Ocean Grove police,1896. Submitted by Rich Amole.
By Rich Amole, Blogfinger history reporter and researcher.
With the recent stories in Ocean Grove of homes being broken into, I have something to offer of the crime wave that was happening in the Grove in 1896. Attached is a photo of that year’s police force. They maintained four police all year long. Two would serve a day shift and the other two a night shift.
During the tourist season, the force would swell to twelve police. The photo appears to have the dozen police plus the man with the only full beard who was probably the Chief. All of the force sport mustaches and batons.
Among the reported crimes were disorderly conduct, intoxication, huckstering without a license, Sabbath bathers, bicycling, tramps, persons in improper bathing suits, dogs running without muzzles, and pick-pocketing to name a few.
There were no break-ins reported to the police in that year. I suppose everyone had a gas light on their porch and around the side of their home to deter those would-be criminals of the night.
FIORELLO from the original Broadway soundtrack:
The police dept. was in the basement of the old Camp Meeting building at 57 Main ( Now the OG Landmark Condo) You can see what was one of the cells with bars on the window and a door with “Police” stenciled on it