Search Dawson County Police Records

Police records in Dawson County are maintained by the Dawson County Sheriff's Office in Dawsonville. Sheriff Jeff Johnson runs the department, which handles all county-level law enforcement, including the management of public records. The sheriff's office keeps incident reports, arrest records, accident reports, and booking logs on file. Dawson County is in the north Georgia mountains, just north of the Atlanta metro area, and has seen growth in recent years as more people move to the foothills. Anyone can request police records from the sheriff's office through the open records process established under Georgia law.

Dawson County Sheriff's Office

The Dawson County Sheriff's Office operates from 19 Tucker Avenue in Dawsonville. Sheriff Jeff Johnson oversees all divisions, including patrol, investigations, the jail, and records. The main phone number is (706) 344-3535. Office hours are Monday through Friday, and walk-in requests are taken at the front desk. Staff can help you identify the right records if you give them the basic details of the incident. If you are not sure whether the sheriff's office or another agency handled the call, they can point you in the right direction.

For mail requests, send your letter to 19 Tucker Avenue, Dawsonville, GA 30534. Written requests are always a safe bet. They give you documentation of what you asked for, which is useful if there is a delay or a dispute about the response. Include the type of record you need, the date of the incident, and any names or case numbers that apply. Call ahead if you want to check on the status of a request or to find out if your copies are ready for pickup.

How to Request Dawson County Records

The process for requesting police records in Dawson County follows state law. O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 gives the public a right to inspect and copy records kept by government agencies. That includes every record the Dawson County Sheriff's Office maintains. You do not need to live in the county. You do not need to state why you want the records. Just identify what you need and submit the request. Provide a name, a date, or a case number. Staff will take it from there and start searching for your file.

Under O.C.G.A. 50-18-71, the office must respond within three business days. That response may be the actual records, or it may be a message explaining when the records will be available. Simple requests for a single report can sometimes be handled on the spot. If you walk in and ask for a report by case number, staff might be able to print it right then. Larger requests covering multiple incidents or broader date ranges will naturally take more time. The office will keep you updated on the progress.

Fees follow the standard Georgia schedule. Copies are $0.10 per page. The first 15 minutes of staff search time are free. After that, the office may charge an hourly rate based on what the employee doing the search gets paid. If your total bill will exceed $25, the office must tell you before they do the work. You can then choose to proceed, scale back, or cancel your request entirely. Keeping your request narrow and specific is the easiest way to hold costs down.

Note: If you request records by email, confirm with the office that they accept email submissions before sending.

Types of Dawson County Police Reports

The Dawson County Sheriff's Office stores several kinds of police records. Incident reports cover crimes, calls for service, domestic disputes, and other events that deputies respond to. Arrest records document individuals who were taken into custody. These records include the charges, the date of arrest, and booking information. Accident reports detail vehicle crashes that happened within the county and were investigated by a deputy. Booking logs at the county jail track all individuals who have been processed through the facility.

Georgia law under O.C.G.A. 50-18-72 outlines which records can be withheld. Investigation files tied to active cases are one of the main exemptions. The sheriff's office can hold back documents that would compromise an ongoing investigation. However, initial arrest reports and initial incident reports are never exempt. Even when a case is still open, those basic reports are public. The office must release them to anyone who asks. Before copies go out, staff redact personal info like Social Security numbers and medical details. That step applies to every release, no matter the record type.

Crash reports in Dawson County come with additional release rules. If you were a party to the crash, getting your copy is straightforward. Third parties have to submit a Statement of Need that explains their reason for wanting the report. Valid reasons include insurance claims, court proceedings, and disputes over property damage. The sheriff's office reviews the statement and decides whether to release the report based on the reason provided.

State Resources for Dawson County

Some police records from Dawson County may be available through state-level agencies. The EPORTS system, run by the Georgia Department of Public Safety, holds crash reports filed by the Georgia State Patrol. If a trooper responded to an accident in Dawson County, the report will be in EPORTS instead of the sheriff's files. You can buy these reports online for $5 each. The system is available around the clock.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association maintains a directory of every sheriff's office in Georgia.

The association's directory lists contact details for the Dawson County Sheriff's Office and all neighboring counties. It is free to use and helpful when you need to reach agencies in more than one jurisdiction.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation handles records for cases where the GBI assisted local agencies. If the GBI worked alongside the Dawson County Sheriff's Office on a case, those records are held by the GBI. Their open records process is separate from the county's. The GBI also runs the Georgia Crime Information Center, which is a statewide database of criminal history records. For purchasing crash reports from various agencies across the state, BuyCrash from LexisNexis offers an online search and purchase tool that works with multiple departments.

Nearby County Police Records

Dawson County is surrounded by several north Georgia counties. If an incident took place near a county line, the report may be on file with a neighboring sheriff's office. Make sure to verify which county the incident was in before submitting your request.