County Detective Joe Geesey, who has spent 50 years in law enforcement and is still at it, poses in fr...(more)

 

1 of 1

"There was no message from God, I just needed a job," he said. "Plain and simple."

The police hired him, trained him and put him in uniform.

But police work soon became more than just a job to Geesey.

It turned into a career in law enforcement and criminal investigation that he said still fascinates, excites and challenges him today — 50 years after he was sworn in on July 1, 1958.

Geesey's first 34 years in law enforcement were spent with the city police department, as he rose through the ranks to the detective division, ultimately named captain of detectives in 1985.

He smiles at the memory of the early days on the police force, working with such local city police notables as Luther Henry and Walter Goeke.

"We thought we had the best police department in the world," Geesey said. "People liked us. If something happened, we'd get calls from people telling us who did it.

He retired from the city police department in 1992, only to join the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office as a county detective in the major crimes unit, assisting municipal departments and working on unsolved homicides.

"In this job, we pry into people's minds … trying to find out why people do some of the things they do," Geesey said. "Sitting across a table from someone … you get to hear how and why they've killed someone.

"Sometimes, I feel sorry for people," Geesey said. "Then there are other people I would have no trouble pulling the plug.

"There are all kinds of criminals. Some are a result of their environment, their upbringing. Some are a result of their circumstances," Geesey said.

"And then there are some really evil people out there," Geesey said.

During his lengthy law-enforcement career, Geesey's been involved in a number of high-profile homicide cases, including hearing the confession of David Ludwig, the Lititz youth who shot and killed his girlfriend's parents, and investigating the disappearance of Cortney Fry, the young mother who was found beaten to death in the woods outside Columbia.

Ten years after robbers let Horace and Mary Amanda Swarr starve to death in their city home in 1979, Geesey helped earn the conviction of four Maryland men for the crime.

But there are two unsolved Lancaster County homicides that still bother Geesey — the deaths of Christy Mirack, a school teacher murdered in 1992, and Lindy Sue Biechler, a flower shop clerk killed in 1975.

"I don't know which is worse," Geesey said, "to know who did it and not be able to prove it, or" to have the physical evidence to prove a case, "but not knowing who did it."

Geesey said he's seen many changes over the years in Lancaster County's criminal justice system. Some good, some not so good.

Lancaster County residents have consistently chosen their district attorneys well over the years, Geesey said, including current District Attorney Craig Stedman, and his predecessors (now judges) Donald Totaro, Joseph Madenspacher, Henry Kenderdine and Ronald Buckwalter, all of whom he described as dedicated and hard-working.

As for the criminals, Geesey said, "things are changing for the worse," not just in the prevalence of drug use, but the level of violence involved.

"There's an anger and violence that wasn't there before," Geesey said. "Now, they go out of their way to hurt someone."

Originally from Columbia, the 72-year-old Geesey now lives in Landisville.

His wife, Audrey, died five years ago, and one of their five children predeceased her.

Of their four surviving children, one son lives in Florida and the other three — two sons and a daughter — still live in Lancaster County. Geesey also has three grandchildren.

In addition to his police work, Geesey has been almost as enthusiastically dedicated to his second career as a high school and college wrestling referee, including 10 jobs in national competitions.

"It's a different kind of stress with a couple thousand people looking at you," but it's a "stress reliever" from the world of criminal investigation.

Despite two open-heart surgeries, Geesey credits his health and fitness to regular exercise, especially bike riding.

"I'm not one to sit around," Geesey said. "I was lucky. I came down here where I still get to work with police departments in the major crimes unit. … I've enjoyed it. There's a sense of accomplishment, a sense of excitement, matching wits with bad people.

"I've met a lot of great people over the years, on and off the job, and I hope I've helped a lot of people," Geesey said. "It's been good."

E-mail: jkelley@lnpnews.com