Roll of Honor
Incident
Lieutenant William Lavery was electrocuted when he moved a 4,000-volt live wire on Roslyn Place. He had just safely moved the wire but picked it up again in an attempt to show bystanders it was safe. He was electrocuted the second time he picked it up. Lieutenant Lavery had served with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for 37 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, son, two daughters, two brothers, two sisters, and mother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-PA-04D5E6ED- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
37 years. You could have gone home.
Lieutenant Lavery gave the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police 37 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Lavery.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Lieutenant William J. Lavery is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In PA, 417 of 1,261 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.1% of this state's fallen. That is 33.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, 38 of 101 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 37.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William J. Lavery's cause is highlighted.
How William J. Lavery Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William J. Lavery is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
100 officers from Pittsburgh Bureau of Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
