by Maximiliano Crocamo
Interview: Lilia Fredella, Chief of Trieste Police; Giuseppe Petronzi, prefect of Trieste
The Questura of Trieste unveiled a permanent memorial display on Wednesday, April 9, 2026, on the eve of the Polizia di Stato’s 174th anniversary, honoring two officers killed inside the same building nearly seven years ago.
The display, installed in the Questura’s memorial hall (famedio), features personal items collected over the years in remembrance of officers Matteo Demenego and Pierluigi Rotta, who were shot and killed at the Trieste police headquarters on October 4, 2019, by Alejandro Stephan Meran, an Italian-Colombian national, during a shooting incident.
Among the items preserved in the display case are a toy police car bearing handwritten messages of remembrance, a T-shirt printed with the words “Figli delle stelle,” photographs, affectionate letters, and a paperweight inscribed with “vi voglio bene, per sempre.”
The inauguration coincided with the period of national commemorations marking the 174th anniversary of the founding of the Polizia di Stato, observed annually on April 10. In Trieste, anniversary ceremonies have traditionally included a tribute to fallen officers at the Questura’s memorial hall, making the timing of the new installation institutionally significant.
The memorial reflects a broader practice within the Polizia di Stato of preserving the memory of officers who died in the line of duty. The October 2019 shooting in Trieste drew national attention and prompted institutional reflection on officer safety protocols.
