HB359 Summary

• Applies only to Jefferson County and establishes seven minimum qualifications for persons elected or appointed as sheriff, including U.S. citizenship, one-year county residency, voter registration, four-year college degree, and age 25 or older.

• Requires sheriff candidates to have three or more years of certified law enforcement service with arrest powers through the Alabama Peace Officers' Standards and Training Commission, with no gap of more than two consecutive years from active service.

• Prohibits sheriff candidates who have been convicted of any felony offense in Alabama or any offense that would constitute a felony in Alabama.

• Mandates elected sheriffs complete a minimum of 20 hours of continuing education annually through approved programs such as the Alabama Sheriffs Association, National Sheriffs' Association, or other recognized executive law enforcement training.

• Exempts supernumerary sheriffs from these requirements and becomes effective immediately upon passage and gubernatorial approval.