AL HB593

Walker County Sheriff must maintain permanent records of abandoned and stolen personal property, including descriptions, recovery dates, serial numbers, and recovery locations, open to public inspection.

Sheriff may sell perishable abandoned or stolen property immediately without notice if owner cannot be located; proceeds held in separate account for 6 months before being paid to Sheriff's office if unclaimed.

Sheriff must maintain separate records of abandoned or stolen firearms and may sell them only to licensed federal firearms dealers via sealed bid auction or destroy them if unclaimed after 6 months.

Sheriff may conduct public auctions at least every 6 months for unclaimed abandoned or stolen property (excluding firearms) with notice published in newspapers once weekly for 2 weeks or posted at courthouse for 20 days.

Auction proceeds, after deducting recovery and sale expenses, are deposited into a Sheriff's Fund in a Walker County bank and used exclusively for law enforcement purposes at the sheriff's discretion.