Access Harris County Police Records
Police records from Harris County are kept by the Sheriff's Office in Hamilton, the county seat. Harris County sits along the western edge of Georgia, just north of Columbus and Muscogee County. The sheriff's office handles law enforcement for the rural areas and unincorporated communities throughout the county. If you are looking for incident reports, arrest records, or other police documents from this part of the state, the sheriff's office is your first stop. Georgia's open records act makes most of these files available to anyone who requests them, with some limited exceptions for ongoing investigations and protected records.
Harris County Police Records Facts
Harris County Sheriff's Office
Sheriff Mike Jolley heads the Harris County Sheriff's Office. The mailing address is PO Box 286, Hamilton, GA 31811. Call the office at (706) 628-4211. The sheriff's office provides patrol coverage across the county, operates the jail, serves warrants and civil papers, and handles criminal investigations. Records generated from all these activities are maintained at the office and available through a public records request.
Hamilton is a small town, and the sheriff's office reflects the size of the community it serves. The staff handles a range of duties, from answering calls to managing records. When you visit or call, you are likely dealing with the same people who work patrol and run the jail. That means they know their files well, but they are also juggling multiple responsibilities. Be patient if the office is busy, and call ahead when possible so they can have what you need ready.
The office is open during standard business hours. Walk-ins are welcome. For non-emergency matters, use the main number. For emergencies, dial 911.
Police Records Under Georgia Law
The state of Georgia gives the public strong access rights to government records. Under O.C.G.A. 50-18-70, public records must be made available for inspection and copying. This includes police records held by the Harris County Sheriff's Office. The law does not require you to explain why you want the records or prove any special interest. You just ask, and if the records are not exempt, you get them.
The agency has three business days to respond to a request. That is the standard under O.C.G.A. 50-18-71. For a small office like Harris County's, responses often come faster. The staff knows where things are, and they do not have the backlog that bigger agencies deal with. A simple request for one report can sometimes be filled the same day.
Exemptions do exist. Records from active investigations can be held back. Juvenile files are protected. Court-sealed records stay sealed. But the list of exemptions is limited, and the office has to tell you specifically why a record is being withheld. If you disagree, O.C.G.A. 50-18-72 allows you to challenge the denial in court.
How to Request Records
You have a few options for getting police records from Harris County. The most direct way is to visit the sheriff's office in Hamilton. Bring identification and be ready to describe the record you need. A case number is ideal. If you don't have one, provide the date, location, and names of people involved in the incident. The staff will search their records and tell you what they can release.
Mail requests work too. Send a letter to PO Box 286, Hamilton, GA 31811. Include your full name, phone number, and email address so they can contact you if they have questions or need to provide a cost estimate. Describe the records you want in as much detail as possible. The more information you give them, the less time they spend searching, which keeps costs down for you.
Copies are ten cents per page. Labor charges can apply if the request takes significant staff time. The office will let you know the total before they finalize a large request. Most routine requests for a single report cost just a few dollars. You can also inspect records at the office for free if you do not need physical copies.
Note: Email requests may be accepted on a case-by-case basis, but a written letter or in-person visit is the safest approach.
Accident Reports for Harris County
Traffic crash reports are available through the Georgia DPS eReports system online. This state portal covers accidents investigated by local agencies as well as the Georgia State Patrol. You search by date, name, or report number and pay a fee to download the report. This is the quickest way to get an accident report without visiting the sheriff's office in person.
Harris County has a number of state highways running through it, and crashes along those routes are often handled by the State Patrol rather than the sheriff's office. Either way, the report should end up in the eReports system. If the report is not there yet, it may still be in the process of being filed. Give it about a week after the crash and check again. The portal is available around the clock, so you can search at any time that works for you.
For older accident reports that may not be in the digital system, you would need to contact the investigating agency directly. The sheriff's office can help if a deputy wrote the report. If the State Patrol handled it, you would contact their regional post office.
Statewide Search Resources
When you need records from beyond Harris County, several state agencies can help. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation runs a criminal history database that pulls records from every county in the state. You submit a request with a fee, and the GBI returns a report covering any criminal history on file statewide. It is the most comprehensive option for a broad search.
The Georgia Sheriffs' Association maintains a statewide directory of sheriff's offices. You can use it to find phone numbers, addresses, and the names of current sheriffs in neighboring counties or anywhere in the state. The screenshot below shows the association's directory page, which is a practical starting point when you need to contact multiple counties.
The directory is free to browse and covers all 159 Georgia counties. It is updated regularly, so the information tends to be current.
Arrest and Detention Records
When someone is arrested in Harris County, the sheriff's office creates a booking record at the county jail. This record includes the person's name, charges, arrest date, and booking details. These records are public information and can be requested like any other police record. For current inmates, you can call the jail to check on custody status and bond information.
Historical booking records require a formal request. Give the person's full name and any other identifying details you have, such as a date of birth or approximate arrest date. The jail processes a relatively small number of inmates compared to urban counties, so records are easier to find when you have basic information. Booking photos may also be available, depending on the office's policies at the time.
Harris County does not have any cities large enough to have their own police departments that would maintain separate records. The sheriff's office is essentially the sole law enforcement agency for the entire county, which simplifies the process. You only have one office to deal with, and all county police records are in one place.
Nearby Counties
Harris County borders several other counties in western Georgia. For police records from nearby jurisdictions: