Officials announced Tuesday an anticipated influx into the police department.
NEWARK -- City officials announced with cautious optimism Wednesday a plan that could see as many as 250 new police officers added to the Newark police department by next June.
Through a series of new classes of police academy recruits, city officials announced Tuesday they expect several hundred new officers to be added to the force - the first significant influx of manpower since sweeping layoffs hit the NPD in 2010.
SEE MORE: 6 murders in a week -- How Newark is responding to homicide surge
"This is a good thing for our strained police force," Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement about the new recruits.
The mayor, who also said he will continue to push for the re-accreditation of Newark's own police academy to hasten the pace of adding officers, has often argued that a combination of increasing law enforcement resources and creating better community relationships could combat the city's crime rate.
But, some NJ.com readers questioned how many new officers the department will actually end up with (considering impending retirements and a percentage of recruits who will not pass the academy), and were skeptical that the potential influx of officers would have an impact.
"(It's won't), unless they are on the streets, not in cars, walking beats and making community relationships," reader rollaroundtheworld said. User upsidedown added, "1,000 on the books already and they can't get the job done."
Still, some showed some optimism. User jjerseycity21 said, "I don't think it can hurt. I guess that's to be determined."
So, tell us, do you think more cops in Newark will make a difference? Vote in our poll above and comment below.
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.