NATCHEZ — In hopes of keeping up with millennials, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office is updating its website and online presence.

The change, however, has removed some features, including recently released prisoners and a daily email that updated who had been booked in and released within the last 24 hours, but Sheriff Travis Patten said the intent is to add those features back.

“They are working on the code to interface with our system so we can start to automatically update anytime someone is booked in and released,” Patten said. “They are working on that part.”

Click here for website at adamscosheriff.org.

Patten said he hoped the features including the daily email functionality would be back online within a few weeks, but that kinks still have to be ironed out and the timeframe could be longer.

“To put it in human terms, this is almost like a blood transplant,” Patten said. “We have to make sure our system takes it.  They are working daily and diligently every day to get it up and running.”

The new website will be hosted locally on a sheriff’s office server, and Patten said he has also reshuffled duties at the sheriff’s office to create an IT department to update the website.

Patten said hosting it locally and having employees already in place to handle updates would in the long term save money, as the sheriff’s office was paying a yearly $2,500 hosting fee and additional fees for monthly maintenance and each update to the website.

Upgrading the website cost approximately $6,000, which does not include the new server. Patten said he did not readily have how much the server cost, but that it was an update that would have happened even if the sheriff’s office did not update its website.

Patten said the server system at the sheriff’s office had been 10 years-old and the office neesd more storage room to host the video from the deputies’ body cameras.

At some point, Patten said he also hoped to give raises to his people taking on additional duties. The IT specialists are Maj. Billy Neely and Chastity Martin. Martin, a former dispatcher, is also the webpage designer.

“When someone takes on extra duties that were not assigned initially, I believe they need to be compensated for it,” Patten said.

Patten said the purpose of the website update is to modernize it and make it feel more alive with frequent updates.

“I hope people will go get on it and check it out,” Patten said. “We are not finished with it yet, but it is open. You can see the things that we are doing and we will keep putting out information.”

The sheriff’s office also plans to utilize apps more to connect to millennials, Patten said.

“Younger people will not always click on a website,” Patten said. “There are over 50 different social media apps millennials are using. We are going to try to pick up a few of them here at the sheriff’s office so along with our innovative website, we can stay in touch with them.”

Patten also encouraged residents to visit the website and sign up for the sheriff’s office tip411 service. Patten said the sheriff’s office uses the service to send out information via email or text message including wanted criminals.

The sheriff’s office also uses the service to anonymously receive information from the community, Patten said.

Patten said with the consolidated dispatch, the sheriff’s office has had to switch to an automated phone answering system. Patten emphasized if you need a deputy or to make a report, to dial 911.