Search McDuffie County Police Records

Police records in McDuffie County are managed by the McDuffie County Sheriff's Office, located at 751 Public Safety Drive in Thomson. Sheriff Logan Marshall heads the department. McDuffie County sits in eastern Georgia, not far from the South Carolina border, and the sheriff's office handles all county-level law enforcement records. Whether you need an incident report, an arrest record, or an accident report, your request goes through this office. Thomson also has its own city police department, so the agency you contact depends on which one responded to the call.

McDuffie County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Logan Marshall runs the McDuffie County Sheriff's Office. The office is at 751 Public Safety Drive in Thomson, the county seat. Staff handle records requests during regular business hours. You can reach them by phone, mail, or in person. The sheriff's office covers the unincorporated parts of the county and provides backup to the Thomson Police Department when needed.

The fastest way to start is by calling the office. Tell them what you need. They can check what is on file and walk you through the next steps. If you know the date of the incident and the names of people involved, that helps the staff pull up the right record quickly.

The BuyCrash system from LexisNexis is another way to obtain crash reports filed in McDuffie County. Visit the BuyCrash portal to search for accident reports by location and date.

BuyCrash lets you search, preview, and purchase reports filed by local law enforcement agencies across Georgia.

Getting Police Records in McDuffie County

You have several options. Phone is the quickest. Call (706) 595-2040 and describe the record you need. For a written request, send a letter to 751 Public Safety Drive, Thomson, GA 30824. Put your name, phone number, and a clear description of what you want in the letter. Written requests are worth doing because they create a paper trail if you need to follow up later.

Georgia's Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 guarantees public access to government records. You do not have to be a McDuffie County resident to make a request. You also do not have to give a reason. The law is clear on this point. Any person can request records from the sheriff's office, and the office must respond. This applies to police reports, arrest records, and all other documents the sheriff's office creates or holds.

Walking into the office is another option. Bring ID and be prepared to fill out a short request form. Staff can pull records while you wait for simple requests. Larger requests may take more time. Either way, in-person visits give you a chance to ask questions and clarify exactly what you need.

Note: If the incident was inside Thomson city limits, the Thomson Police Department may hold that record instead of the sheriff's office.

McDuffie County Response Times

The law gives agencies three business days. Under O.C.G.A. 50-18-71, the McDuffie County Sheriff's Office must respond to your request within that window. A response does not always mean you get the records right away. Sometimes it is a notice that the records are being prepared and will be ready on a specific date.

Straightforward requests often get turned around fast. A single incident report might be ready the same day or the next. More complex requests take longer. If you are asking for records that span several months or involve multiple people, expect the process to take a week or more. The office may also need to review files and redact protected details like Social Security numbers or medical information before releasing them.

If the office does not respond within three days, call and follow up. Most delays are not intentional. Small offices get busy. A reminder call usually gets things moving again. If you still hit a wall, Georgia law at O.C.G.A. 50-18-73 lets you go to court. A judge can order the records released and may make the agency pay your legal costs if the court finds they broke the Open Records Act.

Types of Records in McDuffie County

The sheriff's office keeps several kinds of records. Incident reports are the most requested. These cover crimes, disturbances, thefts, and other calls for service. Arrest records include booking information, charges filed, and bond details. Accident reports cover crashes that deputies handle in unincorporated parts of the county.

Under O.C.G.A. 50-18-72, initial incident and arrest reports are always public. This is true even when a case is still open. The initial report must be released on request. The full investigation file can be withheld until the case is closed, but the first report is always accessible. This matters because it means you can get basic facts about any incident, even recent ones.

Citation records are also available. Traffic stops, code violations, and other minor offenses result in citations that the sheriff's office keeps on file. These records show the date, location, and nature of the violation along with the name of the person cited.

Crash reports filed by the Georgia State Patrol within McDuffie County go through a separate system. Use the EPORTS portal to find those. State Patrol reports cost $5 each through that system.

Fees for Records

Copies cost $0.10 per page. That is the statewide standard. Looking at records in person is free. You only pay for copies you take.

Search and retrieval time is free for the first 15 minutes. After that, the office can charge an hourly rate. The rate is based on the salary of the lowest-paid person who can fulfill the request. If costs will exceed $25, the office must tell you before proceeding. You then decide how to handle it. You can pay, narrow the request, or walk away.

Note: Call ahead to check what payment methods the office accepts. Cash is almost always fine, but check and card availability varies by office.

State Resources for McDuffie County

The EPORTS system from the Georgia Department of Public Safety gives access to State Patrol reports filed anywhere in the state, including McDuffie County. If a trooper handled an incident, the report is in the state system. You can also email the DPS Open Records Unit at openrecords@gsp.net.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation maintains records for cases where the GBI was involved. If a major crime in McDuffie County brought in state investigators, those records are with the GBI. The Augusta Police Department in nearby Richmond County also has online police report services that might be relevant if you are searching for records in the broader eastern Georgia area.

For legal questions about records access, the State Bar of Georgia has a lawyer referral program. If your request gets denied or you run into trouble, an attorney familiar with Georgia's Open Records Act can help.

Nearby County Police Records

McDuffie County borders several other counties in eastern Georgia. Incidents near a border might have been handled by a different agency. If you cannot find a record at the McDuffie County Sheriff's Office, try the sheriff's office in the neighboring county where the incident may have taken place.