Bacon County Police Blotter Search
Bacon County police blotter records capture every crime report, arrest, and call for service handled by the sheriff's office in Alma. Sheriff Andy Batten oversees law enforcement for Bacon County and keeps all related records at his office on Dixon Street. Under Georgia's Open Records Act, most police blotter entries are available for public review. You can search for arrest records, pull incident reports, and look up crime data from Bacon County through the sheriff's office directly or by using state databases that cover all 159 Georgia counties. Here is how to get the records you need.
Bacon County Quick Facts
Bacon County Police Blotter Office
The Bacon County Sheriff's Office generates and stores all police blotter records for the county. Sheriff Andy Batten has served the community from the office at 307 Dixon Street in Alma. Deputies patrol the county, respond to emergencies, investigate crimes, and make arrests. Each of those actions produces a record. Those records form the Bacon County police blotter.
Call (912) 632-2658 to ask about a specific report. You can visit the office in person during business hours to request copies. Mail requests go to 307 Dixon Street, Alma, GA 31510. Include as much detail as possible when you ask for a report from Bacon County. The date of the incident, names of those involved, and the type of crime all help the staff locate the right file quickly.
Booking records from the Bacon County jail are also public. When someone is arrested, the booking log shows their name, the charges, date of arrest, and bond amount. These records are part of the police blotter and available through the sheriff's office.
| Office | Bacon County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Address | 307 Dixon Street, Alma, GA 31510 |
| Phone | (912) 632-2658 |
| Sheriff | Andy Batten |
Reading Bacon County Police Blotter
Georgia law makes police blotter records available to everyone. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 defines public records broadly. It covers documents, papers, and computer-based information kept by any agency. The Bacon County Sheriff's Office is an agency under this law, so its records are subject to open records requests.
Send your request in writing to the sheriff's office. You can deliver it in person, mail it, or fax it if the office accepts fax. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, the Bacon County Sheriff's Office has three business days to respond. They must either produce the records or explain why they cannot. Valid reasons for withholding include active investigations under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 and records that would expose confidential informants. The initial incident report is almost always available though, even if the case is still open in Bacon County.
Copy fees in Bacon County are capped at 10 cents per page. The first 15 minutes of staff search time is free. After that first quarter hour, the office can charge based on the lowest-paid employee's hourly rate who is capable of filling the request.
State Patrol Police Blotter in Bacon County
Georgia State Patrol troopers cover highways and state roads in Bacon County. When a trooper handles a traffic crash, makes an arrest, or writes a report in Bacon County, that record goes through the Georgia Department of Public Safety. The EPORTS online portal is where you request those records.
Crash reports cost $5.00. Incident reports are $2.00. Citations are free for the first one. Reports are generally available three to five business days after the event in Bacon County. You submit your request online, wait for an email confirmation, then pay and download. EPORTS only covers state patrol records. It does not include reports from the Bacon County Sheriff's Office or the Alma Police Department. For local records, contact those agencies directly.
You can also reach the DPS Open Records Unit by email at openrecords@gsp.net for records that are not available through EPORTS. Dash cam video, photographs, and some other materials from Bacon County state patrol incidents require a separate request.
Statewide Crime Databases for Bacon County
Several state databases let you search for crime-related records that involve Bacon County. The GBI Records Request Center handles open records requests for Georgia Bureau of Investigation files. If the GBI assisted with a case in Bacon County, you can request those records through this portal.
The Georgia Sex Offender Registry is free to search. You can look up registered offenders living in Bacon County by name or by area. The Georgia Department of Corrections runs an offender search tool for state prison inmates. If someone was convicted of a crime in Bacon County and sent to a state facility, you can find their current status in this database. Photos are displayed when available.
The GBI records request portal is shown below. Use it to submit open records requests for any GBI file connected to Bacon County.
Submit a records request through the GBI portal for Bacon County cases.
The GBI does not patrol Bacon County. Their records come from investigations they are asked to join by local law enforcement.
Bacon County Report Details
Police blotter entries from Bacon County follow a standard format. Each report gets a unique number. The entry lists the date, time, and location of the incident. It identifies the type of offense or call. If an arrest was made, the person's name and charges are listed. The reporting officer's name appears on the record too.
Some personal details are removed before the public gets the report. Georgia law requires redaction of phone numbers, the day and month of birth, and medical information. These rules apply to all police reports in Bacon County. The redacted version is what you receive when you make your request. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34, criminal history records beyond felony convictions require the consent of the person named. This applies to records held by the GBI, not just Bacon County local files.
The DPS fee schedule above applies to state-level records. Bacon County may set its own fees within the limits of state law.
Tips for Searching Bacon County Records
Getting the right record from Bacon County is easier when you come prepared. Have the date of the incident ready. Know the names of people involved if you can. A case number speeds things up more than anything else. If you do not have a case number, give the Bacon County staff the most detail you can and they will search for a match.
Written requests create a paper trail. This is important if there is a dispute about the response time or fees. Georgia law starts the three-day clock when the Bacon County office receives your written request. A phone call can get you started, but follow up in writing to protect your rights under the Open Records Act. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association county directory confirms contact details for every sheriff in the state.
Nearby Counties
Bacon County shares borders with several neighboring counties. Incidents along county lines can be handled by either agency. When in doubt, check with both the Bacon County Sheriff's Office and the neighboring county.