When there is a theft, chances are it was a bicycle left out in the open. And most police officers were born and raised here. The police department and residents in this small municipality help make Fair Haven one of the lowest-crime communities in Monmouth County. Back to Crime in Your Town Of the 48 municipalities in Monmouth County, Fair Haven in 1996 ranked 40th in the number of crimes reported for every 1,000 residents. Among all suburban towns in the state, the borough ranked 167 out of 216.
Major crimes are infrequent.
The last murder occurred in 1972, when a mother going through a divorce killed her baby before shooting herself. The total number of major crimes dropped from 82 in 1996 to 65 last year. The police department building, once a segregated school for African-Americans, is adjacent to a park where children play tennis and basketball. Since 1987, the police department has had several community policing initiatives in place. A neighborhood watch program on 14 streets encourages neighbors to look out for other people's homes when they are on vacation.