Matthew Toth | Lebanon Daily News | May 15, 2024
There have been more than 24,000 police officers killed in the line of duty in the United States since the first recorded police death in 1786, according to Lebanon County Sheriff Jeffrie Marley.
“When an officer dies in the line of duty, the impact is felt widespread in the community,” Marley said.
That’s why county, state and local officials, along with police officers from various departments in the county, came together Tuesday morning in front of the Lebanon County Courthouse to recognize local law enforcement officers who passed away in the line of duty. The ceremony is part of National Police Week.
“Currently as we speak, tens of thousands of officers from around our great nation and the world are gathering at our nation’s capitol,” Marley said. “They are honoring 118 law enforcement officers that died in the line of duty in 2023.”
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial will also be adding the names of 164 officers who had died in previous years. With these additions, the memorial will feature 24,067 officers of various law enforcement agencies from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.
Among those local law enforcement officers who died in 2023 was former Annville Township Police Chief Bernard Dugan, who passed away Oct. 26 after fighting a short battle with cancer.
Dugan served as the chief of police for Annville Township for 11 years, and had previously worked for Fairview Township Police Department in York County for over 30 years, retiring as chief in 2012 before joining Annville.
“Bernie’s philosophy all along in his police work was all about citizen service,” Dugan’s wife, Karen, told the Lebanon Daily News in November. “He wanted his officers to know, when somebody has to finally call the police in their life, it might be the first time, and the only time. And that his men and women behind anything he taught should learn that that might be a scary process for people. And that their impression of police officers is all based on what kind of service they’re going to be offering in that moment.”
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, 137 line-of-duty deaths occurred in the United States in 2023, and 58 deaths occurred in 2023 as of Tuesday morning.
Lebanon City Police Lt. William Lebo was shot and killed in the line of duty March 31, 2022, and for the last two years officials have said that the department and the officers who knew Lebo are still healing from that loss.
“We recognize the officers that live through the tragedy and we stand beside them at their side,” Lebanon Mayor Sherry Capello said at Tuesday’s courthouse memorial. “We stand behind them, holding them steady, or in front of them, gently pulling them up. Whatever they need, we are there, and it is through this collective compassion and support that we can inspire strength. And that is for them to be able to walk out that door each day wearing their badge, knowing that their community has their back.”
On May 7, 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.”
In 2022, Lebo, Officer Derek Underkoffler, Officer Ryan Adams, and Officer Kris McCarrick were responding 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.
Lebo had more than 40 years of service and was 30 days from retirement.
U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, who introduced the bill and attended Tuesday’s memorial, described Lt. Lebo as the “quintessential cop” for Lebanon County.
“For him to go in first before his men, before his team, it’s just heart wrenching,” he said. “It’s so sad, but at the same time inspirational. So hopefully people will get that, that’s why the post office being named that should be very meaningful to the whole community.”
Both Dugan’s and Lebo’s family members were among the residents attending Tuesday’s memorial.
Officials also recognized former Lebanon Chief of Police Aaron McCord, former Lebanon Chief of Police Cyrus Schaeffer and South Londonderry Township Sgt. Sheryl Pierce, Reading Police Department Patrolman Michael Harry Wise II, and former state senator and Lebanon District Attorney David Arnold.
“What that means to me is when we experience a tragic day like LPD did two years ago, we recognize the sacrifice that officers like Lt. Lebo, Sheryl Pierce, Michael Wise and their families gave to the profession,” Capello said.
National Police Week runs from Sunday, May 12 through Saturday, May 18.