Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony Planned for Pismo Beach

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — Two San Luis Obispo County law enforcement officers will be honored at the annual San Luis Obispo County’s Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony.

This year the memorial will be held this year at the Pismo Beach Pier in Pismo Beach on May 5 at 10 a.m.

The annual memorial pays tribute to all of the law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty over the past year in California. Two local fallen officers, Detective Luca Benedetti of the San Luis Obispo Police Department and Sergeant Thomas Stanley of the Atascadero State Hospital Police Department will be remembered at this event.

Benedetti, 37, was killed in the line of duty on May 10, 2021, in San Luis Obispo while serving a search warrant.

Stanley, 56, died from COVID-19 related complications on Dec. 31, 2021.

The ceremony will include the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Honor Guard and 21-gun salute team, a CHP fly-over, and a San Luis Obispo Fire Department ladder truck displaying the US flag. There will be a reading of the names of those who died as part of this special ceremony to provide closure to the friends and family of the fallen.

The ceremony is expected to be well attended. It is recommended that members of the public who wish to attend plan accordingly, as seating and parking are limited.

The Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony is organized and coordinated by the Criminal Justice Administrators’ Association.