Twenty-nine Birmingham Police Department recruits reported for duty Tuesday as part of the largest academy class since 2019.

The department in the past has had much larger class sizes – 50 or 60 graduates at a time.

Police officials said it’s no secret that law enforcement agencies everywhere have struggled with recruiting in recent years, and they are encouraged by their recruiting efforts.

Eighteen new officers hit the streets in August, and 10 more are set to soon graduate.

“We’ve definitely been more intentional on how we reach the masses and get the information out there, through media, social media, going to recruiting fairs, making those face-to-face contacts to invite people in,’’ said Deputy Chief Rodarius Mauldin, who oversees recruiting and retention for the department.

“We let them know exactly what we have to offer because most people don’t know,’’ Mauldin said. “When we asked what they thought the starting salary was, they actually thought it was much lower than it is.”

The salary for a new Birmingham police officer is $58,000, plus a $10,000 signing bonus.

“That makes us very competitive, not only locally, but nationally,’’ Mauldin said.

The department – which Birmingham City Council President Darryl O’Quinn has previously said is down nearly 300 officers – has beefed up recruiting, with a recruiting team and a hiring team.

Ideally, the city would have 851 sworn officers, 440 of whom would be available to work patrol, Mayor Randall Woodfin said.

Currently, there are 377 officers available to patrol, Woodfin said in October when he unveiled a $15.8 million plan to solve the Birmingham police staffing shortage.

Mauldin said the new recruiting and retention plan brought a surge of interest from potential recruits.

Department officials began the process of hiring the class that started Tuesday with 132 candidates before whittling that number down to 29.

“We don’t believe in lowering our standards, so we got it down to 29 exceptional candidates that are moving forward in the process,’’ Mauldin said. “That just shows you how we look at standards, the person who will be serving the city.”

“We will not lower our standards by any means to get more bodies,’’ Mauldin said. “Our community members deserve more.”

The recruits will spend 22 weeks in the police academy, and then 16 more weeks under the guidance of a field training officer on the streets.

“We provide some of the best training you’re going to find in the nation,’’ Mauldin said. “Our recruiters are really invested in building human capital.”

In addition to the beefed-up recruiting efforts, department officials also have devised incentive to keep current officers from leaving.

Officers who have been on the force for more than two years and commit to serve another year get a $10,000 bonus, which is doled out in four $2,500 increments over a year.

The plan to give officers take-home cars is also something that the department thinks will help with retention.

“We’ve lost candidates to that, and it makes sense,’’ Mauldin said.

Not only are take-home cars an economic boost for the officers, they also help deter crime.

Having patrol vehicles visible at homes and officers’ extra jobs is beneficial to all.

“There’s a larger police presence that’s visibly seen,’’ Mauldin said. “People are less likely to commit crime when they know there’s an officer in the area.”

“It’s a great morale booster as well,’’ he said.

Mauldin said the department has also implemented a new police training program that allows future rookies, such as those starting class in March, to begin preparing immediately.

That way, they’re not lost to departments who can get them in sooner.

“We’re preparing them for things they’re going to encounter in the academy, like the legal examination and physical agility,’’ he said. “It’s a paid opportunity and that will be a game-changer for us.”

Mauldin said the department continues to work to bridge the gap between officers and the community.

“We host various events throughout the year to make sure our community knows that we’re making those deposits, not just showing up for calls when people are at their worst,’’ he said.

The group of recruits about to graduate recently marched in the Magic City Classic.

“We wanted to roll them out into the community a little bit different, so they know that people support them,’’ Mauldin said.

“One thing we saw was when we introduced them into the community in that fashion, showing them the vibrancy of the city versus the first call they go on in an unfortunate situation, that makes a big difference because they have two sides of spectrum,’’ he said.

“We want to change the culture and the mindset that it’s more than just answering a call.”