[1] One of his great-grandfathers, grandfathers, and grand-uncles served the Baltimore Police Department, the latter of which was killed on duty; his younger brother later became a homicide detective.

[5][6] After dropping out from AACC, Bealefeld joined the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) as a cadet on May 11, 1981, beginning his career as a patrol officer in the Western District.

At the time of Hamm's resignation, the city was on track to exceed 300 homicides in 2007, the highest since 1999, non-fatal shootings had risen 30%, and police morale was low.

[5][11] On May 2, 2012, Bealefeld announced to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake that he would resign as commissioner effective August 1, 2012, to spend more time with his family, citing stress.

[5][11][12] On August 28, 2012, Rawlings-Blake announced the appointment of Anthony Batts, the former chief of the Oakland Police Department, as commissioner to replace Bealefeld.

[13] I am excited to be working with the students to help them connect the knowledge they receive in the classroom with real-world experiences that prepare them for careers in law enforcement and public safety.

At the time of the announcement, Justin Fenton, writing for The Baltimore Sun, described Bealefeld as "perhaps the city's most effective commissioner in recent history", also crediting him with improving officer education.

A month after leaving Stevenson, he joined Under Armour as a vice president and the chief global security officer, overseeing the protection of company employees and assets.