'Still healing': Lebanon Police Lt. William Lebo's sacrifice remembered two 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.

"What I remember most is when we would leave every day, walking out the door of the old police department, Bill would either be right behind us or right in front of us," Lebanon Police Chief Bret Fisher said. "Down the sidewalk he would go, and you knew he was walking home."

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 front entrance of the department's new location on Cumberland Street.

"It would be hard to imagine what a more difficult day would be than March 31, 2022," Fisher said.

Two years after his passing, current and former Lebanon City Police Department officers once again filled the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail and walked Lt. William Lebo's daily route to work Thursday morning in remembrance of their fallen colleague and his service to the community.

Lebo's wife, Lora, said that her husband is always going to be a member of the Lebanon community, but that people are still healing even two years later.

“It’s hard," she said. "People still run into me, I still see them walking. It’s difficult. It’s difficult for me and when I see people, they break down. ... It's difficult for everyone.”

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.

Lt. Lebo was one of those "old school, walk the beat kind of cops," according to Fisher.

"(Lt. Lebo) would watch young officers progress in their career," Fisher said. "He would help you if he seen you struggling a little bit. He wouldn't rescue you right way. He knew the value of a little bit of struggle to learn something, especially in police work."

Officers Adams and Underkoffler were also injured and underwent emergency surgery that day. Adams has left the department and works for the Dauphin County Sheriff's Department, according to Fisher. Underkoffler is still on the road to recovery and had been researching the history of the Lebanon City Police Department.

"It is very interesting that he comes in and tells me things about the history of the Lebanon City Police Department that I don't know," Fisher said. "We have a long legacy of doing some great police work and having some great officers here."

Fisher said there was an officer serving his third day on the job when Lt. Lebo was killed, and that will be something he carries for the rest of his time working with the department.

"As far as the department goes, talking about and remembering that day, that will be here until the officer in his third day here decides that he's going to leave and retire," he said.

In January, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 3865, a bill that would rename the 101 South 8th St. post office as the "Lieutenant William D. Lebo Post Office Building.”

Both Lora Lebo and Fisher were present for the vote in Washington D.C. Watching the bill getting passed and seeing the tears Lebo's wife had as the House honored her husband is a moment Fisher said he will never forget.

"It's a great thing to watch, but then you got to realize that as great as it is to remember Bill, she lives every day he's not here," he said.

A sense of healing has been symbiotic over the last two years between Lebo's family and the city police department. The Lt. William D. Lebo Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit created by Lora to honor her husband's memory, provided $18,000 for a new K9 officer. On March 12, Ares was sworn-in as the first new Lebanon Police Department K-9 officer after more than a year.

Around the time Lt. Lebo was killed, the police department was already hurting for new officers. Two years later, Mayor Sherry Capello said the department is growing to the point it can reactivate initiatives like the K-9 officers and bike patrol programs.

"All of the things that we had before are active," Capello said. "We just need a couple more officers, and then we'll be at full complement."

Capello added that it is humbling to feel that the community is still supporting the Lebanon City Police Department officers.

"Our department is still healing," she said. "Every day we talk about Lt. Lebo, and I know there have been stories like about the umbrella at the door. When men and women see that, they remember. It's just a good feeling to know that support is still there."

The Lebo foundation is supporting scholarships and trauma support programs for first responders, Lora Lebo said. Future events include a car show and "Lebopalooza," which Lora Lebo said will bring "all of Bill's things crammed into one."

"He's always going to be a member of this community," she said. "The post office is going to be named after him, and that will kind of cement his name and the memories. And I hope that the memory of the incident will bring peace."

Lt. Lebo impacted officers' lives one the job and off duty, Fisher said. While he believes the department is on firm ground, Fisher said Lt. Lebo's legacy will always impact both the Lebanon City Police Department and the community as a whole.

"We wonder, 'Will Lt. Lebo be forgotten?'" he said. "I emphasize this, he never will be. That sacrifice of any law enforcement officer stays around."

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.

Daniel Larlham Jr. is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him atDLarlham@LDNews.com or on X @djlarlham.

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Lebanon Police Lt. William Lebo remembered 2 years after he was killed