WEST BEND, Wis. (SPECTRUM NEWS)— The City of West Bend Police Department is combating low recruit numbers with a long-standing explorer program.

The City of West Bend Police Department is seeing a drop in recruitment numbers like many departments across the nation.

“Since I started about 18 years ago it's gone down pretty steadily," City of West Bend Police Department, Lt. Matthew Rohlinger said.

Rohlinger says since he started the department has dropped from around 250 recruits down to only around 50 recruits now.

"Initially it’s kind of a disappointment but at the same time, kind of like I just said if you break it down you're still getting people that are passionate and have always wanted to do this and this is their calling so to speak," Rohlinger said.

One way the department has been combating lower recruit numbers is with their explorer program.

"The meat and potatoes of the program is to get out in the streets, watch officers work, see how they talk to people," Rohlinger said.

Explorers can start at just 14- years- old. They begin by learning the basics of police work and working on calls such as stalled vehicles, helping with parades, and items like parking tickets. Lt. Rohlinger says he started as an explorer himself at 16 years old.

"Early on in my high school career, my sophomore year I kind of knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life," Rohlinger said.

Now, he's helping to train explorers who used to be in his shoes like Daniel Croft.

"It's given me the experience that I don't think I could have gotten anywhere else, to be honest. The amount of ride alongs that I've done, hundreds of hours I have lost count," City of West Bend Police Department Community Service Officer, Daniel Croft said.

Croft spends his time patrolling the streets and helps with community needs. After four years in the program, he says he knows this is the career for him.

"I've definitely seen my progression in it personally as well as received that feedback from other advisers and it's truly an awesome program to be a part of if you are serious about becoming a law enforcement officer," Croft said.

The program allows him to gain hands-on experience and knowledge all while serving the community. The City of West Bend Police Department says they have hired a large number of explorers to become full-time members of their department.