§36-22-63. Purchase of prior service credit; rate; minimum creditable service.

(a) Any sheriff, serving on July 19, 1979, of any county of this state who elects to participate in the supernumerary sheriff's program shall receive service for supernumerary status for any time served as sheriff after July 19, 1979. Any sheriff, in order to receive service credit for prior service as a sheriff or law enforcement officer, shall pay into the county general fund an amount equal to the total contribution he or she would have made as a sheriff based on six percent of the current salary as sheriff for a period not to exceed five years or the time of prior service as sheriff whichever is lesser. Any prior service credit shall be purchased by September 30, 1995. No sheriff shall be eligible to go on supernumerary status with less than five years of creditable service including prior service credit purchased as provided above.

(b) The term "prior service as a sheriff or law enforcement officer" as used in subsection (a) shall include prior service as a mayor with arrest powers whose duties included serving as head of a city police department.

(c) The provisions of this section as amended by Acts 95-678 shall not take effect in any county until the county commission of that county unanimously adopts a resolution of approval relating to these provisions.

(Acts 1979, No. 79-357, p. 569, §4; Acts 1985, No. 85-637, p. 969, §1; Acts 1993, No. 93-759, p. 1513, §1; Acts 1995, No. 95-678, p. 1482, §1.)