The city of Poughkeepsie Police Department just got a little bigger. The department held a swearing-in and promotion ceremony Friday in City Hall.

Seven new recruits raised their right hands for the oath of office and were sworn in as new city police officers. One current officer was promoted to sergeant and another was promoted to detective. 

Police Chief Tom Pape, Mayor Rob Rolison, officers and friends and family were there to welcome the new members of the department and celebrate the promotions.

The new hires bring the department’s ranks up to 86 officers. Five of the seven new recruits are city residents, and five are people of color.

It’s part of the police department's aggressive effort to increase the number of officers who are residents of the city, and to boost diversity within its ranks.

"It’s extremely important and it’s something our procedural justice committee recommended," said Pape. "They want to see the police department look more like the community, and I think we delivered that."

One of the seven new officers is Carisma Collins, who was featured last year when she was getting ready to take the exams. Now, she’s excited to begin a policing career.

"It feels nice to actually be here and be a representative of my community," said Collins. "I encourage anyone who lives in the city of Poughkeepsie who’s interested in this job, or may have some interest in this job, this career to at least start taking the exams. The more Civil Service exams you take, the better, and I hope to see you out here in the streets."

To recruit officers from the community, the police department provided free help to city residents taking the law enforcement exam and used a list of city residents scheduled to take the exam from which to hire, which was one of the recommendations of the city’s procedural justice committee.