NATCHEZ — The Adams County Sheriff’s Office became the first sheriff’s office in the state to join a national law enforcement information-sharing network Tuesday.

The network, known as the Pegasus Program, is associated with the sheriff’s office’s efficiency software, the Sheriff’s Office Management System. The Pegasus Program helps facilitate information sharing with other law enforcement agencies that also use SOMS.

“Probably the most important aspect of law enforcement today is information sharing and communication with other agencies around the country,” Sheriff Chuck Mayfield said in a news release. “Criminals have become more sophisticated in their activities, therefore we and all law enforcement agencies need to stay on the cutting edge of technology designed to aide us in our investigations of these criminal activities.”

The Pegasus Program is a free, nationwide initiative for information sharing that is available to law enforcement agencies. Former Adams County Sheriff Tommy Ferrell is the chairman of the Pegasus Advisory Board.

Ferrell said he wanted to commend Mayfield, Pegasus and M&M Micro Systems — the SOMS software provider — for partnering to make communities safer at no cost to taxpayers.