Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Geerts succumbed to gunshot wounds received three days earlier when he attempted to arrest two 16-year-olds he caught burglarizing the Naven Fuel Company. Both boys were arrested in Rock Island four days later. Both suspects had escaped from the Home for Feeble Minded Children at Gleenwood. They were both convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life in the Fort Madison Penitentiary. One was paroled in 1961 and the other in 1963.
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BO-US-IA-7D98B107- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Geerts served with the Davenport Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Davenport community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Geerts.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Bernard Herman Geerts is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In IA, 129 of 226 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 57.1% of this state's fallen. That is 57.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Davenport Police Department, 4 of 6 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Bernard Herman Geerts's cause is highlighted.
How Bernard Herman Geerts Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Bernard Herman Geerts is highlighted in Jul.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Bernard Herman Geerts was killed by gun.
Others Who Wore This Badge
5 officers from Davenport Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
