Find Police Records in Martinez
Martinez police records are handled by the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, which provides law enforcement for this area of Columbia County, Georgia. Martinez is a census-designated place, not an incorporated city, so it does not have its own police department. If you need an incident report, arrest record, or accident report from Martinez, the Columbia County Sheriff's Office is where to go. Martinez has a population of about 33,000 and sits just west of Augusta. Police records for Martinez are public under the Georgia Open Records Act. You can request copies in person, by mail, or by email from the sheriff's office.
Martinez Police Records Facts
Columbia County Sheriff's Office
Since Martinez is a census-designated place and not an incorporated city, there is no Martinez police department. The Columbia County Sheriff's Office serves as the primary law enforcement agency for Martinez. Deputies respond to calls, file incident reports, make arrests, investigate crimes, and handle accident reports throughout the unincorporated areas of Columbia County, including Martinez. All police records from Martinez are kept by the sheriff's office.
The Columbia County Sheriff's Office mailing address is in Appling, the county seat. For records requests, you can call, write, or visit. The sheriff's office handles a high volume of calls and reports given that Columbia County includes both Martinez and Evans, two of the largest communities in the county. Have the date, location, and any names or case numbers ready when you contact them about a police record. This helps staff locate the right file.
| Agency | Columbia County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Mailing Address | PO Box 310, Appling, GA 30802 |
| Phone | (706) 541-1043 |
| Emergency | 911 |
| Hours | Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM |
How to Get Martinez Police Records
Getting police records for Martinez requires an open records request to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. The Georgia Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 gives the public the right to inspect and copy records from any government agency. Since the sheriff's office handles all law enforcement in Martinez, your request goes to them. You can file it in person, by mail, or by email. In-person visits work best for simple requests. Written requests are better for anything larger or more complex.
Under O.C.G.A. 50-18-71, the Columbia County Sheriff's Office has three business days to respond. They can provide the records, send a cost estimate, or issue a written denial citing the legal basis. The first 15 minutes of search time are free. Copies are $0.10 per page. If the cost goes past $25, they must notify you before proceeding. This gives you the chance to decide whether to continue or narrow your request.
Note: Martinez is an unincorporated area. All police records for incidents here go through the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, not a city police department.
Be specific in your request. Include your name, contact info, and a clear description of what you need. A request like "the incident report from July 14, 2025, at 4000 Washington Road in Martinez" will get handled much faster than a vague ask. Specific details lead to quicker results and lower search costs.
Martinez Accident Reports
Accident reports are some of the most common police records requested for the Martinez area. Washington Road, I-20, and other corridors carry a lot of traffic through Columbia County. When a Columbia County deputy responds to a crash in Martinez, the accident report is filed with the sheriff's office. You request a copy through the same open records process that applies to all other police records.
If the Georgia State Patrol responded to a crash on a state route or interstate instead of the sheriff's office, the report goes through a different system. State Patrol crash reports are available through the EPORTS portal online. Each report costs $5 and arrives by email. The DPS Open Records Unit is reachable at openrecords@gsp.net or (404) 624-7591. Check which agency took the report before you file your request.
Georgia's EPORTS portal provides online access to State Patrol crash reports filed in the Martinez area and across the state.
EPORTS is the quickest way to pull a State Patrol accident report without contacting an office in person.
Open Records Law and Martinez
Every request for Martinez police records is governed by the Georgia Open Records Act. Because the Columbia County Sheriff's Office is a public agency, its records fall under the law. That includes incident reports, arrest records, accident reports, dispatch logs, and most other documents the office creates. The basic principle is that public agencies make public records, and the public can access them.
O.C.G.A. 50-18-72 lists the exemptions. Records from active investigations are the most common reason a request gets denied. If sharing a report could hurt an ongoing case, the sheriff's office can hold it. But initial incident reports and initial arrest reports are always public. This is a key distinction. Even during an active investigation, you can get the basic facts of what happened in Martinez. Once the case closes, the full file usually opens up for public access.
Records that could put someone in danger or reveal confidential sources are also protected. If you believe a denial was wrong, the Georgia Attorney General's office can help you with an appeal.
Criminal Records in Martinez
A single police report covers one event. Criminal records go much further. They include arrests, charges, court outcomes, and sentencing across time and different agencies. For statewide criminal history information, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation runs the Georgia Crime Information Center. You can submit requests through the GBI open records portal. This is a separate system from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.
Court records for cases originating in Martinez go through Columbia County. The Columbia County Clerk of Superior Court keeps criminal case files with charges, plea agreements, trial results, and sentencing details. Between the police report from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office and the court file from Columbia County Superior Court, you get the complete story of a criminal case from the first report through the final outcome.
Note: Juvenile and sealed records are not available to the public under Georgia law, no matter which agency you contact.
Other Law Enforcement in the Area
The Columbia County Sheriff's Office is the primary agency for Martinez, but it is not the only law enforcement presence in the region. Evans, another large community in Columbia County, is also served by the sheriff's office. Nearby Augusta has its own police force through the Richmond County Sheriff's Office (Augusta and Richmond County have a consolidated government). If an incident happened in Augusta rather than Martinez, you need to contact their office instead.
State agencies play a role too. The Georgia State Patrol handles crashes on state highways and interstates. GBI can be involved in major investigations. Each agency keeps its own records and processes open records requests separately. The first step is always figuring out which agency responded to the incident you care about. That tells you exactly where to send your request for police records.
The Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory includes contact information for the Columbia County Sheriff's Office and every other sheriff in the state.
Use the directory to find contact details for the Columbia County Sheriff's Office or any other Georgia sheriff's office.
Requesting Martinez Police Records by Mail
You can mail an open records request to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office if you cannot visit in person. Send it to PO Box 310, Appling, GA 30802. Include your full name, mailing address, phone number, and a clear description of the police records you need. Include a case number if you have one. Be as specific as you can about the date, location, and people involved.
Send payment if you know the cost. If not, the office will contact you with the amount before they process anything. Mail takes longer because of postal transit both ways. Plan for at least two weeks from the time you mail your letter to the time you get the records. Keep a copy of what you send.
Columbia County Police Records
Martinez is in Columbia County. All police records for Martinez go through the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. Our county page has more information about the full range of police records available through Columbia County.
Nearby Cities
These cities near Martinez have police records available through their local departments or county agencies.