A number of New Jersey law enforcement departments are looking for new recruits, and the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office is one of them. News 12’s Lauren Due went to a situational training and response simulator facility in Freehold to see what it takes to become a police officer.

“In over 30 years in law and public safety, I've never really seen advertisements on Facebook and in the papers for law enforcement,” says Sheriff Shaun Golden.

There's not enough interest anymore.

“There was always word of mouth,” says Golden. “Always criminal justice students coming out of our community colleges and other colleges. That too has taken a hit.”

Golden has the numbers to prove it, just within the past two years.

“When we go from over 1,000 applications to just about 400, there's an issue,” says Golden.

Then once they get hired, they go through a strenuous training at the academy.

“Only for some of them not wanting the job when they complete their training,” says Golden.

More public support is what Golden says recruits need to see.

“It's a pretty rewarding career if you tune out some of the noise and the rhetoric,” says Golden. “At the end of the day you're going to answer the call. You get to help individuals that are in need of help, and you go home with that kind of reward.”

This was just one example of simulation training that recruits go through at the Monmouth County Police Academy, but even to become a recruit, there are many requirements that need to be filled.