Look Up Baker County Police Blotter
Police blotter records in Baker County track every arrest, crime report, and law enforcement call across this small southwest Georgia county. Sheriff Dana Meade runs the Baker County Sheriff's Office out of Newton, where deputies handle everything from traffic stops to criminal investigations. All of these events create records that become part of the Baker County police blotter. Georgia's Open Records Act guarantees public access to most of these files, and both local and state-level tools can help you search for the arrest records, incident reports, and crime data you need from Baker County.
Baker County Quick Facts
Baker County Police Blotter Office
Sheriff Dana Meade is the top law enforcement officer in Baker County. The sheriff's office is the only local police agency for the entire county. There are no city police departments in Baker County. That means every call, every arrest, and every crime report runs through this one office. The result is a single, centralized police blotter for all of Baker County.
You can contact the Baker County Sheriff's Office by phone at (229) 734-3003 or by mail at PO Box 441, Newton, GA 39870. The office handles open records requests during normal business hours. If you show up in person, bring ID and be ready to tell staff what records you need. The more detail you provide about the incident, the faster they can pull the right police blotter entry from Baker County files.
| Office | Baker County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Address | PO Box 441, Newton, GA 39870 |
| Phone | (229) 734-3003 |
| Sheriff | Dana Meade |
Baker County Police Blotter Records
Every police blotter record in Baker County is subject to Georgia's Open Records Act. The law starts at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 and covers all documents prepared or kept by government agencies. Any person can request records. You do not need to live in Baker County. You do not need to state a reason. The sheriff's office must respond within three business days under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71.
Written requests work best. Put the request on paper or send an email if the Baker County Sheriff's Office accepts electronic requests. State what you want clearly. Ask for the incident report by date, or the arrest record by name. The office can charge up to 10 cents per page for copies. Search and retrieval time is free for the first quarter hour. After that, the fee is tied to the hourly wage of the lowest-paid staff member who can handle the task.
Some police blotter records in Baker County may be held back. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 exempts records from active criminal investigations and records that would reveal confidential sources. Once a case closes, those records usually become available. The initial incident report, however, is public from the start in most situations.
Note: If the Baker County office denies your request, they must cite the specific legal reason in writing.
State Police Records in Baker County
The Georgia State Patrol has troopers on highways in Baker County. Crashes, traffic citations, and patrol incidents create reports that are separate from sheriff's office records. You can get those reports through EPORTS, the state's online records system. A crash report costs $5.00, and incident reports cost $2.00 each. Your first citation copy is free.
Reports from the state patrol are usually ready three to five business days after the incident in Baker County. Serious crashes that involve injuries or deaths take longer. The system emails you when the record is ready, then you pay and download. For records that are not in EPORTS, you can email the DPS Open Records Unit at openrecords@gsp.net. This covers dash cam footage, photos, and other materials from Baker County state patrol activities.
Access the EPORTS records system for Baker County state patrol reports.
EPORTS handles only state patrol records. Baker County sheriff's office reports require a separate request to the local office.
GBI and Statewide Records for Baker County
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation gets involved in Baker County cases when the sheriff asks for help on serious crimes. The GBI has its own records request center for open records requests. If a GBI agent worked a case in Baker County, the file is with the GBI, not the sheriff.
You can also search the Georgia Sex Offender Registry for offenders in Baker County. This is free and does not require a formal records request. For people in state prison who were convicted in Baker County, the Georgia Department of Corrections offender search provides current status and facility information. Criminal history checks through the GBI require consent under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34, except for Georgia felony convictions which are public.
What Baker County Police Blotters Include
A police blotter record from Baker County contains several elements. The report has a unique case number assigned by the sheriff's office. Date and time of the event are logged. The location in Baker County where it happened is recorded. The type of incident or crime is classified. Names of involved parties appear, along with the responding deputy's information. A narrative section describes what took place.
Redaction rules apply to Baker County police reports just like everywhere else in Georgia. Phone numbers come out. Day and month of birth are removed. Medical details are stripped. The year of birth stays visible. These rules exist to protect privacy while keeping the core facts of the police blotter open to the public. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association website has more information about sheriff's office procedures across the state.
The county-by-county sheriff directory above can help you verify contact info before submitting a records request to Baker County.
Baker County Records Costs
Fees for police blotter records in Baker County are set by state law. Standard copies are up to 10 cents per page. Certified copies add a $2.00 fee. The first 15 minutes of staff time for search and retrieval is free. You can view the full state fee schedule for open records requests online. Baker County may also charge for redaction time, but the combined fee has to be reasonable under the law.
Nearby Counties
Baker County sits in southwest Georgia. If the incident you are looking for happened near a county line, the report may be with a neighboring agency instead of Baker County.