Access Cartersville Police Records

Cartersville police records are kept by the Cartersville Police Department, which handles law enforcement for this Bartow County city northwest of Atlanta. As the county seat of Bartow County with a population over 25,000, Cartersville sees a regular volume of incident reports, arrest records, and accident reports filed by its officers each year. These police records are public under Georgia's open records laws. The process for obtaining copies is straightforward, and most reports can be picked up or received within a few business days of making a proper request.

Cartersville Police Department

The Cartersville Police Department is the main law enforcement agency within the city limits. Officers respond to calls, patrol the area, investigate crimes, and file police reports for all incidents they handle. The department's records division manages all open records requests for incident reports, arrest records, and accident reports. If a Cartersville officer took the report, this department has it.

The department is on West Main Street in downtown Cartersville. You can visit during business hours to request police records in person. Walk-in requests are handled regularly. A case number makes the search quick. Without one, the date of the incident and the names of people involved usually help staff find the right report. Call ahead to confirm current hours or ask about what you need to bring. The records staff is familiar with the open records process and can walk you through it.

Note: Cartersville is the Bartow County seat. The Bartow County Sheriff's Office is also located in the city. Confirm which agency handled the incident before making your request for police records.

How to Get Cartersville Police Records

Getting police records from Cartersville follows the Georgia Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. 50-18-70. This law gives anyone the right to inspect and copy public records held by government agencies in the state. The Cartersville Police Department is covered by this requirement. You do not need to provide a reason for wanting the records, and you do not need to live in Cartersville or Bartow County to make a request.

The department has three business days to respond under O.C.G.A. 50-18-71. They will either give you the records, send a cost estimate, or issue a written denial citing the specific legal basis for withholding. The first 15 minutes of staff time to search for and compile records are free. After that, copies cost $0.10 per page. Most single police reports are just a few pages and cost very little. If the estimated total goes over $25, the department must notify you before doing the work so you can decide whether to proceed with the request.

Put your request in writing. Include your name, contact information, the date of the incident, any case numbers you have, and a description of the records you want. You can deliver the request in person, send it by mail to 178 W Main St, Cartersville, GA 30120, or submit it by email if the department accepts electronic requests. In-person visits tend to be the fastest route for individual police reports. Mail requests add postal transit time to the overall turnaround.

Cartersville Accident Reports

Accident reports rank among the most requested police records in Cartersville. The city sits near I-75, and traffic incidents are a regular occurrence. When a Cartersville police officer responds to a crash within city limits, that accident report is filed with the Cartersville Police Department. You request it through the standard open records process. Give staff the date, location, and names of drivers involved so they can locate the report quickly.

If a Georgia State Patrol trooper responded to the crash, the report is in the state system. You can purchase State Patrol accident reports online through the EPORTS portal for $5 each. The report is emailed to you after payment. This covers crashes on the interstate and state highways where a trooper was dispatched instead of a local officer. The DPS Open Records Unit at openrecords@gsp.net or (404) 624-7591 can help you find reports not yet in the online system.

Use the Georgia Sheriffs' Association website to find contact information for the Bartow County Sheriff's Office and other agencies that may hold police records for the Cartersville area.

Georgia Open Records Act in Cartersville

The Georgia Open Records Act is the legal framework for accessing police records in Cartersville. Under this law, incident reports, arrest records, accident reports, and most other law enforcement files are public. The Cartersville Police Department must make them available for inspection and copying when a proper request comes in. Every government agency in Georgia operates under this same obligation.

Exemptions are listed in O.C.G.A. 50-18-72. Active investigation files are the primary reason a police records request might be denied. If releasing a report would compromise an ongoing case, the department can hold it back. But the law draws a clear line. Initial incident reports and initial arrest reports are always public, even with an active investigation. You can get the basic facts of what happened and who was involved at any time. The deeper investigative materials are what may be delayed. Any denial must come in writing and cite the specific statute.

Note: Most police records requests in Cartersville are routine. The department handles them regularly and the staff knows the requirements. Denials are uncommon for standard incident reports and accident reports.

Criminal Records and Court Records

A Cartersville police report documents a specific incident. For a comprehensive criminal history search, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation runs the Georgia Crime Information Center. A GBI criminal history request pulls records from every jurisdiction in the state, giving you a full picture beyond what a single Cartersville police report can provide.

Court records for cases originating in Cartersville are filed with the Bartow County Clerk of Superior Court. These cover charges, arraignments, pleas, trial outcomes, and sentencing. Bartow County also has a State Court and Magistrate Court that handle certain case types. Police records from the Cartersville PD show the initial incident and the responding officer's documentation. Court records show the legal process that followed. Both are public records and can be requested to get the complete story of a case from the first police report through final resolution.

Bartow County Sheriff and Other Agencies

The Bartow County Sheriff's Office handles law enforcement in unincorporated parts of the county and runs the county jail. For incidents outside Cartersville city limits but within Bartow County, the sheriff's office is the right contact. Their records division handles open records requests the same way the city department does. You can also reach the DPS Open Records Unit for State Patrol records or use BuyCrash by LexisNexis to search for local agency crash reports online.

Bartow County Police Records

Cartersville is in Bartow County. For police records from incidents outside city limits or handled by county-level law enforcement, the Bartow County Sheriff's Office is the primary contact. Our Bartow County page has details on all county police records resources, contacts, and the request process.

View Bartow County Police Records

Nearby Cities

These nearby cities in northwest Georgia also have police records available through their local departments or county agencies.