'To do him justice': Lebanon Police Lt. William Lebo's sacrifice remembered 3 years later

Before March 31, 2022, Lt. William Lebo would walk most days into work at the Lebanon Police Department. In inclement weather, the 40-year police veteran would often take his green and white striped golf umbrella.

"He was just being prepared," Lebo's wife, Lora, said. "He was making sure that he was prepared for all alternatives. " 

The umbrella remained at the department even after his death and has become a symbol of his work within the community. It now sits at the department's new location on Cumberland Street.

That's why Lebanon Police Chief Bret Fisher said it was ironic that it rained on Monday as police officers were in the midst of the memorial umbrella walk celebrating Lebo's legacy.

"He took his umbrella so he wouldn't get wet, and here we all had an umbrella walk and didn't have that many of them," Fisher said. "So it will be a fond memory."

Three years after his passing and despite a bout of rain, current and former Lebanon City Police Department officers gathered at Optimist Memorial Park Southwest and walked Lt. William Lebo's daily route to work Monday afternoon in remembrance of their fallen colleague and his service to the community. This year they were joined by members of the Lebanon County community, along with officers from various police forces including the Lebanon County Regional Police Department, The Pennsylvania State Police and the Lebanon County Detectives Bureau.

Lora Lebo said her husband's walk home from the police station was a way to "wash the day" and be ready to sit down and enjoy time with his family. So when others wanted to join the Lebanon City Police Department's annual walk, Lora Lebo said it was an honor that her husband still deserves three year later.

"It's remembering him, which is the most important thing," she said. "That he gave his life for this city, and he lived in this county his entire life and loved this county. So I want to do him justice."

On March 31, 2022, Lebo, Officer Derek Underkoffler, Officer Ryan Adams and Officer Kris McCarrick responded to a domestic disturbance report. Lebo died in a shootout with a man who had broken into a home on the 1100 block of Forest Street. 

Officers Adams and Underkoffler were also injured and underwent emergency surgery that day. Adams left the department and works for the Lebanon County Detective Bureau. Underkoffler returned to the Lebanon City Police Department over the last two months. McCarrick was sworn in as a South Lebanon Township Police Department officer in November 2024.

Lebo was a genuine "city cop," according to Fisher. The fallen officer would walk his beat and treat everybody like a person.

"It's a grind working in a city, but he loved it," Fisher said. "I think it makes it a bigger tribute that he went 40 years as a city cop and was such a mentor to everybody."

On May 7, 2024, then President Joe Biden signed House Resolution 3865, which would rename the 101 South 8th St. post office as the "Lieutenant William D. Lebo Post Office Building.” The post office is scheduled to be dedicated at noon at May 22.

Since his passing, Lebo's sacrifice has resonated throughout the commonwealth and the nation over the last few years. The Beyond the Call of Duty Ride to Remember memorial stopped on Cumberland Street in front of the Lebanon City Hall on July 10, with volunteers joining with Lebo's family and members of the Lebanon City Police Department to hold a short remembrance service.

On Oct. 23, Lebo was one of 12 Pennsylvania first responders honored for their service by Gov. Josh Shapiro with the Inaugural 2024 Keystone First Responder Award. These 12 heroes were honored for their service and sacrifice in Pennsylvania’s law enforcement, fire, correction and EMS organizations, and all of them were killed or suffered a career-ending injury in the line of duty.

"I think he deserves it, and I will advocate for him till my dying day," Lora Lebo said. "I think he deserves the praise. He was a good man, he was an ethical man. He did the right thing and he led by example."

A sense of healing has been symbiotic over the last three years between Lebo's family and the city police department. The Lt. William D. Lebo Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit created to honor the late officer's memory, provides continuing education scholarships with applications open now with information on the foundation's website.

Lora Lebo said she hopes her husband's legacy of community and positive proactive policing really extends beyond Lebanon County.

"He was happy, he was kind, he was a good man and he just wanted the best for his county," she said.

The Lebanon City Police Department is has a lot of young officers filling the ranks three years after Lebo's sacrifice, according to Fisher. The goal now is to get them following in the fallen officer's foot steps, getting them "out about in the community and talking to people."

"Regardless of how many times we do this walk, it will always bring back memories of Lt. Lebo," Fisher said. "It's a reminder of our purpose as police officers. It's a reminder to live up to Lt. Lebo's legacy, to be a good community-oriented police officer, do your job how he would want you to do your job, be professional, always try to give back to the community and to do our best."

To donate or volunteer for the William Lebo Memorial Foundation, visit the organization's website at ltwdlebo.org.

Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on X at @DAMattToth.