Ten new police officers graduated from the Pittsburgh police training academy yesterday, one of city's smallest classes in recent years.

But officials say the academy is going to get a big boost in the fall, when as many as 40 recruits likely will begin the rigorous 28-week training program.

The goal is to reach 917 officers, up from the current number of 882.

In the mid-1990s, the police bureau had as many as 1,170 officers, but budget cuts under Mayor Tom Murphy forced a significant decrease. Now, the city is applying for federal stimulus funds through the Community Oriented Policing Services program, known as COPS.

"We need your service. We need your effort," Mayor Luke Ravenstahl told Pittsburgh's newest police officers during a ceremony at the VA hospital on Highland Drive. "We need you to make sure that each and every day you report to duty, that you do so knowing you have an obligation to keep our residents safe."

It was the first class to complete training since April 4, when three Pittsburgh police officers were shot and killed while responding to a domestic call in Stanton Heights.

"Don't ever let your guard down. You never know, as we painfully found out April 4, what's going to be behind that door," the mayor said. "It's a very difficult job. We thank you for doing it."

Officer Tanya Szuch, who was given the class's leadership award, said the deaths of Officers Stephen J. Mayhle, Paul J. Sciullo II and Eric G. Kelly had made her briefly reconsider her decision to join the bureau.

Like Officer Mayhle, she has two young children.

"It made me think, 'Am I doing the right thing?' " said Officer Szuch, 32, of Brookline, who previously worked as an accountant for the Federal Reserve Bank. "But it's something I've always wanted to do. I didn't want to have any regrets."

For Officer Brett Butkewich, becoming a police officer was also a longtime goal. A native of Sykesville, Jefferson County, he regularly traveled to Pittsburgh for Steelers and Pirates games as a child, and he decided he wanted to live and work in the city.

He graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2006 with a degree in criminology, and he quickly took the Pittsburgh police test.

"It's an honor to be here, to be part of this," Officer Butkewich, 24, said yesterday.

He was given the "best firearms score" award for his proficiency with a Glock .40-caliber handgun. He credited his grandfather with starting to teach him how to handle guns when he was as young as 11.

Officer Butkewich, who starts his first shift Monday afternoon at the Zone 3 station in Allentown, said last month's police shootings haven't diminished his desire to serve.

But his father acknowledged being concerned.

"We have to learn to live with it," said Bob Butkewich, 56. "This is what he wanted to do. You have to stand behind him."

The other members of Basic Recruit Class 08-01 include officers Scott Bobak, Christopher Mayburn, Nicholas Papa, Stacey Schell, David Spinelli, David Spinneweber, James Togyer and Wesley Wilson.

They started their training on July 28, 2008, undergoing hundreds of hours of classroom time, two weeks on the city shooting range and a week of advanced driving lessons, including simulated tire skidding and blowouts.

They also studied "verbal judo," or how to calm a situation without using force.

On Feb. 13, the 10 recruits received their badges for the first time. They then began three months of field training, rotating among the city's six police zones.

"They met every challenge we gave them," said Lt. Karen Dixon, director of the police academy. "They were an exceptional class."

The class' small size made it possible for the officers to form strong bonds, Officer Mayburn said during a brief speech.

"It's been an absolute honor to get to know all of you as well as I have," he said. "I hope that the friendships that were formed will be lifelong."