The first group of 300 fresh new officers will start police training today in the District.
Mayor Vincent Gray and Police Chief Cathy Lanier will welcome the 35 recruits to the police academy at 8:30 a.m. Monday. Their training will last 28 weeks.
Gray said recently that the city plans to hire a total of 300 new police officers. The funding for the hiring began at the start of the new fiscal year on Saturday.
Currently, the department loses an estimated 15 officers a month to retirement.
The mayor's office in a press release said this crop of recruits is "a substantial step in rebuilding the size of the police force to better serve the citizens of the District of Columbia."
Despite a nationwide decline in violent crime, in the District, FBI statistics revealed a troubling trend in 2010. In the District of Columbia, incidents of rape increased by nearly 25 percent last year. By comparison, rape dropped 5 percent nationwide.
The report said that violent crime nationwide dropped 6 percent in 2010. In the District, overall violent crime decreased by 1 percent.
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