Police shooting. Lower Burrell police were sent to Rodgers Drive for a report of shots fired into a nearby home. A standoff followed and ended with Westmoreland County SWAT shooting and wounding the man; the DA later ruled the shooting justified.
Crime in Lower Burrell, 2000–2024
FBI figures through 2024 · Updated Sept. 23, 2026
Lower Burrell Police Department · 2800 Bethel St. · Chief John Marhefka
Call 724-339-4287Non-emergency
911Emergency
Lower Burrell police reported 10 violent crimes to the FBI in 2024, or 0.9 per 1,000 residents and about 0.8 a month, down from 17 in the 11 months of 2023 it reported (about 1.5 a month). That is the lowest rate since 2018 (0.8). Property crime fell to 2.3 per 1,000, the lowest in the department's FBI record, which goes back to 2000. Police cleared all 10 violent crimes.
Small towns swing from year to year; a few incidents can move a rate a lot.
Source: FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan
Violent crime since 2000
Lower Burrell's highest rate in the record was 2.0 per 1,000 in 2007; its lowest full-year rate was 0.3 in 2014.
Lower Burrell
Lower Burrell sent no offense figures for 2021. 2021 is missing for most Pennsylvania departments because the FBI switched to incident-based reporting that year. 2022 covers 10 months and 2023 covers 11.
Source: FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan · A hollow dot is a partial-year report
Property crime
Property crime fell to 2.3 per 1,000, the lowest in the department's FBI record, which goes back to 2000.
Lower Burrell
Lower Burrell's highest property crime rate in the record was 19.2 per 1,000 in 2014; its lowest full-year rate was 2.3 in 2024.
Source: FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan · A hollow dot is a partial-year report
What was reported in 2024
All 10 violent crimes were aggravated assaults. Larceny-thefts made up 21 of the 27 property crimes.
| Offense | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Murder & manslaughter | 0 |
| Rape | 0 |
| Robbery | 0 |
| Aggravated assault | 10 |
| Violent crimes, total | 10 |
| Burglary | 3 |
| Larceny-theft | 21 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 3 |
| Property crimes, total | 27 |
| Arson | 1 |
Source: FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan
How many were solved
Lower Burrell police cleared all 10 violent crimes they reported in 2024 and 24 of the 27 property crimes. Over its last five reporting years (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024), the department cleared 75% of the violent crimes it reported and 30% of property crimes.
“Cleared” means the FBI counts the case as closed, usually by an arrest.
Source: FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan
Arrests
Lower Burrell's most recent arrest figures sent to the FBI are for 2024: 462 arrests, 27 of them for drugs and 20 for driving under the influence. That is 40.2 arrests per 1,000 residents. Arrests include people who don't live in the city.
Lower Burrell
Source: FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan
Officers
The FBI's 2024 staffing file lists 17 sworn officers for the Lower Burrell Police Department. That is 1.5 officers per 1,000 residents. Other published counts put the department at 17 full-time officers in 2025. The two counts agree.
Police shootings, lawsuits and policy changes
Shootings, use of force, lawsuits, staffing, policy changes and programs reported in the news, newest first. Where the same event is also on the police blotter, it is shown once here with both sources.
Police shooting. Lower and Upper Burrell officers answered a 911 call about an armed man at a house. Police said he did not obey repeated commands to drop a handgun, and a Lower Burrell officer shot and killed him; the DA said a loaded pistol was found beside him.
Officer killed in the line of duty. A Lower Burrell K-9 patrolman, one of the department's 16 officers, was shot and killed by a wanted fugitive while approaching him outside a Dairy Queen. A detective had been on the phone with the fugitive trying to get him to surrender. The gunman fled and later died. Accounts differ on whether he died in gunfire with other officers or shot himself.
The Washington Post's database of fatal police shootings lists one in Lower Burrell from 2015 through 2024, on May 10, 2018. Source: Washington Post
Other published figures
| Measure | Year | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting patrol salary2025 hiring | 2025 | $72,706 | Lower Burrell police |
| Arrests for low-level, nonviolent offenses (2013–2023)Police Scorecard, 2013–2023 | – | 62% | Police Scorecard |
| People killed by police (2013–2023)Police Scorecard; matches the Washington Post database | – | 1 | Police Scorecard |
Incidents reported in the news
Incidents local news reported with a street location, newest first. They are a sample, not every police call.
Lower Burrell. Robbery. Police said two men assaulted a man in his 70s during a dispute at a bar on Leechburg Road. Both were charged with robbery, simple assault, theft and related counts, and the charges were held for court.
