At a time when a lot of law enforcement agencies in the state are struggling to hire new officers, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office added more than 50 new deputies Wednesday night.

Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS the new graduating class from the academy totals 53 new deputies with some being assigned to the jail and others on patrols. Witt also said this is one of the most diverse recruit classes in years.

“I know we had in that class like, what, five to seven different languages amongst that class. All but three, maybe, were considered people of color,” said Witt.

Witt said it’s been a good recruiting year, but more is needed to be done because, she said, her agency is still down more than 60 deputies.

“We still have to keep going 100% at recruiting the best men and women to do this work from different walks of life, with different experiences, because at the end of the day what we want is the best agency,” said Witt.

Witt said there will be another swearing-in ceremony for new deputies in October.