Nearly 30 new Birmingham police officers will hit the city’s streets Saturday.

Birmingham Police Academy Class 109-141 is the third group of recruits to be sworn in this year, with four more classes scheduled to undergo training in 2020. Area pastors on Friday praised the new officers for answering the call of duty. “I believe it is a high calling, an honorable calling,’’ said Pastor Mark Harrison of Gardendale First Baptist Church. “You are making a difference in someone’s life. We are praying for God’s protection to watch over you from above.”

The graduation ceremony was held at the Botanical Gardens and it was standing-room only. The 29 recruits-turned-graduates will now spend 16 weeks with a field training officer before going out on their own.

Bishop Jim Lowe of The Guiding Light Church, The Rev. John King of Trinity Baptist Church and Pastor Mike McClure of Rock City Church were among those in attendance. Lowe received an award for his service to the police department and McClure was the keynote speaker.

“Sometimes serving the public is not easy,’’ King said. “We want you to prosper and to have good success.”

McClure, whose father was a Bessemer police officer, said he believes God uses people to be a blessing to others. Police, he said, often are tasked with the doing the “impossible for the ungrateful.”

He told the graduates they needed to constantly ask themselves these four questions:

-Who are you serving?

-How can you best serve?

-Are you a making a unique contribution?

-Are you getting better every day?

“My heart’s desire for each and every one of you is to set a new standard to continue the legacy that Birmingham was a city that caused the entire world to stop and take an inspection of our character,’’ McClure said. “It was Birmingham that called the character of America to the carpet, and I believe it will be Birmingham that will lead us forward. I pray peace, safety, and protection over your life. “

The new officers are: Myeisha Brown, Paul Campbell, Garrius Chappell, Everett Curry, James Dickens, Omar El-Husari, Paul Flores, Donta Freeman, Jeremiah Gann, Ethan Goodwin, Markeith Hilliard, William Jones, Jonathan Maenza, Marlon Moore, James Morrisey, Ehrick Nixon, Howard Oden, Isaac Pennington, Christian Perkins, Takiyah Perryman, Darquinzel Purifoy, Glacier Rohrer, Shawn Simmons, Gurinder Singh, Kelby Smiley, Kendrick Southward, Dekarrius Turner, Raven Walker and Cameron Watkins.

The new officers who received class awards are: Academic Award, James Dickens; Firearms Award, Glacier Rohrer; Physical Fitness Award, Dekarrius Turner and Defensive Driving Award, Ehrick Nixon. Turner also received the in Their Spirit Award, which is voted on by the recruits and given in the memory of fallen officers to a graduate who best exemplifies a police officer.

“I’m just looking forward to doing the best of my ability on the streets. Protect and serve most definitely and just perform well,’’ Turner said. “I’m excited to hit the streets soon, real soon.”

The Birmingham Police Academy Director’s Award was given to staffer Valencia Barham.

In addition to the graduation ceremony, several officers were officially promoted to new ranks. Those promoted and their new ranks are: Scott Praytor, deputy chief, commander of Investigative Operations; Capt. Shelia Frazier – Finney, commander of Community Safety Partnership Division; Capt. Curtis Mitchell, commander of Tactical Operations; Capt. Joe Roberts, commander of Crimes Against Persons and Capt. Julie Quigley-Vining, East Precinct Commander.

With Friday’s graduation, Birmingham Police Chief Patrick Smith continues the march toward his goal of having 1,000 officers on the streets by the 2021 World Games. When he took office in June 2018, the department was more than 100 officers short. This year the department is budgeted for 905 officers and has 860. Smith hopes to get the funding for a force of 1,000 next year.

“We’re kind of defying gravity because we’re able to recruit more where some departments have not been able to do that,’’ the chief said Friday. “We’ve covered a lot of ground in a short period of time.”

U.S. Attorney General will Barr earlier this week spoke at a Justice Department awards ceremony for police officers where he lashed out at communities who fail to show police proper respect. “If communities don’t give that support and respect, they might find themselves without the police protection they need,’’ Barr said. “When police officers roll out of their precincts every morning, there are no crowds along the highway cheering them on and when you go home at the end of the day, there’s no ticker-tape parade.”

Smith was asked about Barr’s comments. “We’re here to serve. I spoke to the graduating class just yesterday and I let them know that sometimes not everyone is going to support you, not everyone is going to want to help you, but we have to protect them too,’’ Smith said. “That’s the way I see it. We provide professional to service to everyone even when they don’t respect you, like you or believe in what you’re doing.”