HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey swore in a record 236 officers on Friday, helping the agency recover from the loss of 37 officers in the World Trade Center attack and meet new federal rules for airport security.

More than 100 of the new recruits were former New York City police officers who had passed the last Port Authority police test in 1998 and decided to move over to the higher-paying jobs.

The New York officers were among the 182 members of the 104th Class of the Port Authority Police Academy in Hackensack who were put through an accelerated, nine-week training program.

The other 54 were rookie police officers from the 103rd class, which shaved five weeks from the standard 25-week program by training more hours each day.

"We need you to be standard bearers for the ethical treatment of all people," said Peter C. Harvey, first assistant state attorney general for New Jersey. "We as police officers, we as Americans, must never trade away our freedoms in the name of public safety."