That same year, nine burglaries and 44 thefts were reported to police, according to FBI crime information reviewed by the Asbury Park Press. Stolen bicycles were a constant over the years, but residents seem to have figured out how to secure them. It's been months since there's been a report of a bicycle theft, the chief said. During Richter's 15 years on the force, there have been virtually no robberies, no murders, no rapes, only an occasional aggravated assault. Allenhurst, which celebrated its centennial last year, is about five blocks by five blocks, with approximately 360 residences and a five-block commercial Main Street.
Police usually have one or two men on a shift.
There are also four full-time dispatchers in the department who rotate on shifts to do the dispatching for Allenhurst and neighboring Interlaken. They proved that last year when Allenhurst lost its bid to continue providing police services for neighboring Loch Arbour, something Allenhurst had done for 38 years and which helped supplement its own police budget. Loch Arbour found it could get a better financial deal from Ocean Township. That left Allenhurst taxpayers with a choice of moving toward some kind of regionalization themselves or paying more taxes to keep their own police force. Vito D. Gadaleta, the borough administrator, said there was no follow-up tax increase this year, but that residents want Allenhurst to negotiate again with Loch Arbour to get the policing contract back.