(a) The Sheriff of Cullman County, or the authorized agents of the sheriff, may operate a jail store and a telephone system for prisoners within the confines of the county jail. The jail store and telephone system shall be operated to serve the needs of the jail population.
(b)(1) The sheriff shall establish and maintain a Law Enforcement Fund in a bank located in Cullman County. All proceeds collected under this section shall be deposited by the sheriff into the Law Enforcement Fund.
(2) The sheriff shall keep an account of all jail store sales, telephone usage fees, and transactions of the Law Enforcement Fund for audit by the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts. The jail store account, telephone system account, and Law Enforcement Fund shall be audited at the same time other accounts of the sheriff are audited. The Department of Examiners of Public Accounts shall submit a copy of the audit to the sheriff within 30 days of its completion.
(c) All profits realized in the operation of the jail store and telephone system shall be expended at the discretion of the sheriff for law enforcement purposes in Cullman County, including office expenses, that are in the interest of the public.
(d) The establishment of the Law Enforcement Fund and the use of the proceeds shall not diminish or take the place of any other source of income established for the sheriff or the operation of the office.
(e) Any actions relating to the operation of a jail store and telephone system in the county jail prior to May 6, 1998, are ratified and confirmed. Any existing proceeds derived from the operation of a jail store and telephone system in the county jail prior to May 6, 1998, shall be deposited into the Law Enforcement Fund created by this section.
Last modified: May 3, 2021