Recruiting new police officers is harder than it has been in the past, so the Oshkosh Police Department hopes to encourage more young adults to consider the profession. Jason Konitzer has been an officer with OPD for five years and now helps bring in new recruits. Due to several retirements, OPD has 10 patrol officer positions to fill. More information on the application process can be found on the OPD website.(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)Jason Konitzer joined the police force after serving in the Air Force for several years. "I have parents that have suffered from addiction, and I never liked that," he says. "So I've always had an urge to help people and kind of stop that from happening and affecting other people."With multiple senior officers retiring at the same time, OPD is left with 10 vacancies on its patrol, the highest Konitzer has seen since he joined five years ago. "We're trying to step up and do it, but I know we could use the extra help," he says. Recruiting police officers has gotten harder over the years, according to Matthew Harris, captain of patrol operations. Harris says when he began his career 20 years ago, there were 200 people in his hiring class, now, he says, they're lucky to get 15. Konitzer says the tough hours and holiday work play a role in discouraging young people to choose police work. He also believes the perception of police officers has changed in recent years."Some officers that are in it for the wrong reasons are probably why we've gotten a worse reputation over the years, so just make sure you have a heart for the job, and you want to do it," he says. The hiring process takes about a year with training and the Police Academy, according to Harris. OPD will pay students to complete the academy. Konitzer says he typically works 10 hour shifts, five days on four days off."Kind of the most exciting part of the job is you never know what's coming next," he says. "If you can help out a couple people or save a life, it's worth it.... Trying to make a difference, right?"