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Allenhurst police Patrolman Michael DiBona received an award for his work to procure more than $1 million in military surplus equipment for the borough, according to Capt. Michael Schnieder.

The equipment is obtained at no cost to the Borough under the federal government’s Law Enforcement Support Office [LESO] program, where excess military equipment that might otherwise be destroyed is transferred to state and local law enforcement agencies across the United States and its territories.

To date, Allenhurst has acquired several heavy duty trucks, portable emergency water pumps, emergency generators, emergency management supplies and other vehicles that will be used in emergency management situations where evacuations may be necessary, or in situations where weather may restrict the use of everyday police vehicles, Schnieder said.

Patrolman DiBona has played a pivotal role in searching for, applying for, and receiving approvals to acquire the equipment, said Schneider.

“After Superstorm Sandy and last year’s significant snowfall, several shore towns realized that bigger vehicles would be needed to evacuate residents in a scenario that involved severe weather, such as flooding or snowstorms,” Schnieder said. “These vehicles give Allenhurst and any surrounding towns that may need these vehicles the ability to evacuate residents more easily, if needed.”

In addition, Schneider said the vehicles give first responders the ability to respond to emergency incidents more quickly in snowstorms, when everyday police vehicles may have difficulty getting around.

[Photo at top, from left to right: Allenhurst Mayor David McLaughlin, Sal DiBona, Patrolman Michael DiBona, and Allenhurst Police Chief RObert Richter.]

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