The members of the division's 151st recruiting class represent the first increase in the force's manpower since 2009. They formally assumed their posts Friday when they took their oaths of office during a graduation ceremony in Toms River.
Allison Pavlosky, a 29-year-old Roxbury resident who previously was a Chester Township police office, was chosen as the outstanding recruit by her fellow class members.
To earn their jobs, the new troopers had to complete several months of rigorous training.
State officials say 14 percent of the graduates are military veterans, and 85 percent have a college degree. Fourteen have prior law enforcement experience, while 10 were school teachers and another 10 were firefighters.
