Officers with the city of Geneva’s Police Department are donning a new commemorative badge this year honoring the legacy of an officer who was killed in the line of duty 100 years ago.
Aeneas McDonnell began his career with the Geneva Police Department in 1898. In February of 1924, two men attempted to burglarize the safe at the New York Central Railroad Station. A gun battle soon ensued between the suspects and the Railroad’s policeman, with McDonnell being shot soon after he arrived on the scene. He died soon after.
A badge worn by an officer who served alongside McDonnell was used as a mold for the commemorative badge officers will wear for the entirety of 2024. The police department records and the headstone at St. Patrick Cemetary indicate the surname of McDonnell, which the Geneva Police Department felt appropriate to use on this special commemorative badge.
