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Officer John B. Bealefeld

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Officer John B. Bealefeld

On August 30, 1945 Officer Bealefeld was sent to investigate a family disturbance in the 1500 Blk. Boyle St. Upon arrival he met up with two brothers, Thomas and Joseph Geisler, these brothers were not exactly what one would call, model citizens; in fact from the street these two could be heard inside their 1526 Boyle St home swearing, yelling and fighting at all hours. Because of their language and actions, they were menacing to the neighborhood; frightening those that lived, or passed by. Neither would listen to Officer Bealefeld’s orders to quiet down, and act civil.

Fallen Heroes 72 gallery 2 galleryOfficer John B. Bealefeld

On this day in Baltimore City Police History 30 August, 1945, we lost our Brother, Police Officer John B. Bealefeld based n the following;

On August 30, 1945 Officer Bealefeld was sent to investigate a family disturbance in the 1500 Blk. Boyle St. Upon arrival he met up with two brothers, Thomas and Joseph Geisler, these brothers were not exactly what one would call, model citizens; in fact from the street these two could be heard inside their 1526 Boyle St home swearing, yelling and fighting at all hours. Because of their language and actions, they were menacing to the neighborhood; frightening those that lived, or passed by. Neither would listen to Officer Bealefeld’s orders to quiet down, and act civil. We have all heard their senseless argument, “No one is coming into my house and telling me how to act, what to say, or how loud I can say it!” So Bealefild did what many of us have done, and or would have done, “I can’t tell you how to act in your house, fine; you’re under arrest, I will take you to my house, (the stationhouse) and while there, I will give you a free lesson in how to act, what to say, and how loud you can say it!” Bealefeld was a big man... he informed them of their arrest, and lead the way out of their house where he would have begin to escort them down to the callbox, to call for a wagon. As the three exited the building into the night, neither brother was handcuffed, and neither brother wanted to go to jail... Joseph in particular, so first chance he got, he balled up his fist and struck Officer Bealefeld in the back of the head with everything he had. At this point something else we have all experienced in Baltimore came into play that night. Those beautiful marble steps; those marble steps that when wet are as slippery as ice. Considering his size, the weather, and an unexpected attack, he did what any of us would have and fell several steps to the ground below. As he fell he twisted, and turned with a force so strong the femur in his leg broke into two, and while suffering pain from a broken leg, and a blow to the back of his head he still managed to have the presence of mind to reach out and grab Josepha Geisler as he attempted to run passed. Now with a broken leg, busted head and a detainee in his hand, he began to call out for help. Other officers were arriving on scene almost as he was falling from the porch and took control of Joseph Geisler. Joseph, and Thomas Geisler were both taken to Southern District for processing, Officer Bealefeld was taken to South Baltimore General Hospital where he would stay for several days before passing away on September 10th due to an embolism resulting from the fracture in his femur. Joseph Geisler was charged with his murder. Officer Bealefeld was married to Lillian Bealefeld they had no children – He gave 16 years and 6 months service to the Baltimore Police Department.

As his brothers and sisters of the Baltimore Police Department we will not let him be forgotten. His service Honored the City of Baltimore, and the Police Department. RIP Officer John B. Bealefeld

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More Details

NameDescription
End of Watch 10 September, 1945
City, St. Baltimore, 1500 Blk. Boyle St
Panel Number 29-E: 15
Cause of Death Injury
District Worked Southern

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Please contact Det. Ret. Kenny Driscoll if you have any pictures of you or your family members and wish them remembered here on this tribute site to Honor the fine men and women who have served with Honor and Distinction at the Baltimore Police Department.

Anyone with information, photographs, memorabilia, or other "Baltimore City Police" items can contact Ret. Det. Kenny Driscoll at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. follow us on Twitter @BaltoPoliceHist or like us on Facebook or mail pics to 8138 Dundalk Ave. Baltimore Md. 21222

Copyright © 2002 Baltimore City Police History - Ret Det Kenny Driscoll

 

Read 4377 times Last modified on Wednesday, 22 January 2020 07:41
Published in Fallen Heroes
Baltimore Police Historical Soicety

The Baltimore Police Historical Society put this and other articles on this website together using research from old newspapers, old books, photos, and artifacts.

We rely more heavily on books written at or near the time of the incident we are researching or writing about. We do not put too much weight on the more recently written history books, or books that have been written with a biased opinion or agenda.

We try not to tell our readers what to think about our past as much as we tell a story with hopes of our readers forming their own opinions. That said, ever so often we come across a story that to us is so exciting that we might express that in our writings. but we hope our readers will form their own opinions based on the information written at the time, not information that was added years later using a filtered history that has been twisted and pulled in the direction of various storytellers that may or may not have had their own agendas.

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