Lower Burrell. Shooting. Police said a man fired a gun through a shared apartment wall on Arnold Avenue in Lower Burrell just before 1 a.m. on Nov. 23, 2024, allegedly after complaining about noise; the bullet passed over the head of a person in the adjoining unit. The man was charged with attempted homicide and aggravated assault.
Lower Burrell. Drug case. On Oct. 25, 2024, Lower Burrell police searched a gas station convenience store in the 2700 block of Leechburg Road as part of an undercover investigation into alleged illegal THC vape sales, seizing items suspected of containing marijuana and Delta-8 and Delta-9 THC, along with cash. Several people were later charged in the investigation, according to the district attorney's office.
Lower Burrell. Drug case. Lower Burrell police searched a vape shop on Leechburg Road on Oct. 25, 2024, one of several businesses searched in an undercover investigation into THC vape sales. Police said products bought there undercover tested positive for Schedule I substances, and several people were charged in the investigation.
Lower Burrell. Drug case. Police served a search warrant at a vape shop in the 3000 block of Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell on Oct. 25, 2024, as part of an undercover investigation into alleged sales of illegal THC vape products. Police said products and cash were seized.
Lower Burrell. Homicide. A man was fatally shot outside a business on Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell just after 9 a.m. on Dec. 21, 2023. Police said a Lower Burrell man came to City Hall minutes later and was charged with criminal homicide.
Serious crashes in Lower Burrell
PennDOT recorded 73 crashes in Lower Burrell from 2005 through 2024 that killed or seriously injured someone. They killed 22 people and seriously injured 69.
Source: PennDOT crash data
Every year as a table
| Year | Months | Population | Violent | per 1,000 | Property | per 1,000 | Arrests | Officers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 12 | 11,502 | 10 | 0.9 | 27 | 2.3 | 462 | 17 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2023 | 11 | 11,508 | 17 | 1.5 | 69 | 6.0 | 308 | 17 | FBI UCR via Jacob KaplanOnly 11 of 12 months reported to the FBI; counts are partial. |
| 2022 | 10 | 11,576 | 18 | 1.6 | 82 | 7.1 | – | 17 | FBI UCR via Jacob KaplanOnly 10 of 12 months reported to the FBI; counts are partial. |
| 2020 | 12 | 11,006 | 12 | 1.1 | 79 | 7.2 | 434 | 17 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2019 | 12 | 11,077 | 16 | 1.4 | 105 | 9.5 | 542 | 17 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2018 | 12 | 11,155 | 9 | 0.8 | 84 | 7.5 | 534 | 17 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2017 | 12 | 11,303 | 9 | 0.8 | 135 | 11.9 | 496 | 17 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2016 | 12 | 11,408 | 20 | 1.8 | 146 | 12.8 | 492 | 17 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2015 | 12 | 11,475 | 9 | 0.8 | 185 | 16.1 | 622 | 16 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2014 | 12 | 11,598 | 4 | 0.3 | 223 | 19.2 | 919 | 17 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2013 | 12 | 11,605 | 9 | 0.8 | 132 | 11.4 | 675 | 15 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2012 | 12 | 11,758 | 12 | 1.0 | 176 | 15.0 | 442 | 16 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2011 | 12 | 11,799 | 6 | 0.5 | 177 | 15.0 | 369 | 16 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2010 | 12 | 11,761 | 10 | 0.9 | 128 | 10.9 | 448 | 16 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2009 | 12 | 12,032 | 17 | 1.4 | 114 | 9.5 | 592 | 16 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2008 | 12 | 12,098 | 11 | 0.9 | 148 | 12.2 | 458 | 16 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2007 | 12 | 12,315 | 25 | 2.0 | 138 | 11.2 | 592 | 16 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2006 | 12 | 12,455 | 13 | 1.0 | 173 | 13.9 | 503 | 16 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2005 | 12 | 12,545 | 12 | 1.0 | 201 | 16.0 | 525 | 17 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2004 | 12 | 12,572 | 14 | 1.1 | 162 | 12.9 | 634 | 17 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2003 | 12 | 12,585 | 18 | 1.4 | 187 | 14.9 | 690 | 17 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2002 | 12 | 12,664 | 22 | 1.7 | 172 | 13.6 | 776 | 17 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2001 | 12 | 12,614 | 20 | 1.6 | 134 | 10.6 | 662 | 17 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
| 2000 | 12 | 12,608 | 19 | 1.5 | 162 | 12.8 | 808 | 17 | FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan |
Months is the number of months that year the department reported to the FBI. * Population carried over from the nearest year that reported one.
