NATCHEZ — Emergency calls originating outside the Natchez city limits are now being routed directly to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.

Prior to 10 a.m. Wednesday, all 911 calls were routed to the Natchez Police Department’s dispatch station, and were then transferred to the ACSO if dispatchers determined the call was from outside the city limits.

Officials with the Emergency 911 board had in the past complained the method was inefficient and could cause logistical problems.

But after the switch to a shared software that directs calls from landlines based on their location and in which city and county dispatchers can see what the other jurisdiction is responding to, dispatchers are familiarizing themselves with the new system, Adams County Emergency Management Director Robert Bradford said.

The software also tracks the location of the call for dispatchers.

“We had several people call in from different areas in the county to make sure it would map in the county, and the system was smooth,” Bradford said. “We got all the calls routed to the right responders, so right now they are receiving those in their respective places.”

Bradford said representatives from Emergency Callworks, the software vendor, are standing by in Adams County for the first 24 hours to ensure things continue to run smoothly.

The software was purchased for $230,000 earlier this year, and was seen as a compromise to the suggestion that the different jurisdictions need to consolidate their dispatch services.

Adams County Sheriff Chuck Mayfield and Natchez Police Chief Danny White could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.