The launch comes after years of planning with collaboration from various entities to provide a clearer, more reliable communication for fire, EMS and law enforcement.

Many local and state officials attended the launch on Friday afternoon, including Clinton County Commissioners Angela Harding, Jim Russo and Jeff Snyder; State Representative Stephanie Borowicz (R-Clinton/Union) and US Congressman GT Thompson (R-Howard).

The Clinton County Department of Emergency Service along with local fire, EMS and police were able to transition to the new public safety radio system on Dec. 18 with very little issues.

“It was impressive to see almost no glitches with the launch,” said Snyder.

LAURA JAMESON/THE EXPRESS At center, Clinton County Department of Emergency Services Director Jonathan Plessinger cuts the ribbon in celebration of the county’s new 911 radio system upgrades being online in 2026. The multi-year, multi-million dollar project received support from local, state and federal officials who are pictured with Plessinger in the 911 center.

The project, now completed, was made possible through grant funding from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) COVID-19 programs, the USDA and the U.S. Department of Justice, along with help from Motorola to create a seamless transition.

“This is an impressive project,” said DCED Deputy Secretary Rick Vilello. “When you look at the funding breakdown, the community development block grant funds were $8.6 million.”

Vilello said this system represented a major accomplishment for the county.

“What’s impressive, for a small county like Clinton County, it was the largest grant award of the ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds,” he said.

With the project totalling about $11 million, funding came from DCED ($8 million), over $2 million was allocated by the county and another nearly $800,000 was awarded through a USDA grant.

PHOTO PROVIDED Clinton County Commissioners, from left, Jim Russo, Jeff Snyder and Angela Harding are pictured during the event.

Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson, shared pride in securing federal funding for this project.

“I was proud to secure more than $767,000 in federal funding for this next generation public safety radio system project.”

With the funding, the county’s entire 911 radio and tower system were able to be replaced, updating to a fully digital platform that provides clearer communication.

Jon Plessinger, Director of the Clinton County Department of Emergency Services, shared new features of the platform that include the ability to transmit voice, images or video depending on the situation.

Also in attendance during Friday’s ribbon cutting was John Breon, representing Motorola.

LAURA JAMESON/THE EXPRESS US Congressman Glenn "GT" Thompson speaks during the event.

“I think a lot of credit goes to the great partnership with Clinton County.” Breon said. “It was really a pleasure to work in the county.”

Multiple agencies working together was a large part of what made this multi-year project come to fruition.

“It was truly the federal government, the state government and the local county government all working together to make this project happen,” said Vilello. “Without any one of those pieces, it wouldn’t have happened.”

On the county level, Commissioner Angela Harding emphasized the dedication the county government had when it came to ensuring up-to-date communication for the area’s first responders.

“Our dedication and investment in this project shows how important communication is. Even a moment of losing connection can end in a tragedy,” Harding said.

LAURA JAMESON/THE EXPRESS Some of the upgraded equipment is pictured during the event.

From the state level, Representative Stephanie Borowicz thanked those that helped allow the project to succeed.

“Thank you to the commissioners for working so hard and working with the state and federal level,” Borowicz said. “To see this come to fruition is another success for Clinton County.”

Following the presentation, Plessinger offered a tour of the 911 center and server room to those in attendance to showcase the upgraded systems.