LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) – The Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office has spent the past few months and thousands of dollars updating its 25-year-old building and jail.

The (Lafayette) Journal and Courier (http://on.jconline.com/1IeRJwu ) reports the department had spent more than $35,260 on paint, countertops, shelves and furniture as of Friday. Much of the money came from commissary funds, which is revenue generated by services and products offered to inmates, and the 2015 Repair and Maintenance budget.

Inmates volunteered to paint inside the building and help the department's maintenance director with carpentry work.

Sheriff Barry Richard says the makeover was necessary because the facilities of the highest-ranking law enforcement office in the county should reflect the stature of what the department represents.

He says the department plans to host an open house to show off the upgrades.