Decatur County Police Records

Police records in Decatur County are held by the Decatur County Sheriff's Office in Bainbridge. Sheriff Wiley Griffin leads the department, which handles all law enforcement for the unincorporated parts of the county. The sheriff's office maintains incident reports, arrest records, accident reports, and jail booking logs. Decatur County is in southwest Georgia near the Florida state line, and Bainbridge is the county seat. Both residents and nonresidents can request copies of police records through the open records process under Georgia law, and the sheriff's office processes these requests during regular business hours.

Decatur County Sheriff's Office

The Decatur County Sheriff's Office is located at 912 Spring Creek Road in Bainbridge. Sheriff Wiley Griffin runs the office. The main phone line is (229) 248-3044. Office hours run Monday through Friday, and walk-in requests are taken during those hours. Staff at the front desk can help you figure out which records you need. Bring a form of ID when you visit. If you already know the case number or the date of the incident, that will make things go faster. The office handles records for the county's unincorporated areas while the Bainbridge Department of Public Safety covers city limits.

Mail requests can be sent to 912 Spring Creek Road, Bainbridge, GA 39817. A written request is always a good approach because it gives you a record of what you asked for. Include the type of report you need, the names of the people involved, and the date of the incident. If you have a case number, put that in too. Staff will review your request and get back to you with the cost and timeline. For emergencies, always call 911. The non-emergency line at (229) 248-3044 is for questions about existing reports and records.

Requesting Police Records in Decatur County

The right to request police records from the Decatur County Sheriff's Office comes from Georgia's Open Records Act. O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 says the public can inspect and copy records held by any state or local government agency. You do not need to live in the county. You do not need to give a reason. Just identify the records you want and submit your request. The office must respond within three business days under O.C.G.A. 50-18-71. That response could be the actual records if your request is simple, or it could be a timeline for when the records will be ready.

The three-day response window does not always mean you will have records in hand that fast. Complex requests take longer. If the sheriff's office needs to pull files from storage, review them for exempt material, and make redactions, that all adds time. But the office is required to communicate with you. They have to tell you within three days what they can provide and when. If you do not hear back within three days, follow up with a phone call or send another written request referencing the first one.

Fees are set by state law. Copies cost $0.10 per page. Search and retrieval time is free for the first quarter hour. After that, the charge is based on the hourly rate of the lowest-paid employee who can do the work. If the total will go over $25, the office must tell you first so you can decide how to handle it. You might narrow your request or agree to the full cost. Either way, you get to choose before the work starts.

Note: Incidents within Bainbridge city limits are typically handled by the Bainbridge Department of Public Safety, so check which agency responded to the call.

Decatur County Police Report Types

The Decatur County Sheriff's Office keeps a number of record types. Incident reports are the most common. They cover crimes, disturbances, domestic calls, and other events that deputies respond to. Arrest records show who was taken into custody, the charges, and the booking details. Accident reports document crashes investigated by county deputies. Jail records track everyone who has been booked into the county detention facility. Each type of record is subject to the open records rules, though some have extra conditions for release.

O.C.G.A. 50-18-72 lists the exemptions. Active investigation files can be kept from the public while a case is open. But initial incident reports and initial arrest reports are always available. Those basic documents must be released even during an active investigation. The law draws a clear line between initial reports and investigative materials. Before releasing any records, the office redacts sensitive details. Social Security numbers, medical info, and certain victim data are blacked out from every copy that goes to the public.

Crash reports have their own rules on top of the general open records requirements. If you were involved in the accident, you can get your report directly. Third parties need a Statement of Need that explains why they want the report. Insurance claims, legal proceedings, and property damage disputes are all acceptable reasons. The sheriff's office checks each statement before releasing the report.

State Agencies and Decatur County

Several state agencies may hold records connected to Decatur County. The EPORTS system from the Georgia Department of Public Safety stores crash reports from the Georgia State Patrol. If a state trooper responded to an accident in Decatur County, the report goes into EPORTS. These cost $5 each and are available online any time. The system covers crashes worked by the State Patrol across all 159 Georgia counties.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation may also have records related to Decatur County if the GBI helped with a local investigation. The GBI handles its own open records requests, and their records are separate from the sheriff's files. They also manage the Georgia Crime Information Center, which holds criminal history data from all agencies in the state.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory lists contact details for the Decatur County Sheriff's Office and every other county in the state.

The directory is free to use and is a reliable way to verify addresses and phone numbers for any Georgia sheriff's office. For purchasing crash reports from multiple agencies, BuyCrash from LexisNexis provides an online tool that covers departments across the state.

Nearby County Police Records

Decatur County is in the southwest corner of Georgia, close to the Florida line. Several neighboring counties surround it. If an incident happened near a county border, the report may be held by a different sheriff's office. Confirm the location before you file your request.