Gov. Kathy Hochul pledged Wednesday to continue to increase the ranks of the New York State Police as the law enforcement agency inducted 218 new troopers in Albany.

At the same time, she touted efforts by the State Police to curtail the spread of illegal guns into New York amid an increase in violent crimes over the last several years. The comments come as Hochul is locked in an election battle for a full term against Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin, who has pressed the issue of crime and public safety during the campaign.

Hochul's comments also came weeks after State Police Superintendent Kevin Bruen resigned amid an investigation conducted by her office into his handling of allegations leveled against a human resources officer.

Both Hochul and Acting Superintendent Steven Negrelli described a "laser-like focus" on halting illegal guns into New York.

Hochul has pointed to the rise in crime being a national concern that coincided with the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I'm going to continue to up your ranks, because what I've seen during this pandemic is something that no one could have anticipated, but almost immediately, the crime rate started going up all over the country," Hochul said. "Not just here in New York, but all over our nation."

The governor, a Democrat, did not take questions from the media after speaking at the event.

All told, law enforcement officials have intercepted 8,000 illegal firearms since the start of the year. She has pushed for a regional task force to strengthen enforcement as well.

Hochul's pledge to increase State Police ranks, more broadly, comes as Democrats have sought to counter Republicans' push on crime in the Nov. 8 election.

Zeldin, a Long Island congressman, has touted a series of endorsements from law enforcement unions and organizations during his bid. As Hochul was speaking at the event in Albany, Zeldin received the backing of the Syracuse Police Benevolent Association on Wednesday.

Zeldin has pledged to declare a crime emergency if elected and freeze the enforcement of a suite of criminal justice law changes made in recent years, including the ending of cash bail for many criminal charges as well as raising the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18.

Voters have ranked crime, alongside the economy, threats to democracy and abortion rights as key issues for them, according to most public polling in recent weeks.

In New York City on Tuesday, Zeldin continued to highlight the concerns New Yorkers have over random crime.

"I've seen it during my visits with the Asian-American community, the Jewish community, the Sikh community," Zeldin said. "People are being targeted in different forms and different ways."