Kent County undersheriff outlines dispatch, school radio and real-time intelligence upgrades; cites low use-of-force rate

Undersheriff Brian Meir told the Kent County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday that the sheriff’s office is expanding technology and training aimed at prevention, rapid response and transparency.

Meir said the sheriff’s office dispatch center now handles calls for many local agencies and that the department’s school radio project — funded with American Rescue Plan Act dollars — is being linked to an emergency video feed and other systems. “We are the only law enforcement agency that we know across the entire nation that is connected in our, school radio project with an emergency notification system for all schools across Kent County,” Meir said.

The upgrade, Meir said, joins other investments intended to improve responses to critical incidents and reduce risk. “What it is is basically a single pane of glass,” he said of the real-time information software, naming FUSIS (an Axon product). “Whether or not it's our body cameras, our in car camera systems, our flock LPR systems, camera security systems from the schools, we can use this 1 case of software to bring real time intelligence into our operation center and then provide directed response for that.”

Why this matters: Meir positioned the investments as both prevention and force-multipliers. The school radio project is intended to provide communications to buildings that do not have a school resource officer present. The real-time system is meant to let responders pull together camera feeds, in-car video, license-plate-reader (LPR) hits and other data to support an immediate, coordinated response.

Details and supporting facts

- Dispatch and call volume: Meir said the county dispatch center takes calls for 28 fire agencies and 10 law enforcement agencies, and cited about “almost, 380,000 calls in 02/2024,” including 911 and nonemergency calls. Meir said performance goals include answering 95% of 911 calls within 15 seconds; the office reported a 97.83% rate and 99.99% within 40 seconds for the period cited.

- School radio and video feed: Meir said there are school resource officers assigned to 13 districts but not to every building; Kent County has nearly 400 K–12 buildings in its jurisdiction and 21 officers assigned as SROs. The school radio project was funded through ARPA and is being extended to provide immediate video links when a 911 call is made at a school.

- Real-time information center: Meir described the county’s system as integrating body-worn cameras, in-car video, LPR systems and other feeds into a single interface (FUSIS). He said the system was already being used for criminal investigations and large-event coverage and could be extended to entertainment districts and the ballpark.

- Technology used in search and rescue: Meir described use of mapping and GPS-enabled communications for coordinated searches — for example, a recent multiagency search for a missing teenager in the Rockford area that used GPS plotting, canines, mounted units and parks personnel.

- LPR (license-plate recognition) use: In response to commissioner questions, Meir said LPRs are used mainly to support investigations, establish timelines and locate stolen vehicles. He said Kent County’s adoption of flock LPR technology beginning in 2022 corresponded with a fall in pursuits (from roughly 150 to about 80) and a reduction in reported stolen vehicles (from more than 500 to under 200, per Meir’s figures).

- Drones and counterdrone concerns: Meir said the sheriff’s office monitors counterdrone intelligence and that Captain Rune participates in the Michigan Drone Association to discuss countermeasures and legislation. He referenced global drone use in conflicts as an example of evolving threats.

- Marine patrol: Meir said the marine patrol is partly funded by a state grant that was reduced this year and that the sheriff’s office uses general-fund dollars to sustain the unit; he described it as largely staffed by part-time retirees and educators during the summer months.

- Staffing and training: Meir said all uniform staff had completed mandatory state training and additional training on mental health, substance use disorders and responding to people with autism or special needs. He also described the department’s review process for use-of-force incidents, which includes supervisor and command-staff review and referral to the professional standards division if concerns arise.

- Use-of-force and transparency: Meir said the sheriff’s office captures use-of-force data through its Axon professional standards module and body-worn/in-car cameras. He described “anytime we present a deadly-force weapon” or put hands on a person as a use-of-force event and outlined supervisory and professional-standards review steps. In response to commissioners, Meir said the sheriff’s office had about 230 reported uses of force on roughly 72,900 sheriff’s-office calls in 2024 and that the department tracks use-of-force incidents and investigates complaints.

Questions from commissioners centered on the balance between surveillance tools and privacy, how LPR data is shared, the role of embedded social workers with Network180 at dispatch, and whether ambulance transport limits use of the county behavioral health crisis center (CSU). Meir said LPR data is owned by the Kent County Sheriff’s Office and that the vendor does not independently access or sell the data; he said the office will share data with other law enforcement agencies when it supports a criminal investigation.

Ending

Meir closed by noting accreditation achievements, cybersecurity work for dispatch centers, and the countywide role the sheriff’s office plays in supporting communications for other agencies. Chair Green and several commissioners thanked Meir and the sheriff’s leadership for the presentation and for the department’s cooperation with county initiatives.