LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) — Recruiting has become a rising challenge for law enforcement agencies nationwide. The Lafayette Police Department is one agency looking to hire but struggling to find applicants under this pandemic.

"What we're seeing is that a lot of the mechanisms that we use to get the word out about job openings have been through our community outreach, public talks, all those things that we've had to suspend," said Mike Brown, Lieutenant with the Lafayette Police Department.

LPD suspended its public recruiting programs to follow state social-distancing rules. But while these programs are on halt, the need for officers continues.

"This job is just as important as it has ever been if not a little more important right now and we need to keep filling our vacancies," said Brown.

The department is looking to hire at least nine new officers.

"We're looking for people who have a real interest in serving their community," said Brown. "Characteristics of a person like integrity, honesty, loyalty, those things are super important."

Lt. Brown said in addition to adjusting their recruiting process, they're also changing parts of the hiring process while still keeping the integrity of its form.

"There's a lot of steps in our hiring process and all those steps are very important," said Brown.

In-person written tests in a room full of applicants will now be done individually over a video interview. The department is also adjusting its physical testing.

"We're still here, we're still working 24-hours a day, seven days a week and we need folks to step up and take on that responsibility," said Brown.

The application deadline for this round of hiring is Friday, May 1. You can find the application link here. The department hosts a total of four hiring rounds throughout the year. Lt. Brown said the hiring process takes about three to four months.