Brooks County Police Records Lookup

Brooks County police records are managed by the Brooks County Sheriff's Office in Quitman, Georgia. Sheriff Mike Dewey runs the department, which serves as the main law enforcement agency for this south Georgia county. The sheriff's office handles incident reports, arrest records, accident reports, and other law enforcement documents. Quitman is the county seat, and the sheriff's office there is the central location for all police records requests in Brooks County.

Brooks County Sheriff's Office Records

The Brooks County Sheriff's Office at 1004 Holloway Drive, Quitman, GA 31643 is where you go for police records. Sheriff Mike Dewey oversees the department. The phone number is (229) 263-9323. The office is open Monday through Friday during regular business hours. This is the place for incident reports, arrest records, booking data, and other police files from Brooks County.

Making a request is straightforward. You can visit in person, call, or send a letter. Written requests are preferred because they create a clear paper trail. In your request, include the date of the incident, the names of people involved, and what type of report you need. A case number makes the search faster. The staff will look up your request and tell you what they found and what the fees will be. Simple requests like a single incident report may be handled the same day if you visit in person.

The Georgia DPS EPORTS portal provides access to Georgia State Patrol reports from Brooks County and other parts of the state.

If a State Patrol trooper handled an incident in Brooks County, you will need to use eports.gamccd.net rather than contacting the sheriff's office.

Open Records Act and Brooks County

The Georgia Open Records Act is what makes police records available to the public in Brooks County. O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 states that public records must be open for inspection and copying. This includes all types of law enforcement records held by the sheriff's office and any local police departments. The law covers paper documents, electronic files, photos, and recordings. Anyone can request police records from Brooks County agencies. You do not have to be a local resident or explain why you want the records.

Brooks County agencies must respond to open records requests within three business days. That is the rule under O.C.G.A. 50-18-71. The response needs to confirm whether the records exist and tell you the cost. If the records are ready, you may get them right away. If not, the agency has to give you a timeline. Three days is the maximum the agency can go without acknowledging your request. After that, they are in violation of state law and you have legal options.

The fee structure is set by state law and applies across all Georgia counties. In Brooks County, copies cost $0.10 per page. The first 15 minutes of record search time are free. Hourly charges after that are based on the pay rate of the lowest-paid employee who can handle the request. If the total estimate goes over $25, the agency must get your OK before finishing the work. This keeps the process fair and affordable.

Note: Georgia's Open Records Act does not require you to state a reason when requesting police records from Brooks County.

Brooks County Crash Reports

Accident reports are one of the most common police records people request from Brooks County. If a sheriff's deputy handled the crash, the report is at the sheriff's office. Call (229) 263-9323 with the crash date, location, and names of drivers. The fee is typically around $5 for parties involved. People not in the accident may need a written statement of need under O.C.G.A. 50-18-72 before the agency releases the report.

Georgia State Patrol crash reports from Brooks County are available through eports.gamccd.net. The EPORTS system costs $5 per report and usually has them ready within three business days. You can also check BuyCrash.com to see if the report was uploaded there. Several Georgia agencies use BuyCrash to make crash reports available for online purchase.

Brooks County is in south Georgia near the Florida border, and state highways through the area see regular traffic. Crashes on these routes may be handled by the State Patrol rather than the county sheriff. Check both sources if you are not sure which agency worked the scene. The sheriff's office can usually tell you whether they have the report in their files.

Police Record Exemptions in Brooks County

Georgia law provides some exemptions to public access for police records. O.C.G.A. 50-18-72 lists what can be withheld. In Brooks County, active investigation files are the most common exemption. Deputies may hold back the detailed case file while they are still working an investigation. But this does not apply to everything. Initial incident reports are always public. Initial arrest reports are always public too. The basic facts of what happened and who was arrested are available even during an active case.

Redactions are common on released records. Social Security numbers come out. The day and month of birth may be removed. Law enforcement officers get extra protection for their home addresses, phone numbers, and family members' names. Medical information and financial details in police files may also be blacked out. These redactions protect individual privacy while still giving the public access to the substance of police records in Brooks County.

When a case closes and all court proceedings end, the full investigation file becomes public. Time-limited exemptions do expire. Georgia's system tilts toward openness. If a Brooks County agency improperly withholds records, you can go to court to force disclosure. The court may award attorney fees if you win.

Criminal Records in Brooks County

Arrest records from the Brooks County Sheriff's Office show who was taken into custody by county deputies. These are individual records tied to specific incidents. For a statewide criminal history, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation operates the Georgia Crime Information Center. The GCIC stores criminal records from across all 159 counties in Georgia. Contact the GBI for criminal history information that goes beyond what the local sheriff keeps.

The Brooks County Clerk of Superior Court maintains court records separately from police records. Court files include criminal charges, plea agreements, trial results, and sentencing information. These records cover what happened after an arrest, while police records cover the arrest itself. If you need a complete picture of a criminal matter in Brooks County, check both the sheriff's office and the clerk of court.

Note: Court records at the Brooks County Courthouse in Quitman are separate from police records at the sheriff's office on Holloway Drive.

How to Request Brooks County Records

Go to the sheriff's office at 1004 Holloway Drive in Quitman for the fastest service. Bring your ID and details about the record you need. For mail requests, send your letter to the sheriff's office at the Quitman address. Include your full name, mailing address, phone number, and all relevant details about the records. Phone requests at (229) 263-9323 work for checking whether a record exists before you visit or write.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory lists the Brooks County Sheriff's Office along with every other county sheriff in the state. Use it to confirm contact details. The directory stays updated when sheriffs change. It is a reliable starting point for anyone searching for police records from Brooks County or any other Georgia county.

Georgia law says agencies must respond within three business days. For a small county like Brooks, response times may actually be faster than the legal maximum. Staff at smaller offices often have more time to process individual requests. That said, complex requests that involve multiple files or extensive searching will still take more time regardless of the county's size.

Nearby Counties

For police records from counties bordering Brooks County, these links will help.