Catoosa County Police Records

Police records in Catoosa County are held by the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office in Ringgold. The sheriff's office handles incident reports, arrest records, crash reports, and detention records for the county. Catoosa County is in the northwest corner of Georgia, just south of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The county sees a fair amount of cross-border traffic, which adds to the call volume for local law enforcement. Requests for Catoosa County police records are processed under the Georgia Open Records Act, and the sheriff's office is the main point of contact for the public.

Catoosa County Sheriff's Office Details

Sheriff Gary Sisk leads the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office. The department provides law enforcement services across the county, including patrol, criminal investigations, court security, and jail operations. The mailing address is PO Box 909, Ringgold, GA 30736. The main phone number is (706) 935-2424. Records requests go through the administrative staff at the Ringgold office. You can visit in person, call, or send a written request by mail.

The cities of Ringgold and Fort Oglethorpe have their own police departments that handle calls within their city limits. If the incident you need records for happened inside either city, contact that city's police department directly. The Catoosa County Sheriff's Office handles the unincorporated areas and the parts of the county outside city jurisdictions. Knowing which agency responded is important because each one keeps its own separate set of police records.

Catoosa County sits right along I-75, which brings highway traffic and interstate-related incidents. The Georgia State Patrol is very active on this stretch of highway. Crash reports from state troopers go into the state system, not the sheriff's files.

How to Get Catoosa County Police Records

Georgia law gives you the right to request police records from the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office. O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 is the statute that spells it out. You can request records at any time during business hours. Have a case number if possible. If not, provide the date, the names of those involved, and a description of the incident. Being specific helps the staff find your file fast. Broad requests that cover long time periods or multiple case types slow things down and drive up costs.

Written requests are recommended. They protect you and the agency. You can drop off a letter at the office in Ringgold or mail it to the PO Box. Include your name, phone number, and the details of what you want. The Catoosa County Sheriff's Office has three business days to respond under O.C.G.A. 50-18-71. Their response will either be the records, a cost estimate, or a timeline for when everything will be ready. Simple requests for a single report are usually handled quickly.

You do not need to explain why you want the records. Georgia law does not require a reason. You just have to identify what you want clearly enough for the staff to find it. The records belong to the public, and the Open Records Act is built on that principle.

Note: You do not need to be a Catoosa County resident to request police records from the sheriff's office.

Police Report Types in Catoosa County

The Catoosa County Sheriff's Office generates and stores several kinds of police records. Incident reports are the most common. They document calls for service, from thefts and burglaries to assaults, drug offenses, and domestic situations. Each report includes a case number, a date and time stamp, the location of the incident, and a deputy's written account of what happened. Arrest records cover people booked into the Catoosa County jail. They show the charges, the arresting officer, bond details, and scheduled court dates.

Under O.C.G.A. 50-18-72, initial arrest reports and initial incident reports are always open to the public. Active investigations may have parts of the file withheld, but the initial report stays available. The sheriff's office will tell you if any portions of the records you requested are exempt. Protected personal data like Social Security numbers and certain medical information is removed before records are released. The office follows the same redaction rules as every other agency in Georgia.

Crash reports depend on who responded. Catoosa County deputy reports are at the sheriff's office. State Patrol reports from I-75 and other state roads go into the EPORTS system. If you are looking for a crash report from Catoosa County, check both places to make sure you find the right one. The I-75 corridor through the county generates a large number of crash reports each year, and most of those are filed by state troopers.

State Resources for Catoosa County Records

The Georgia DPS EPORTS system at eports.gamccd.net handles crash reports filed by the State Patrol in Catoosa County.

With I-75 running through the county, many crash reports from the area are in this system. Each report costs $5 and can be found by searching the date and location of the accident.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is a state resource for cases where the GBI assisted local law enforcement in Catoosa County. Their open records process is separate from the sheriff's office. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association has a statewide directory with contact details for every sheriff's office, including Catoosa County. The BuyCrash portal from LexisNexis is another option for crash reports, though agency participation varies across Georgia.

Catoosa County Records Costs and Fees

The fee structure for police records in Catoosa County matches the statewide standard. Copies are $0.10 per page. The first 15 minutes of search and retrieval time are free. Past that, the agency can charge based on the hourly rate of the lowest-paid employee who can do the work. This is set by Georgia law and applies to every agency in the state, not just Catoosa County. The system keeps costs predictable for the public.

If total fees will go past $25, the sheriff's office must notify you before starting. You then get to decide whether to approve the cost or scale back what you asked for. Narrowing a request to specific dates or a single case number is the easiest way to keep the bill down. You can also choose to inspect records in person for free rather than ordering copies. In-person inspection during business hours costs nothing, and you can take notes from the file without paying for photocopies.

Note: Narrowing your request to specific dates and case numbers keeps Catoosa County records fees low.

Nearby County Police Records

Catoosa County is in the far northwest corner of Georgia, near the Tennessee state line. Neighboring counties may hold records for incidents that happened close to the border. Use the links below to find police records from nearby counties.