Police work, by the FBI's count
| Year | Arrests | Drug | DUI | Violent-crime arrests | Violent crimes cleared | Property crimes cleared | Officers assaulted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 462 | 27 | 20 | 8 | 100% | 89% | – |
| 2023† | 308 | 14 | 38 | 12 | 94% | 28% | – |
| 2022† | – | – | – | – | 44% | 33% | – |
| 2020 | 434 | 31 | 33 | 7 | 92% | 18% | – |
| 2019 | 542 | 39 | 25 | 9 | 62% | 23% | 1 |
| 2018 | 534 | 40 | 33 | 6 | 100% | 21% | 0 |
| 2017 | 496 | 16 | 35 | 7 | 56% | 34% | 0 |
| 2016 | 492 | 22 | 39 | 8 | 80% | 34% | 4 |
| 2015 | 622 | 35 | 44 | 6 | 78% | 33% | 0 |
| 2014 | 919 | 44 | 42 | 3 | 100% | 40% | 0 |
| 2013 | 675 | 38 | 62 | 7 | 78% | 24% | 0 |
| 2012 | 442 | 11 | 16 | 7 | 58% | 15% | 0 |
| 2011 | 369 | 15 | 21 | 4 | 83% | 12% | 0 |
| 2010 | 448 | 19 | 16 | 7 | 70% | 33% | 3 |
| 2009 | 592 | 12 | 22 | 9 | 82% | 19% | 0 |
| 2008 | 458 | 6 | 26 | 9 | 73% | 18% | 1 |
| 2007 | 592 | 9 | 21 | 15 | 96% | 30% | 0 |
| 2006 | 503 | 8 | 16 | 9 | 92% | 17% | 0 |
| 2005 | 525 | 11 | 20 | 11 | 92% | 30% | 0 |
| 2004 | 634 | 35 | 17 | 4 | 93% | 26% | 1 |
| 2003 | 690 | 19 | 30 | 12 | 78% | 25% | 6 |
| 2002 | 776 | 51 | 25 | 10 | 64% | 20% | 2 |
| 2001 | 662 | 10 | 36 | 14 | 80% | 18% | 5 |
| 2000 | 808 | 10 | 55 | 22 | 95% | 25% | 6 |
"Cleared" means the FBI counts the case as closed, usually by an arrest. Arrests include people who don't live in the city. A dash means the department didn't report that figure. † Partial year. * Zero clearances reported against 10 or more violent or 20 or more property crimes, which almost certainly means clearances weren't reported. Source: FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan
How these numbers are made
Crime counts come from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program: the offenses each city's police department reported to the FBI, year by year, as compiled per department by Jacob Kaplan. The FBI identifies the departments by these codes: New Kensington PA06510, Arnold PA06514 and Lower Burrell PA06506.
Violent crime is murder and manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Property crime is burglary, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft. Arson is listed on its own.
Rates are per 1,000 residents, using the population the FBI published for that department and year. Small towns swing from year to year; a few incidents can move a rate a lot.
Gaps: New Kensington: no offense counts for 2000, 2021; Arnold: no offense counts for 2003, 2019, 2021, 2023; Lower Burrell: no offense counts for 2021. 2021 is missing for most Pennsylvania agencies because of the FBI's switch to incident-based reporting (NIBRS).
Partial years. In some years a department reported fewer than 12 months. Those years are marked † and drawn as hollow dots, and comparisons with them use monthly averages rather than totals.
Cleared means the FBI counts the case as closed, usually by an arrest. Arrests include people who don't live in the city.
Mapped incidents are ones local news reported with a street location, checked against the original report. They are a sample, not a complete record. Locations are rounded to the hundred-block (21), an intersection (6) or a named place (2); 14 are placed on the street only and marked approximate.
Left out on purpose: names of suspects, victims and line officers (public officials such as chiefs and mayors may be named); exact house numbers; anything identifying a juvenile. Individual sexual-offense incidents are never mapped or listed; the FBI totals include them. An arrest or charge is not a conviction. The linked source articles are the original news reports and may name people; this site does not.
Policing notes: Agencies, staffing and interactions come from news reports and department pages; the two fatal police shootings are from the Washington Post's database (2015–2024). Items that could not be verified were removed.
Sources: FBI UCR via Jacob Kaplan, CrimeWatch, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, officer.com, CBS News Pittsburgh, WPXI, Tribune-Review archive, Valley News Dispatch (TribLive), Washington Post, PennDOT crash data.