Angelo Gabriele Spadaro’s is the story of a policeman who interpreted the uniform as a responsibility towards others, until the last moment. Deputy Superintendent of Police, died on 15 January 2019 on the A18, hit by a lorry while providing assistance. The First Memorial named after him opened on Thursday afternoon at the municipal cemetery of Santa Teresa di Riva, with the laying of a laurel wreath.
The heart of the event took place in the Cannizzaro Hall of the University, where the State Police promoted a study day dedicated to the “Chirone Project”, aimed at qualifying the operational procedures in the management of road accidents, with particular attention to the victims and their families.
The session saw the participation of a large delegation of men and women from the Messina Traffic Police, led by Commander Antonio Capodicasa. The mayors of Messina, Federico Basile, and of Santa Teresa di Riva, Danilo Lo Giudice, spoke at the opening, followed by the prefect’s vicar, Cettina Pennisi, and the commissioner’s vicar, Diego Trotta. Maria Grazia Milli, director of the Eastern Sicily Polstrada Department, and Santo Puccia, director of the Rome Traffic Police Service, also spoke.
A first dialogue that wanted to restore the figure of Spadaro in its entirety: not only as a policeman who fell in the line of duty, but as a man who embodied the highest values of the State. Particularly touching was the screening of a video testimony with the story of a colleague of Spadaro, Giuseppe Muscolino, who was also involved in the tragic accident. The memory of the deputy superintendent came alive through the interventions of his sister Sandra and his colleague and friend Giuseppe Arena, who restored his dedication and courage.
The work was coordinated by the journalist Natalia La Rosa, head of the GDS Academy, who brought greetings from the president of Ses Lino Morgante: Gazzetta del Sud is in fact Polstrada’s media partner in promoting road safety education issues.
The in-depth session was inaugurated by the engineer Stefano Guarnieri, president of the Foundation named after his son Lorenzo, victim of road violence, after being hit by a person who was driving under the influence of impaired substances. Guarnieri recounted the devastating impact of this affair on his family, who became testimonials of the activities promoted by the Police to improve training in relationships with families. Guarnieri emphasized the centrality of victims in the mourning and prevention processes, introducing the topic of victimology, a branch of criminology that studies the role, needs and rights of victims and families.
Maria Rosaria Anna Muscatello, Unime Psychiatry professor, explored post-traumatic stress disorder in depth. It analyzed the mechanisms of onset of this condition, the risk factors, the epidemiology and the possible repercussions both on the families of the victims and on the police operators, underlining the importance of timely and structured psychological support.
Carmela Mento, associate of Clinical Psychology, spoke on the psychic dimension of individual and collective mourning, highlighting the different phases of the elaboration process and their impact on life conduct. He also highlighted the importance of mental health in work contexts and the fundamental need to “be seen” and recognized in one’s pain. Ample space was also dedicated to the theme of the co-presence of physical and psychological violence, citing the case of Sara Campanella.
Commander Capodicasa, who reiterated the principle of the “victim at the centre”, underlining how the action of the Traffic Police must combine technical competence and human sensitivity in every phase of the intervention. Inspector Giulio Pantanella instead explored the fundamental role of communication, highlighting how clear, respectful and coherent language strengthens the relationship of trust with citizens and the sense of belonging to the Specialty.
The analysis of the prof. Pierluigi Cordellieri, of the La Sapienza University of Rome, instead addressed one of the most delicate steps of police activity: the communication of the death, the recognition of the body, the return of personal effects and the management of the “day after”, when families often find themselves alone in the face of pain.
In closing, Emanuela Tizzani, psychologist at the Rome Traffic Police Service, with a reflection on the psychological protection of operators. In particular, it highlighted how the sense of belonging to the Specialty constitutes a decisive protective factor: when it is solid and shared, it strengthens motivation making it more stable and capable of withstanding the impact of the chronic stress to which the agents are exposed.
The day, which also had a moment of reflection with the Police chaplain Father Giovanni Ferrari, ended with the screening of a celebratory video, containing historical images of the Traffic Police and direct testimonies of the operators, defined by many as “angels of the road”.