Access Wilkinson County Police Records

Police records in Wilkinson County are held by the Wilkinson County Sheriff's Office, located in Irwinton. Sheriff Richard Chatman heads the department and oversees all county law enforcement. The sheriff's office is the primary source for incident reports, arrest records, accident reports, and other police records in Wilkinson County. Because the county does not operate an online records portal, most people request records by phone or mail. The Georgia Open Records Act protects the public's right to access these records, and the same rules apply in Wilkinson County as in every other county across the state.

Wilkinson County Sheriff's Office Contact

The Wilkinson County Sheriff's Office in Irwinton is the main point of contact for all police records requests in the county. Sheriff Richard Chatman leads the office. Staff can help you locate incident reports, arrest records, accident reports, and other law enforcement documents. The mailing address is PO Box 178, Irwinton, GA 31042. If you are planning to visit in person, call first to confirm their hours and make sure the records you need are available for pickup.

Phone is the fastest way to get started. Call (478) 946-2411 and tell the staff what you need. Have details ready. A date, a name, a location, or a case number will help them find the right record quickly. For emergencies, always dial 911. The non-emergency line is for questions about police records, report copies, and general office business.

Walk-in requests are also an option. Bring a photo ID and be prepared to describe the record you want. Staff can look up the file and give you an estimate of the time and cost. Smaller requests are often handled on the spot, while larger ones may take a few days to compile.

Requesting Police Records in Wilkinson County

Georgia's Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. 50-18-70 gives every person the right to inspect and copy public records held by government agencies. The Wilkinson County Sheriff's Office falls under this law. You do not need to be a resident of Wilkinson County or even a resident of Georgia to make a request. The law does not require you to say why you want the records, either. You just ask, and the agency has a duty to provide access. This applies to incident reports, arrest records, accident reports, and citations held by the sheriff's office in Irwinton.

You can make your request by phone, by mail, or in person. Written requests are the best approach because they create a record of what you asked for and when you asked. If the office takes too long or there is any confusion about the request, a written letter gives you something to point to. Keep it simple. Write your name, how to reach you, and exactly which records you want. Mail it to PO Box 178, Irwinton, GA 31042. Include as much detail as possible so staff can find the file without a lot of back and forth.

Note: You do not need to cite the Open Records Act in your request, but mentioning it can remind staff of the three-business-day deadline for responding to Wilkinson County police records requests.

Response Times for Wilkinson County Records

Once the Wilkinson County Sheriff's Office receives your request, they have three business days to respond. That is the rule under O.C.G.A. 50-18-71. The response does not have to be the records themselves. It can be a cost estimate, a timeline, or a notice about exempt material. For a single incident report or arrest record, the turnaround is typically fast. The office may be able to have it ready the same day or the next business day. Bigger requests that cover multiple records or a wide date range will take longer to process.

If you do not get a response within three business days, follow up with a phone call. Staff at smaller offices handle many duties, and a polite reminder is often all that is needed. If the office still does not respond or denies your request without a valid reason, O.C.G.A. 50-18-73 allows you to take the matter to superior court. A judge can order the records released and may award your legal fees if the agency violated the law. Most requests in Wilkinson County are handled without any problems, but the legal remedy exists as a backup.

Keep in mind that the office may need to review records before releasing them. Police records sometimes contain information that is exempt from disclosure under Georgia law, like Social Security numbers or details about ongoing investigations beyond the initial report. The review process adds time, but it protects both the public interest and individual privacy.

Types of Police Records in Wilkinson County

The Wilkinson County Sheriff's Office maintains several categories of police records. Incident reports are filed when deputies respond to crimes, disturbances, or other calls for service. Arrest records document bookings and charges. Accident reports cover crashes that happen within the county. Citations record traffic stops and other violations. These are the core types of records you can request from the sheriff's office in Irwinton.

Under O.C.G.A. 50-18-72, initial incident reports and initial arrest reports are always public in Georgia. This is true even when a case is still under active investigation. The sheriff's office cannot withhold the initial report just because the investigation is ongoing. They can hold back the rest of the investigation file, but that first report is available to anyone who asks. This is one of the strongest parts of Georgia's Open Records Act, and it applies fully to Wilkinson County police records.

Accident reports have their own access rules. If you were involved in the crash, you get the report without any extra requirements. If you were not a party to the accident, the office may ask you to explain in writing why you need the report. This extra step is meant to protect the privacy of crash victims while still allowing access to those with a legitimate reason. The Wilkinson County Sheriff's Office follows these same guidelines when handling accident report requests.

The BuyCrash system is commonly used for crash reports filed by local agencies across the state.

Wilkinson County Records Fees

Fees for police records from the Wilkinson County Sheriff's Office follow the standard Georgia schedule. Copies cost $0.10 per page. The first 15 minutes of staff time to search for and retrieve records are free. After that, the office can charge an hourly rate pegged to the wage of the lowest-paid employee who can do the work. If the total cost will exceed $25, the office has to tell you in advance. You can then choose to go forward, narrow your request to lower the cost, or cancel altogether.

Crash reports from the Georgia State Patrol cost $5 each through the EPORTS system. If a Wilkinson County deputy filed the crash report rather than a state trooper, check with the sheriff's office about their specific fee. Payment options can vary at smaller offices. It is worth asking about accepted payment methods before you visit or send a request by mail.

Note: Most single-report requests from the Wilkinson County Sheriff's Office cost just a few dollars, since the first 15 minutes of search time are free and copies are only ten cents a page.

State Resources for Wilkinson County

Several Georgia state agencies hold police records that connect to Wilkinson County. The Georgia DPS EPORTS portal lets you request crash reports, incident reports, and citations from the Georgia State Patrol. If a trooper responded to an incident in Wilkinson County, the records go through the state system. The DPS Open Records Unit can also be reached at openrecords@gsp.net or (404) 624-7591 for records that are not in the online portal.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation maintains records for major cases where the GBI assisted local law enforcement. If the GBI was involved in a case in Wilkinson County, those records are filed separately from the sheriff's office and need to be requested through the GBI. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association website has a directory of all 159 county sheriffs in Georgia. It is a handy tool for verifying addresses and phone numbers for the Wilkinson County Sheriff's Office or any other county you need to contact.

Nearby County Police Records

Wilkinson County is in central Georgia and shares borders with several counties. An incident that happened near a county line could have been handled by either agency. If you are not sure which county the location falls in, try calling both offices to track down the right records.