Families and friends gathered today at the Cathedral Basilica of Sacred Heart in Newark to celebrate 65 new recruits being sworn into the Newark Police Department.

This graduation comes as overall crime numbers are on the rise in the state’s biggest city. So far this year, there have been 16 murders in Newark, a 14% year-to-date increase from this time last year. Overall, crime complaints are also up 14% compared to 2021 while arrests are down 8% compared to last year.

“These officers are desperately needed at this time…We’ve been doing incredible work in the city of Newark [for the] last several years,” said Brian O’Hara, the Newark public safety director. “Like elsewhere across the country, we’ve been faced with staffing challenges.”

City leaders are also adding more social workers to the department to take the load off of the police department and address some of the root causes of crime.

There were 41 Hispanics, 20 African Americans and 17 women among the 65 graduates, expanding diversity in the department.