Law enforcement officials encourage residents with emergencies to always call 911 instead of a police department.

That point has been made more imperative by the incorrect number for the Jemison Police Department listed in the current Chilton County edition of Yellowbook.

The telephone number for Jemison Middle School is listed for the city’s police department.

The police can be reached at 688-4492, but again, anyone with an emergency should call 911.

“We probably get as many requests for assistance or inquiries within the police department through the front office as we do through our [911] dispatch,” JPD Chief Shane Fulmer said. “But dispatch is more efficient, and there’s an accountability there. Call them; that’s what they’re there for.”

JMS principal Mark Knight said an extra 20 or so calls a day have stressed school secretaries that were already stretched thin.

“They’re calling saying, ‘I thought I was calling the police department,’” Knight said. “I called (Yellowbook) and let them know I wasn’t real happy about it. But we just give them the right number. I guess that’s all we can do.”

The publication with the incorrect information was printed in March.

Also, the police department’s address is incorrect, being listed as the location of the old Jemison Middle School.

The correct address is 14 Padgett Lane, Jemison, 35085.