Marshall County Council approves $152,355 for handheld radios; sheriff's contract adopted

The Marshall County Council on Dec. 8 approved a $152,355 purchase of 21 Motorola APX N70 handheld radios for county law enforcement and separately voted to adopt the sheriff’s standard contract.

The sheriff explained the APX N70 units can use cellular Internet when the county’s 800-megahertz system is blocked indoors. "The total price is $152,354.86," the sheriff said when presenting the purchase request and noted a year-end discount. He told council the same portable model is used by state police and cited interoperability with municipal resource officers.

Council members asked about compatibility with neighboring departments, in-building reliability and whether the devices allow tracking by third parties. The sheriff said the radio’s ability to use cellular Internet helps maintain contact with dispatch in buildings and that location tracking would require phone-company cooperation and appropriate legal process.

The council took an initial motion "in spirit" to support the purchase, with Patterson moving and Compton seconding; members voiced approval and the chair stated the motion carried. The sheriff also noted prior grant applications (Department of Homeland Security and ARPA discussions) had been unsuccessful and that commissioners may be asked to sign multi-year contracts for related in-car cameras in future funding discussions.

Separately, the council approved the sheriff’s contract as presented; the motion to approve was moved by Shattuck and seconded by Masterson, and carried by voice vote. The purchase and contract approvals were listed among several appropriations the council processed that night.