(a) The Sheriff of Hale County is authorized to operate a jail store and contract telephone installation for inmates within the confines of the county jail. The jail store and inmate telephones shall be operated to serve the needs of the county jail population.
(b) Any and all monies collected under subsection (a) shall be deposited by the Sheriff of Hale County, or his or her appointed agent, in any bank located in Hale County selected by the sheriff into a fund known as the Sheriff’s Jail Fund.
(c) The Sheriff’s Jail Fund shall be drawn upon by the Sheriff of Hale County, or his or her appointed agent, and shall be used exclusively for law enforcement purposes in the public’s interest in the discharge of the sheriff’s office as the sheriff sees fit.
(d) Any and all monies collected as outlined in subsection (a) prior to May 22, 1997 shall be transferred into the Sheriff’s Jail Fund.
(e) The establishment of the Sheriff’s Jail Fund and the use of such funds shall in no way diminish or take the place of any other source of income established for the sheriff or the operation of his or her office.
(f) The Department of Examiners of Public Accounts is authorized to audit the monies annually and submit a copy of the audit to the sheriff within 30 days of its completion.