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Sheriff reports May jail average of 81 inmates; board approves trailer and sonar purchases funded by grants
Summary
The sheriff's office reported an average jail population of 81 in May and other operational stats; the board approved the purchase of an enclosed trailer for roughly $19,999 plus outfitting and agreed to accept grant-funded purchase of a sonar unit for the department's ROV.
The Marquette County Sheriff's Office presented May operations statistics, reporting an average jail population of 81 with about 22 inmates boarded out to other counties. The law‑enforcement division logged 298 calls for service, 50 case reports and 45 crashes during the month; the front office processed 170 handgun registrations in May, down from 240 in April.
Lieutenant Brian Kern presented two equipment requests: purchase of an enclosed trailer (winning bid from a local vendor, Adventure Center Marquette, at $19,999 plus approximately $1,790 to outfit lights and decals) and a sonar unit to upgrade the department's ROV. The trailer purchase was approved by motion and voice vote after commissioners asked about bid comparisons and local vendor benefits. The sonar unit purchase will be paid with 100% federal grant funds and was also approved; staff described the sonar as functionally necessary for compatibility with existing ROV hardware.
"The Marquette County Jail had an average population of 81 for the month of May," a sheriff's representative said during the presentation. Commissioners praised staff for pursuing grant funding that offsets local costs and noted the operational benefit of purchasing locally when possible.
