Find Whitfield County Police Records

Whitfield County police records are managed by the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office in Dalton, Georgia. Sheriff Darren Pierce heads the department, which maintains incident reports, arrest records, accident reports, and other law enforcement documents for the county. The records division serves the public under the Georgia Open Records Act. Whitfield County is in northwest Georgia, and the sheriff's office is the primary custodian of police records for unincorporated areas. Dalton, the county seat, has its own police department that handles records for calls within city limits.

Whitfield County Sheriff's Office

The Whitfield County Sheriff's Office is the main records source for county police files. The mailing address is PO Box 652, Dalton, GA 30722. The phone number is (706) 278-1233. Sheriff Darren Pierce leads the department. The office processes records requests Monday through Friday during regular business hours.

Police records from the sheriff's office include incident reports, arrest bookings, crash reports, and supplemental investigation files. The office covers all unincorporated areas of Whitfield County. Dalton has its own police department, so incidents inside Dalton city limits are usually handled by city officers. You need to know which agency responded before you file a request.

Whitfield County is one of the larger counties in the northwest Georgia region by population. The sheriff's office handles a significant volume of calls and records. Having your details ready when you contact the office helps the staff process your request efficiently. Provide the date, location, type of incident, and any names or case numbers you have.

Whitfield County Records Fees

Fees for police records in Whitfield County follow the state schedule. Copies cost $0.10 per page. Accident reports are $5 for parties involved. Under O.C.G.A. 50-18-71, the first 15 minutes of research time are free. After that, the hourly charge is tied to the pay of the employee doing the search.

If the estimated cost goes over $25, the office will let you know before they proceed. You can accept or adjust your request. Cash, checks, and money orders are standard payment methods. Call ahead to check on card payments. Make checks payable to the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office.

You can view records in person at no charge. The copy fee applies only when you want printed or digital copies to take with you. This is a useful option if you want to look through a file before deciding which pages you need.

The EPORTS system from the Georgia Department of Public Safety handles state patrol crash reports for Whitfield County and charges $5 per report.

EPORTS is a statewide portal that lets you search for crash reports by date and county. Reports from state patrol troopers in Whitfield County show up within a few days of the crash.

Note: The $5 accident report fee covers the entire report regardless of page count. It is a flat fee, not a per page charge.

How to Request Records

You have several options for requesting police records from Whitfield County. Written requests work best. Include your name, contact info, and a detailed description of the records you need. Be specific about dates, people, and report types. Mail your request to PO Box 652, Dalton, GA 30722.

Phone requests are accepted at (706) 278-1233. Call the records division and give them the details. They can check if the file exists and tell you the cost. In person visits to the sheriff's office in Dalton work for simple requests. You may be able to get copies the same day for straightforward lookups.

Georgia law requires the office to respond within three business days. The response can be the records, a cost estimate, or a note saying they need more time. Straightforward requests for a single report usually move faster. Broad requests covering multiple dates or files take longer to process.

Open Records Law

O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 is the foundation of Georgia's Open Records Act. It gives every person the right to inspect and copy public records from Whitfield County agencies. You do not need to be a resident. You do not have to give a reason. The law covers police reports, arrest records, crash reports, and other documents held by the sheriff's office.

Initial incident reports and arrest reports are always public in Georgia. Even when a case is actively under investigation, these basic documents must be released. The full investigation file becomes public after all related litigation ends. Some records have exemptions. Records that could endanger someone or expose a confidential source may be held back. Georgia law defaults to transparency, and Whitfield County follows the same standards as every other county.

If the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office denies your request, you have the right to a written explanation with the specific code section cited. You can challenge the denial in Whitfield County Superior Court. The court can order the records released.

Accident Reports in Whitfield County

Crash reports from Whitfield County are held by the agency that responded. Sheriff's deputies handle crashes in unincorporated areas. The Dalton Police Department covers crashes within Dalton city limits. Georgia State Patrol handles some highway crashes.

For sheriff's office reports, call (706) 278-1233 or mail a request. For state patrol reports, use the EPORTS portal. Both sources charge $5 per crash report. Under O.C.G.A. 50-18-72, people not involved in the accident may need to provide a written statement of need to get the report.

Whitfield County has I-75 running through it, which means the state patrol handles quite a few crashes in the area. If you are not sure which agency responded, call the sheriff's office or the Dalton Police Department and they can help you figure out where to look.

Criminal Records and Court Files

Court records for Whitfield County are maintained by the Clerk of Superior Court at the courthouse in Dalton. These records cover case filings, charges, pleas, and sentencing details. They are separate from the police records held by the sheriff's office. Police records document what happened in the field. Court records document what happened in the legal system.

For a statewide criminal history search, contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The GBI maintains Georgia's criminal history database and processes requests. A search through the Whitfield County clerk's office only shows cases filed in that court.

Note: If your incident happened in Dalton, you may also need to check with the Dalton Police Department for city-level records.

Nearby Counties

If you need police records from areas around Whitfield County, check these neighboring counties.