NATCHEZ — Beginning Oct. 1, public entry to the Adams County Courthouse will be allowed only through the main entrance located on Market Street and the door nearest to the tax assessor’s office on Wall Street, officials said.

All other doors will be marked “Emergency Exit Only,” officials said, and anyone along with their possessions entering the courthouse will be subject to search using walk-through and handheld metal detectors, physical search and an X-Ray machine for bags.

No cellphones or weapons are permitted on the second-floor courtroom areas, officials said, and congregation in the hallway of the second floor also is prohibited.

Tightened security and other measures stem from a shooting incident at a municipal facility one week ago in Masontown, Pennsylvania, Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said.

Patrick S. Dowell, who had been previously arrested for domestic violence charges, shot at a police officer outside the Masontown courtroom before firing into the courtroom and shooting two more men and a woman. Eventually a deputy returned fire, killing Dowell. The four victims had minor injuries and no other fatalities resulted from the shooting.

In another safety move, Patten appeared before the Adams County Board of Supervisors recently to express the need to move the Adams County Justice Court from its current location on Wall Street to the Adams County Courthouse. Patten said Natchez could face a similar crisis if something did not change.

“The justice court is a busy court, and it has really outgrown the space,” Patten said. “Domestic violence is the No. 1 cause for arrest that we see come through that court. … We usually have five to 20 people walking the sidewalks and in the building every time there is a court in session.”

Patten said not only is the space limited in the justice court, but heavy traffic outside the courtroom poses a security issue as well.

“You have people there who are walking freely without going through a security check, and there is no knowing what they may have on their person. It’s just a bad situation waiting to happen.”

Patten said moving the justice court cases to the Adams County Courthouse would make the cases more secure.

“By moving to the courthouse, you eliminate some of that risk,” Patten said. “For us officers, it’s a no-brainer. … We cut the risk down to the minimum by putting it in a more secure location. We don’t allow people to just roam around the court. You’re either in the courtroom or you’re tending to business.”

Patten said officials discussed the notion to move the justice court before he became sheriff, and recent events caused them to take action.

“The issue was brought up prior to me coming into office, and I brought up in the last two board meetings,” Patten said. “We’re just now moving forward on it. … Across the country, you see an increase in courtroom violence, so I decided to press heavily on this issue. … I appreciate the judges’ understanding of the urgency of this matter and I appreciate all of those who are assisting in the movement of the justice court.”

County attorney Scott Slover said the movement of the court might not come to fruition until the first quarter of 2019. The county is working to get estimates on what it would cost to update the court’s equipment to a paperless system so records can be shared from one building to the next, Slover said, which would cost roughly $7,000 to $10,000.

“The justice court is fairly large and handles 40 to 50 cases a day,” Slover said. “Everyone, (judges and officials) were behind the idea. It’s just a matter of what it would cost.”

Slover said the justice court facility could be repurposed for non-jury hearings once the court is moved.