Working his way up the ranks, he eventually became a police captain in 1857 and was assigned to head the Thirteenth Precinct where he remained for several years.
[1] In the early hours of the Draft Riot of 1863, Steers was one of several senior officers to lead groups to confront rioters.
That afternoon at about 1:00 pm, he and a small police squad made a desperate stand at 35th Street to try to halt the mob but were overwhelmed by the rioters' far larger numbers and his men fled in disorder.
[2] Steers spent his later career being transferred to several other precincts, reportedly "always doing good wherever he was", before finally retiring from active service in 1870.
He lived with his family during his last years and died at the home of his daughter in Brooklyn on the morning of June 13, 1884.