Lee County Police Records Search

Lee County police records are held by the Lee County Sheriff's Office in Leesburg, Georgia. Sheriff Reggie Rachals runs the department and oversees the records division. The office manages incident reports, arrest records, accident reports, and other law enforcement documents for the entire county. Lee County is in southwest Georgia, next to Dougherty County and Albany. If you need a copy of a police report from an incident in Lee County, the sheriff's office at 119 Pinewood Road is the place to go.

Lee County Sheriff's Office

The Lee County Sheriff's Office is at 119 Pinewood Road, Leesburg, GA 31763. The phone number is (229) 759-6052. Sheriff Reggie Rachals leads the department. Office hours are Monday through Friday during regular business hours. The records staff handles all requests for police documents, and walk-in visits are welcome.

Lee County is a growing county in the Albany metro area. As the population has grown, so has the volume of police reports the sheriff's office handles. The records division keeps files on all incidents, arrests, and investigations conducted by deputies. For incidents within Leesburg city limits, the Leesburg Police Department may hold the report instead. Check which agency responded before you submit your request.

Put your request in writing for the best results. Include the date of the incident, names of the people involved, and the type of report you want. A case number helps a lot if you have one. Mail your request to the sheriff's office address, drop it off in person, or call the main number to ask about a specific report.

Fees for Lee County Police Records

Copy fees for police records in Lee County follow state law. Under O.C.G.A. 50-18-71, the cost is $0.10 per page for copies. This applies to incident reports, arrest records, and other documents you request from the sheriff's office. The rate is the same whether you pick up copies in person or have them mailed to you.

Research fees can apply when the staff has to dig through files. The first 15 minutes of search time are free. After that, the office can charge based on the hourly pay of the employee doing the work. Most simple requests fall within the free window. If your request is complex and costs will exceed $25, the office must give you an estimate before moving forward.

Accident reports have their own pricing. Crash reports cost about $5 for parties involved. This is separate from the per-page copy fee. Payment methods vary by office, so ask when you submit your request. Cash and checks are almost always accepted. Some offices add a convenience fee for credit card payments.

Lee County Accident Reports

If you were in a car accident in Lee County, the report comes from the agency that responded. Sheriff's deputies handle most crashes in the unincorporated parts of the county. The Leesburg Police Department covers incidents within the city. Georgia State Patrol troopers may also respond to crashes on state highways in the area.

For crashes handled by state troopers, the BuyCrash system is a fast way to get your report online.

BuyCrash covers reports from multiple agencies across Georgia. Search by date, location, or the names of the drivers. If the report is in their system, you can buy and download it right away. Not every agency uploads to BuyCrash, so you may still need to contact the Lee County Sheriff's Office directly for some reports.

The Georgia EPORTS system is another option for state patrol reports. You search by the crash details, pay the $5 fee online, and get the report by email. Between these two online tools and the sheriff's office, you should be able to track down any Lee County accident report.

Note: Lee County sits along US 19, a busy highway that sees regular accidents handled by both county and state patrol units.

Open Records Law in Lee County

The Georgia Open Records Act under O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 gives everyone the right to inspect and copy public records. This includes police records from the Lee County Sheriff's Office. You do not have to be a resident of Lee County or even the state of Georgia to make a request. The law applies to everyone equally.

Initial incident reports and initial arrest reports are always public. This is true even when a case is still open and under investigation. The basic facts of what happened, who was involved, and what charges were filed are available from the start. Detailed investigation notes may be held back until the case closes, but the initial report cannot be withheld.

Under O.C.G.A. 50-18-72, certain records are exempt from disclosure. Records that would endanger someone's life or safety can be withheld. Confidential informant information is protected. Juvenile records have special rules. But for most routine police record requests in Lee County, you should not run into any problems getting what you need.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office has three business days to respond to your open records request. They must either provide the records, give you a timeline for when they will be ready, or deny the request with a written explanation citing the legal basis. If you think a denial is wrong, you can take the matter to court.

Criminal History and Background Checks

For a criminal history check covering Lee County, the Clerk of Superior Court in Leesburg maintains court records with case dispositions. The sheriff's office has arrest records. These are different kinds of records that show different things. An arrest record shows someone was taken into custody. A court record shows what happened with the charges.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation runs statewide criminal history checks. A GBI check covers all 159 Georgia counties, not just Lee County. This is the most thorough option if you need a full criminal record search. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association has a directory of all county sheriff's offices for contacting individual jurisdictions.

Nearby Counties

Need police records from areas near Lee County? These neighboring counties can help.