08/14/2026
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*Long post but if you live, work or play in Marquette County this affects you***** Marquette County Central Dispatches New CAD system: otherwise known as 9-1-1
MARQUETTE COUNTY: THIS IS A 9-1-1 PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE AND YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT IT.
I have been looking into what is happening with Marquette County Central Dispatch and the U.P. 9-1-1 Authority, and I believe Marquette County residents need to understand what is happening.
This is not about politics, personalities, or which company has the better sales pitch.
This is about public safety.
Marquette County has been part of the U.P. 9-1-1 Authority for approximately 14 years. The authority consists of Marquette, Alger, Chippewa, Delta , Dickinson, Iron, Luce ,Mackinac and Menominee counties.. (the other counties are covered by MSP , but they’re also going to Tyler CAD). The entire purpose of this regional approach is to allow dispatch centers across the Upper Peninsula to work together.
And that matters because our county lines do not stop emergencies.
Marquette County agencies respond into Alger and Baraga Counties on an almost daily basis. Other agencies respond into Marquette County. When there is a major fire, serious accident, search and rescue, or a sudden surge of 9-1-1 calls, those county lines can become meaningless very quickly.
Right now, because the counties are connected through the regional CAD system, dispatch centers can assist one another. They can see calls, mapping information and other critical information.
If one dispatch center has a problem or goes down, another county can help provide backup.
That redundancy is a safety feature.
If Marquette County leaves the U.P. 9-1-1 Authority, we lose that same level of regional connection and backup.
So if Marquette Central Dispatch goes down, who is our backup?
And if a major emergency crosses the county line, how quickly can critical information be shared?
These aren't hypothetical questions. This is how emergency response works in the U.P.
The U.P. 9-1-1 Authority did not simply pick a CAD system out of a hat. Public records show that the Authority evaluated multiple CAD vendors, including Motorola and Tyler/New World, and brought in a consultant to assist with the RFP, bid evaluation, selection and implementation process.
After years of research and evaluation, the other U.P. counties have chosen Tyler CAD. Marquette County can join them, but the Marquette County Board has chosen not to.
Since 2023 Dispatchers from all nine U.P. dispatch centers were involved in the evaluation process, along with several police, fire and EMS personnel who actually use the information coming from dispatch in the field.
These are the people who know what works in the real world.
According to those involved in the evaluation, the Motorola product was not the system they wanted to move forward with.
No one on the Marquette County Board has been a 9-1-1 dispatcher.
The people who have spent their careers answering 9-1-1 calls and responding to those calls should have a meaningful voice when we are deciding what technology they will depend on during someone's worst moment.
I understand the Motorola proposal came in approximately $500,000 less.
That sounds like a tremendous savings—until you look at the entire picture.
If leaving the Authority requires Marquette County to purchase additional equipment, infrastructure and systems to replace the interoperability we currently have, how much of that $500,000 savings actually remains, more than likely none, in fact it will probably cost more.
There is also a transparency issue.
The County Board voted on leaving the Authority during its February 3, 2026 regular meeting, but the issue was added at the end of the meeting as an addendum rather than being clearly presented to the public ahead of time as a major public-safety decision.
The citizens of Marquette County deserve to understand what is happening BEFORE decisions like this are made.
And we deserve answers:
Why are we separating ourselves from the other U.P. counties?
Why aren't we joining the Tyler CAD system selected by the U.P. 9-1-1 Authority?
What happens if Marquette Central Dispatch goes down?
Who is our backup?
How will dispatchers in Alger, Baraga and other counties see and assist with a Marquette County emergency?
What will the TRUE cost be after everything required to operate independently is purchased?
And most importantly:
Why would we give up a regional system that was specifically created to allow U.P. dispatch centers to work together?
The U.P. is different from other parts of Michigan. We have enormous geographic areas, long distances between communities, rural roads, remote trails, lakes and highways. Our first responders routinely cross county lines to help people.
Our 9-1-1 technology should reflect that reality.
This isn't about Motorola versus Tyler.
It's about interoperability, redundancy, backup and keeping our dispatchers and first responders connected.
When someone in Marquette County calls 9-1-1, I want every available dispatcher, every available responder and every available resource working from the same information.
When seconds count, redundancy saves lives.
I believe every citizen of Marquette County should be asking questions and paying attention to this decision.
Contact your board members! Next Marquette County Board meeting is Tuesday August 18th 6pm Marquette County Courthouse. Please be there and help fight for OUR safety!
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