ALBANY, N.Y. — The city’s police department added a few more names to the ranks Friday morning, swearing in 11 new officers at a City Hall ceremony. The new recruits will bring the department to a staffing of about 335 officers, close to the budgeted staff of 342.

Much has been made in the past about the sheer size of Albany's police force, which carries roughly 3.2 officers per 1,000 city residents. In primary campaign debates, Mayor Kathy Sheehan defended the size of the force as “what works for Albany,” but said she would temporarily study the department at a lower staffing rate in the interest of saving money.

On Friday, the mayor said a lower police staffing has proven infeasible.

"Once you get below a certain level, it's not viable financially — it costs us more in overtime to be able to staff our shifts,” the mayor said.

In a period of heightened city violence, with violent crimes like shootings and homicides trending higher this year, Acting Chief Robert Sears said the size of the force is important to clear cases.

"We made an arrest in the shooting [Thursday] night, which was a home invasion robbery,” Sears said. “And the [homicide] from the weekend, we have been making very good progress on that."

Several of the officers sworn in on Friday have already been through the police academy, and Sears says those recruits will be on patrol as soon as next week.