Access Savannah Police Records

Savannah police records are kept by the Savannah Police Department and the Chatham County Sheriff's Office. Unlike some Georgia cities that have consolidated governments, Savannah and Chatham County operate as separate entities with their own law enforcement agencies. The Savannah PD covers the city, while the sheriff's office handles unincorporated areas and runs the county jail. With nearly 149,000 people in the city and a large tourist population year-round, Savannah's police department deals with a high volume of incidents and generates a substantial number of police reports each year.

Savannah Police Department

The Savannah Police Department headquarters is at 201 Habersham St, Savannah, GA 31401. The main phone number is (912) 651-6675. For emergencies, call 911. The department serves the city of Savannah and handles patrol, investigations, traffic enforcement, and records management.

Savannah PD has multiple precincts across the city. Officers from each precinct respond to calls in their assigned area. Regardless of which precinct handled the incident, all police reports flow into the central records system. You contact the records division at headquarters for any report from within the city limits.

The Savannah Police Department website has information about the records request process, department divisions, and contact details. The site also features crime mapping tools and community resources that may be useful when trying to find information about specific incidents.

Getting Savannah Police Reports

You can request police records from the Savannah PD records division. Walk-in requests are accepted at 201 Habersham St during business hours. Bring a valid ID and the details of the report you need. A case number or report number makes the process much faster. If you do not have a number, provide the date, location, and names of the people involved.

Written requests work too. You can send a letter or submit a form to the records division. Include your name, mailing address, phone number, and a clear description of the record. Georgia's Open Records Act under O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 requires agencies to provide access to public records. Police reports fall under this law.

Fees are standard across Georgia. Copies cost $0.10 per page. The first 15 minutes of search time are free. Anything beyond that can be billed at an hourly rate based on the lowest-paid employee who can process the request. If fees will exceed $25, the department has to tell you first.

Savannah Crash Reports

Accident reports from Savannah are available from the police department if a city officer worked the scene. For crashes on I-16 or I-95 near Savannah, the Georgia State Patrol may have been the responding agency. State Patrol crash reports are available through the EPORTS system at $5 per report.

Local crash reports from Savannah PD are sometimes available through BuyCrash, which is an online platform where some agencies upload their accident reports. Check there before making a formal records request, since it could save you a trip to the police station.

Savannah sees a lot of traffic during events like St. Patrick's Day, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors. The volume of accident reports spikes during busy weekends and holidays. If you are looking for a report from a high-traffic period, be aware that it may take the records division longer to process requests due to the backlog.

Note: The Chatham County Sheriff's Office handles crashes in unincorporated parts of the county, so make sure you know whether the incident happened inside or outside Savannah city limits.

Open Records Law for Savannah

O.C.G.A. 50-18-71 gives agencies three business days to respond to a records request. The Savannah Police Department follows this timeline. When you submit your request, the clock starts. Within three days, they must provide the records, give you a fee estimate, or send a written denial.

Denials must cite the specific legal exemption. Under O.C.G.A. 50-18-72, certain records are exempt from disclosure. Active investigation files can be held back. Records that could put someone in danger or reveal a confidential source may be restricted. But initial police reports and initial arrest reports remain public. That is true even if the investigation is still open.

If you believe a denial was improper, you can challenge it. The Georgia Attorney General's office handles open records complaints. A judge can also order records released if the exemption was applied incorrectly.

Chatham County Sheriff

The Chatham County Sheriff's Office is a separate agency from the Savannah PD. The sheriff handles law enforcement in unincorporated parts of the county, operates the county jail, and manages courthouse security. If an incident happened outside Savannah city limits but still in Chatham County, the sheriff's office likely has the report.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory lists contact information for the Chatham County Sheriff and all other Georgia sheriffs.

Use the directory to find the Chatham County Sheriff's contact details along with offices in surrounding counties.

Knowing which agency responded is key. If you are not sure whether Savannah PD or the sheriff handled the call, the 911 dispatch center can check their logs and tell you which agency was sent.

Savannah Criminal Records

For a full criminal history rather than a single incident report, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is the statewide source. The GBI runs the Georgia Crime Information Center, which holds criminal records from across the state.

Court records from Savannah criminal cases are at the Chatham County Clerk of Superior Court. The clerk keeps all case filings, plea deals, trial outcomes, and sentencing records. Police records cover the incident. Court records cover the legal process that follows. Both types of records are public under Georgia law, with some exceptions for sealed or expunged cases.

The Chatham County website has links to the clerk's office and other county departments where you can find information about court cases and related records.

Note: Savannah's large visitor population means police deal with many incidents involving out-of-state individuals, which can complicate record searches if names or details are incomplete.

Chatham County Police Records

Savannah is in Chatham County. All police records at the county level are managed by the Chatham County Sheriff's Office, while city-level records go through Savannah PD. The two agencies operate independently, so you need to contact the right one based on where the incident occurred.

View Chatham County Police Records

Nearby Cities

This nearby city in Chatham County also has police records available.