Public funeral service, procession set for SLO Detective Luca Benedetti
A public funeral service to honor the San Luis Obispo detective killed Monday in the line of duty will be held on Thursday, May 20, at Cal Poly.
The service will be held at 10 a.m. at the Performing Arts Center (PAC), and attendees are asked to submit an RSVP in advance via Eventbrite. The service will be followed by a procession of first responders to a private graveside ceremony.
Parking will available at Cal Poly, according to the Eventbrite information, and masks will be required to enter. If the PAC is full, several secondary locations with streaming of the memorial will be available.
An email confirming all the details regarding the event will be sent out on Wednesday, according to the Eventbrite info.
“We have been overwhelmed by the public’s support,” said new SLO Police Chief Rick Scott, in a news release. “It means so much to everyone who knew and cared for Luca.”
Scott was sworn in Thursday, officially beginning his new tenure at the department’s helm.
“We know our community is hurting too, and we hope creating this opportunity to come together will help in the healing process,” Scott added.
More details on the procession route will be provided by the city on Wednesday.
Beginning Friday through May 21, SLO officials encourage community members also to show their support for “the Benedetti family, co-workers, and the many others affected by Monday’s tragic events by visiting an outdoor memorial site established on the lawn of City Hall at 990 Palm St.”
“Community members are encouraged to visit the site and plant an American flag in the grass in remembrance or simply observe a moment of silence,” the city noted in its release. “A memorial banner and flags will also be prominently display at the Police Station and Fire Station #1.”
Additionally, community members are welcome to hang blue memorial ribbons, lower flags to half-staff at properties across San Luis Obispo County, or display the American flag at their place of residence or business.
Cards and other messages left at SLO City Hall or the Police Department memorial sites will be delivered to Benedetti’s family, Scott said.
City officials also are alerting the public to a GoFundMe page set up by the SLOPD Police Officer Association and the SLO Regional SWAT team to solely benefit the Benedetti family. As of Thursday afternoon, it had already raised more than $371,000 of a $500,000 goal.
Benedetti, 37, left behind a wife and two young daughters. He was fatally shot Monday by Edward Giron, a commercial burglary suspect, while serving a search warrant in coordination with five other city police officers, according to SLO officials.
This story was originally published May 13, 2021 at 4:35 PM.
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