MARQUETTE — The Marquette County Board of Commissioners at its Tuesday meeting will consider quotes for the purchase, certification and training of a K-9 for the Marquette County Sheriff’s Office.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in room 231 of the Henry A. Skewis Annex, which is located along the 200 block of West Baraga Avenue in Marquette.

The current K-9 used by the department, which is named ZAR, will retire in the next few months due to age and service, officials said.

“The sheriff’s office is actively searching for a K-9 that is specifically trained in search and rescue with certifications in tracking and basic cadaver (search) along with public relations at community events and programs,” the recommendation from the sheriff’s office states.

The board will consider a bid from vendor Von der haus Gill German Shepards Inc. of Wapakoneta, Ohio that includes a K-9 and training for $12,800; a bid from the Oakland Police Academy of Auburn Hills that includes a K-9 and training for roughly $13,500; and a bid from Mark McDonough of Anoka, Minnesota, for roughly $10,500. The bid from McDonough includes training, but it is unclear if the K-9 and related costs and included, board documents state.

Funding for the K-9 comes from the county’s rescue safety millage and $11,900 that was secured with outside donations, according to board documents.

Cpt. Stephen Kangas of the Marquette County Sheriff’s Office is recommending the board approve the bid from Von der haus Gill German Shepards Inc. as the organization was recommended by other K-9 trainers and it meets the mission requirements of the department, board documents state.

The Oakland Police Academy was also highly recommended and a K-9 from the agency would also be trained in narcotics and apprehension.

McDonough purchases K-9s via a third-party, leaving the county to purchase the dog separately, documents state.

“Most K-9 vendors that the sheriff’s office has researched all have included narcotics training along with tracking and bite work if needed,” board documents state. “Von der haus Gill German Shepards Inc. has specifically trained K-9s in temperament for public relations and only training in certifications for search and rescue missions that include scent and tracking. Narcotics detection and apprehension for police work would not be part of the training like most other vendors.”

At the meeting, the board will also consider quotes from storage vendors for an increase in the storage of case documents for the county.

“Due to the addition of multiple departments within our document management system, an increase in storage of case documents for the prosecutor’s office, addition of storage needs for the public defender’s office and backup of all data on our network, we are nearing capacity on our current system,” board documents state. “An expansion would increase the capacity on our current storage array by approximately 125% allowing us to continue using this solution for another 3-4 years. A complete replacement would cost $95,000.”

Quotes were received from three vendors, the current storage vendor Camera Corner of Green Bay, 906 Technologies and CDWG. A total of $15,000 from computer use has been budgeted in 2020 for the expansion.

County staff is recommending the board approve the quote from Camera Corner at a cost of $13,800.

“Camera Corner is the vendor that supplied the initial installation and configuration of our storage system. Staff continues to have a working relationship with them, therefore, it is suggested that the bid be awarded to Camera Corner…,” documents state.

Trinity Carey can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 206. Her email address is tcarey@miningjournal.net.