Upson County Police Records

Upson County police records come from law enforcement agencies based in Thomaston, the county seat of this central Georgia county. Sheriff Dan Kilgore heads the Upson County Sheriff's Office, which handles the majority of police records for the county. The department maintains incident reports, arrest records, crash reports, and other law enforcement documents. Thomaston has its own police department too, so incidents within city limits may have reports at either agency. Knowing which department responded to the incident is the first thing to figure out when looking for police records in Upson County.

Upson County Sheriff's Office Records

The Upson County Sheriff's Office is at 235 Aviation Drive, Thomaston, GA 30286. Sheriff Dan Kilgore runs the department. The phone number is (706) 647-7411. This office is the main source for police records in Upson County. They handle requests for incident reports, arrest records, booking data, and other police files.

Going in person to the Aviation Drive office is the quickest way to get a record. Bring your ID and as many details as you have. A case number helps a lot. If you do not have one, give the date, location, and who was involved. Staff can search from there. The more specific you are, the faster the search goes. Simple requests for a single report may be handled the same day.

Mail requests should go to 235 Aviation Drive, Thomaston, GA 30286. Write a clear letter with your name, phone number, mailing address, and all known details about the record. Phone calls to (706) 647-7411 are useful for checking whether a particular report exists before you make the trip or mail a request.

Some Georgia law enforcement agencies upload crash reports to BuyCrash for online access. Check there for Upson County accident reports.

Open Records Act in Upson County

The Georgia Open Records Act gives the public access to police records from Upson County agencies. O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 requires public records to be open for inspection and copying. This covers everything from incident reports to arrest logs to booking records. No residency requirements. No need to state a reason. The law is broad and applies to all law enforcement documents held by Upson County agencies.

Agencies must respond within three business days per O.C.G.A. 50-18-71. The response needs to confirm whether the records exist and provide a cost estimate. Upson County is mid-sized, and the sheriff's office handles a manageable volume of requests. Simple requests often get filled faster than three days, especially for in-person visitors. But three business days is the legal maximum for the initial response.

Fees are uniform across Georgia. Copies are $0.10 per page. The first 15 minutes of search time come at no charge. After that, hourly rates are based on the pay of the lowest-paid employee who can handle the search. If the estimate passes $25, you have to give your approval before the agency continues. This framework keeps costs fair.

Note: Upson County agencies cannot deny an open records request simply because the requester does not live in the county.

Upson County Crash Reports

Accident reports rank among the top requests in Upson County. If a sheriff's deputy or Thomaston officer took the report, contact that agency. Call the sheriff's office at (706) 647-7411 with the crash date, location, and driver names. Reports for those involved are typically around $5.

Georgia State Patrol crash reports from Upson County are available through eports.gamccd.net. Reports cost $5 each. You can also check BuyCrash.com to see if the report has been uploaded. Both systems cover State Patrol incidents across all of Georgia.

State Route 19 and other roads through Upson County see regular traffic. The State Patrol handles many of the crashes on these routes. If you are unsure which agency responded, call the sheriff's office first. They can check their records and tell you if the report is in their files or if you need to look on EPORTS instead.

Exemptions to Upson County Records

Georgia law includes exemptions that let agencies withhold certain police records. O.C.G.A. 50-18-72 details the categories. In Upson County, active investigation files are the most common exemption. Detailed case notes, witness statements, evidence descriptions, and internal memos can be kept from the public while a case is open. The goal is to protect ongoing investigations.

Initial incident reports are always public. Arrest reports too. The basic facts get released right away. Who was involved. What happened. Where and when. These details are available even during an active investigation. The exemption applies to the deeper file, not the initial report. After the case closes and court proceedings end, the complete file becomes public.

Redactions are normal on released records. Social Security numbers get removed. Dates of birth may be partially blacked out. Home addresses and phone numbers of law enforcement officers are protected. Medical details in the record come out too. These are standard protections that apply in every Georgia county, Upson included.

Criminal Records in Upson County

Arrest records from the Upson County Sheriff's Office show who deputies booked and on what charges. These are tied to individual events. For a broader criminal history across Georgia, contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The GBI's Georgia Crime Information Center holds criminal history records from all 159 counties.

Court records are maintained separately. The Upson County Clerk of Superior Court in Thomaston keeps files on criminal cases that went through the court system. Charges, hearings, plea deals, trial outcomes, and sentences are in the court record. Police records cover the arrest side. Court records cover what happened next. You may need both for a full picture of a criminal case in Upson County.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association has a directory listing every sheriff's office in Georgia. It is a reliable way to confirm current contact information for Upson County and surrounding counties.

Thomaston Police Department

The Thomaston Police Department covers law enforcement within Thomaston city limits. If an incident happened in town, the Thomaston PD may have the report rather than the sheriff's office. Their records systems are separate. Contacting the right agency is important.

The same Open Records Act rules apply to the Thomaston Police Department. Same fees. Same three-day deadline. Same exemptions. The only difference is which office holds the file. If you are not sure which agency responded, call either one. Both offices are in Thomaston, so staff can usually point you to the right place quickly.

Other small municipalities in Upson County may have their own police departments as well. Records from those departments follow the same state rules. Contact the specific department that handled the incident for the fastest results.

Note: The Thomaston Police Department and Upson County Sheriff's Office are both located in Thomaston but maintain completely separate records systems.

Nearby Counties

For police records from counties near Upson County, check these links.