Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Swears In First Class Of New Police Recruits Since 2010
NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) - New Jersey's largest city is getting new police officers from its first class of new recruits since 2010.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on Friday swore-in the recruits on Friday.
Thirty of the 35 recruits are men.
The city says the new officers will enhance the mayor's initiative to increase the number of police officers on the force.
"You are a godsend," Baraka said. "Newark desperately needs it and hopefully this is the direction we want to continue to go."
Baraka hopes to smooth out the roughness of crime with his first class of new officers since taking office, WCBS 880's Levon Putney reported.
But Chief Anthony Campos said getting through the police academy was the easy part.
"It gets real the minute you hit the streets of the city." he said. "Newark is hard. It's rough."
Campos says they still have a way to go make up for more than 160 lay offs from four years ago.
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