeds from a law enforcement perspective. Especially in view of recent events in the Middle East, university instructors will find that Chapter 12, “The Carabinieri, Peacekeeping, and Foreign Relations,” is useful in a classroom setting for discussions about recent intersections between archaeology, law enforcement, and the military when protecting cultural heritage in conflict. In all, Rush and Millington offer their readers a complete case study of the Carabinieri TPC. In the process, they highlight a policing model that can be applied to addressing the illicit antiquities trade elsewhere.