Find Echols County Police Records

Echols County police records are maintained by the sheriff's office in Statenville, the county seat. Sheriff Randy Courson leads the department and is responsible for all law enforcement in this rural south Georgia county near the Florida line. The sheriff's office keeps incident reports, arrest records, and crash reports on file. Public access falls under Georgia's Open Records Act. Echols County is one of the least populated counties in the state, which means the records system is small but still follows the same state rules as every other Georgia county.

Echols County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Randy Courson heads the Echols County Sheriff's Office. The mailing address is P.O. Box 189, 109 General Deloach Street, Statenville, GA 31648. The main phone line is (229) 559-5603. The fax number is (229) 559-5678. You can also reach the sheriff directly at (229) 559-6913 or on his cell at (877) 854-0872. The Echols County Sheriff's Office website has information about the department and a downloadable records request form.

Echols County is very small. The population is under 4,000 people, and the sheriff's office is a small department. That can actually make things easier for records requests. Fewer cases means the staff can often locate a file quickly. Walk-in visitors at the Statenville office can sometimes get a closed report the same day. Call first to make sure someone is available. The office staff knows the system well and can guide you through the process if this is your first time requesting a police record in Georgia.

Echols County Records Request Process

The Echols County Sheriff's Office has a formal records request process. You can download the Records Request Form (PDF) from the sheriff's website. Fill it out and submit it in person, by mail, or by fax. Georgia's Open Records Act under O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 gives anyone the right to inspect and copy government records. You do not need to explain why you want the file. Just describe what you are looking for.

The office must respond within three business days under O.C.G.A. 50-18-71. That response will either be the records themselves, a cost estimate, or a timeline for when the records will be ready. The Echols County process includes a step where the office provides a written estimate when costs are expected to exceed $25. You must agree to pay before the work begins. If you do not respond to the estimate within two weeks, the office closes the file and no further work is done on the request. This is something to watch out for. Check your mail and respond promptly if you want the records.

The request form asks for basic details. Your name, contact info, and what records you need. Be specific. A case number, a date, or a name will help staff find the file fast. Broad requests take longer and cost more.

Note: The two-week deadline to respond to a cost estimate is firm. If you miss it, you have to start a new request from scratch.

Echols County Records Fees

Echols County publishes a detailed fee schedule for records requests. The charges follow Georgia law but are worth knowing up front. Search and retrieval time costs $19.55 per hour, based on the prorated hourly salary of the lowest-paid full-time employee. The first 15 minutes are free. Review and copy time is also $19.55 per hour. Paper copies cost $0.10 per page. Redaction work, where staff blacks out protected information, is $0.10 per page. If you want records on a DVD, that costs $2.00 per disc. Postage varies based on the size of the package.

• Search and retrieval: $19.55/hr (first 15 min free)
• Review and copy: $19.55/hr
• Paper copies: $0.10/page
• Redaction: $0.10/page
• DVD: $2.00 each
• Postage: varies

When costs are expected to pass $25, the office will send you an estimate. You have to agree in writing before they do the work. If you do not respond within two weeks, the request is closed. The fee schedule uses the lowest prorated hourly salary of a full-time employee to calculate staff time charges. This is standard across Georgia agencies but Echols County spells it out clearly on their website.

One important detail: the office requires exact change for in-person payments. They do not make change. Bring the right amount in cash, or use a check if they accept it. Call ahead to ask about payment methods before you visit.

Types of Reports in Echols County

The Echols County Sheriff's Office keeps incident reports, arrest records, and crash reports on file. Incident reports cover calls for service like thefts, property damage, disturbances, and other crimes reported within the county. Arrest records show who was booked, the charges, bond amounts, and the arresting deputy. Crash reports document vehicle accidents on county roads.

Under O.C.G.A. 50-18-72, initial incident reports and initial arrest reports are public records even during an active investigation. The investigation file itself may be withheld while the case is open, but the initial report is always available. Juvenile records are sealed and not released through standard requests. Social Security numbers and certain medical details get blacked out before copies go to the public. If the office denies part of a request, they must cite the specific law that allows the withholding.

The sheriff's website provides links to the records request form and general information about the department's operations, including the fee schedule and contact details for making a request.

State Resources for Echols County

Several state tools cover Echols County. The Georgia DPS EPORTS system holds crash reports from the Georgia State Patrol. If a trooper responded to a wreck in Echols County, the report is in EPORTS, not at the sheriff's office. Reports cost a flat fee and you can search by date, name, or location. Given the rural nature of the county and the highways running through it, state troopers handle a fair share of the crashes here.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation may hold records for serious cases in Echols County if the GBI was asked to help. Their open records process is separate from the local sheriff's office. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association keeps a directory of all Georgia sheriffs with up-to-date contact info. The BuyCrash portal is another way to get accident reports from agencies across the state.

Note: For crash reports, check both EPORTS and the sheriff's office. The report goes to whichever agency responded to the scene.

Nearby County Police Records

Echols County is in the far south of Georgia, close to the Florida line. It shares borders with a handful of neighboring counties. If an incident happened near a county boundary, the report may be with a different sheriff's office.