The Madison County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday on Twittter that it will no longer be using the NIXLE program, which allowed officials to send alerts by text and email informing the public of emergencies.

The sheriff's office will now notify the public of significant events through the Twitter account, @mcsoDispatchAL. The tweet on Tuesday says that all information previously sent through NIXLE will now be sent through the new Twitter account.

A spokesperson said the old alert system began charging fees, and this is why they switched to a free account.