Find Paulding County Police Records
Paulding County police records are managed by the Paulding County Sheriff's Office in Dallas, Georgia. Sheriff Ashley Henson leads the department, which patrols the unincorporated areas of this fast-growing county northwest of Atlanta. The sheriff's office maintains incident reports, arrest records, crash reports, and other law enforcement files. Dallas and Hiram also have their own police departments that keep separate records for incidents within city limits. Figuring out which agency responded to an incident is the first step in getting the police record you need from Paulding County.
Paulding County Police Records Facts
Paulding County Sheriff's Office
The Paulding County Sheriff's Office is at 180 Constitution Blvd, Dallas, GA 30132. Call (770) 443-3010 to reach the office. Sheriff Ashley Henson runs a large department that has grown along with the county's population. The office includes patrol, criminal investigations, a jail division, and an administrative wing that handles records. The records section processes all open records requests for files generated by the sheriff's office.
To request police records from the Paulding County Sheriff's Office, you can visit in person, call, or submit a written request by mail or email. Written requests are the best way to go. Include the date of the incident, names of people involved, the location, and what type of record you want. A case number makes things go faster if you have one. The records staff handles a high volume of requests given the county's size, so being specific helps them find your file quickly and keeps costs down.
Paulding County has seen rapid growth over the past two decades as the Atlanta metro area has expanded westward. This growth means more calls, more reports, and more records requests for the sheriff's office to manage. The department has scaled up its operations to keep pace, but expect some wait time for complex requests during busy periods.
The Georgia DPS EPORTS portal provides online access to Georgia State Patrol reports from Paulding County.
If a State Patrol trooper handled an incident in Paulding County, use the EPORTS system to request that report instead of contacting the sheriff's office.
| Address | 180 Constitution Blvd, Dallas, GA 30132 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (770) 443-3010 |
| Sheriff | Ashley Henson |
Open Records Law for Paulding County
Georgia's Open Records Act is what gives you the legal right to access police records from Paulding County agencies. Under O.C.G.A. 50-18-70, public records must be open for inspection and copying. This law covers incident reports, arrest records, booking photos, dispatch logs, citations, crash reports, and most other law enforcement documents. You do not have to live in Paulding County. You do not have to give a reason for wanting the records. The law is the same for everyone.
Agencies have three business days to respond to your request. That comes from O.C.G.A. 50-18-71. The response just needs to let you know that the records exist, what the cost will be, and an estimated timeline. It does not have to include the records themselves in those first three days. Straightforward requests for single reports can sometimes be filled the same day, especially if you go in person and the staff has time to pull the file right then.
Copy fees are $0.10 per page. The first 15 minutes of search time are free. After that, the hourly rate of the lowest-paid employee who can do the work applies. Estimates over $25 require advance notice to you. These fee rules are standard across all of Georgia and apply to every agency in Paulding County.
Note: Email requests to the Paulding County Sheriff's Office are valid under Georgia law and may get a faster initial response than mail.
Incident Reports from Paulding County
Incident reports are the core of the police records system in Paulding County. Every call that results in a deputy response generates an incident report. The report documents who was involved, what happened, when and where it occurred, and how the deputy handled the situation. These reports cover thefts, assaults, domestic calls, property damage, trespassing, fraud, and many other types of events. Each one gets a case number that you can use to track it.
Initial incident reports are always public under Georgia law. This is a bedrock principle of the Open Records Act. Even if detectives are still working the case, you have the right to the initial report. The full investigation file may be held back under O.C.G.A. 50-18-72 while the case is active, but that does not apply to the first report. Once a case closes, the investigation file also becomes available. Knowing this distinction can save you time and frustration when making your request.
Paulding County's growth means the sheriff's office generates a large number of incident reports each year. The records division has staff dedicated to processing requests, and they handle everything from single-report requests to large document pulls for attorneys and other professionals who need multiple files.
Paulding County Crash Reports
Crash reports from Paulding County are available through the agency that investigated the crash. For sheriff's office reports, contact the records division at (770) 443-3010. The fee is typically $5 per crash report. You can also check BuyCrash.com to see if the report is available for online download. BuyCrash is a LexisNexis service that many Georgia agencies use to distribute crash reports electronically.
Georgia State Patrol crash reports from Paulding County are handled through eports.gamccd.net. Submit your request online with the date and location of the crash. Reports cost $5 and usually take about three business days. You get an email notification when the report is ready, then you pay and download. This is the only way to get a Georgia State Patrol crash report. The State Patrol handles a significant number of crashes on the highways running through Paulding County, including stretches of US 278 and several state routes.
Background Checks in Paulding County
The Paulding County Sheriff's Office can run local criminal history checks using county arrest and booking records. The fee varies depending on the type of check. For a statewide criminal history search, contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The GBI runs the Georgia Crime Information Center, which has data from all 159 counties. A statewide check costs around $15 to $20 and gives a much more complete picture than a county-only search.
Court records from the Paulding County Clerk of Superior Court add another layer. These include criminal filings, charges, dispositions, and sentences. Police records cover the arrest. Court records cover the legal proceedings that follow. Checking both gives you the full story from start to finish. The Paulding County Courthouse is in Dallas. Some court records may also be available online through the Georgia courts system.
Other Agencies in Paulding County
The Dallas Police Department handles law enforcement within the city of Dallas. The Hiram Police Department covers the city of Hiram. Both agencies maintain their own records separate from the sheriff's office. If a city officer took the report, you need to contact that city's police department directly. The sheriff's office only has records from incidents handled by county deputies.
Figuring out which agency responded is straightforward. If the incident happened inside Dallas or Hiram city limits, a city officer likely handled it. If it happened in unincorporated Paulding County, a sheriff's deputy was sent. There can be overlap in some areas near city boundaries. If you are unsure, call Paulding County 911 dispatch or the sheriff's office, and they can check the dispatch records to tell you which agency responded to the call in question. This takes just a few minutes and saves you from making requests to the wrong agency.
Nearby Counties
For police records from counties near Paulding County, check these links.