OAKLAND — Twenty-four new officers graduated Friday from the Oakland Police academy, bringing the department’s ranks to the highest number since 2008.

The new officers, members of the 175th basic academy, were cheered and applauded by more than 250 family, friends, fellow officers and city officials at a ceremony at the Scottish Rite Center.

With their graduation the police department now has 771 rank-and-file officers, the most since 2008 when there were more than 800 before layoffs.

They were welcomed by Asst. Chief of Police David Downing, who said it was “exciting” to have new officers to serve the community.

He told them they were the “guardians of the community” and that they will be expected to live by “the three Cs” of law enforcement: “character, competence and compassion.”

Sgt. Barry Donelan, president of the Oakland Police Officers Association, said he was glad “to have people willing to take up a tough assignment.”

Donelan also said he was pleased that the city is “trying to build up the force to deal with the crime challenges in Oakland.”

The new graduates are: Isaac Goins, who was the class valedictorian, Mostafa Abdellatif, Jesse Aguilar, Jonathan Andrade, Giovanna Borgna, John Crivello, Giovanni Cuevas, Marisa Fiorino, Thomas Garvey, Danilo Gecale, Carl Hayes and Sean Kelly.

Also graduating were Lorenzo Kenerly, Jacob Loredo, Zachary Mattson, Luke McKinley, Michael Ow, Nicholas Perez, Donald Perrier, Michael Romans-Rowe, Harrison Shing-Chun, Willy Tjhia, Robert Vogt and Jonathan Yi.

The new officers will begin working beats within the next few days with their field training officers.