The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department is adding a new 911 dispatcher. Sheriff Matt Hassel told the county council this month that the switch to a county-wide dispatch center a few years ago resulted in 30-to-40-percent increase in his department’s dispatch services. Now, he says the funding is in place to increase staffing to keep up with demand.
“The government entities agreed, so far, to increase their contribution in 2022 by five percent,” Hassel explained. “So it’s going to bring us in a $235,000 annual input, which in my figures, would support a third dispatcher.”
The county council agreed to let the sheriff add another dispatcher position to be paid out of the Central Dispatch Fund. Hassel said it has enough of a surplus to support the position until the extra money starts flowing in next year. An additional appropriation to allow that money to be spent this year will be up for the council’s approval next month.
Hassel said the new position will bring Marshall County Central Dispatch up to a total of about 14 dispatchers, including those who are paid out of other funding sources. The only part of the county that doesn’t use the system is Bremen and German Township, which continue to have their own dispatch center.
