Barrow County Police Blotter Lookup
Police blotter records in Barrow County document the arrests, crime reports, and incidents handled by law enforcement in the Winder area. Sheriff Jud Smith runs the Barrow County Sheriff's Office on East Broad Street, and his office is the central hub for county-level police records. Barrow County sits in the northeast part of the Atlanta metro area, which means it sees a mix of suburban and rural law enforcement activity. Whether you want to search arrest records, pull an incident report, or look through crime data, getting access to Barrow County police blotter records is your right under Georgia law.
Barrow County Quick Facts
Barrow County Police Blotter Office
The Barrow County Sheriff's Office sits at 233 East Broad Street in Winder. Call (770) 307-3080 to reach the office. Sheriff Jud Smith leads the department, which patrols unincorporated Barrow County, runs the county jail, and serves civil papers. Every arrest, call for service, and crime investigation that deputies handle creates a record. These records form the Barrow County police blotter.
Winder, Auburn, and Statham each have their own city police departments. If the incident you are looking for happened within city limits, the city police may have the report instead of the sheriff. For events in the unincorporated parts of Barrow County, the sheriff's office is always the right place to ask. Both city and county agencies in Barrow County are subject to the same state open records law, so the process for requesting files is similar regardless of which department holds the report.
| Office | Barrow County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Address | 233 East Broad Street, Winder, GA 30680 |
| Phone | (770) 307-3080 |
| Sheriff | Jud Smith |
Access Barrow County Police Blotter
You can request police blotter records from Barrow County under Georgia's Open Records Act. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 covers the basics. Public records include documents, data, and files kept by agencies like the Barrow County Sheriff's Office. You do not have to be a resident. You do not need a reason.
Write your request down and send it to the sheriff's office. Be clear about what you want. Give dates, names, and any case numbers you have. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, the Barrow County Sheriff's Office has three business days to respond to your request. They must produce the records or tell you in writing why they cannot. Copies are up to 10 cents per page. The first quarter hour of search time is on the house. After that, Barrow County can charge based on the lowest-paid staff member who can do the work.
Records from active criminal investigations in Barrow County may be withheld. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 creates this exemption. It protects ongoing cases from having evidence disclosed too early. The initial incident report is generally still available, even when the rest of the case file is held back. Once the case is resolved, the full file from Barrow County typically opens to the public.
State Patrol and Barrow County Reports
Georgia State Patrol troopers cover state highways in Barrow County. Crashes and traffic incidents on these roads generate reports that are separate from sheriff's office files. Request state patrol records through the EPORTS system. Crash reports are $5.00. Incident reports are $2.00. Your first citation is free.
Most reports from Barrow County are ready in three to five business days. The system sends you an email when the file is ready for download. Serious crashes may take longer. For dash cam video, photos, or other materials not available on EPORTS, email the DPS Open Records Unit at openrecords@gsp.net and reference the Barrow County incident in your request.
Statewide Crime Resources for Barrow County
Multiple state agencies maintain databases that cover Barrow County. The GBI Records Request Center handles open records requests for Georgia Bureau of Investigation case files. If the GBI worked a case in Barrow County, their records are separate from the sheriff's files and must be requested through the GBI.
The Georgia Sex Offender Registry is free to search. Look up registered sex offenders in Barrow County by name or location. For incarcerated offenders, the Georgia Department of Corrections offender search covers state prison inmates convicted in Barrow County or any other county. Criminal history records through the GBI require consent under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34, except for Georgia felony convictions which are public.
The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is shown below. You can look up any state inmate by name.
Search for Georgia state prison inmates from Barrow County.
This database covers state facilities only. For people held in the Barrow County jail, call the sheriff at (770) 307-3080.
What Barrow County Reports Include
A police blotter entry from Barrow County includes standard data points. The report number comes first. Then the date, time, and location of the incident. The type of call or crime. Names of people involved. The deputy who responded. And a short narrative of what took place. Arrest records add the charges and booking information from the Barrow County jail.
Certain personal data gets redacted before you see the report. Phone numbers, day and month of birth, and medical details are removed per Georgia law. The year of birth stays on the record. These are the same rules that apply statewide. If you are named in the Barrow County report or your lawyer needs a fuller version, you may be able to get a less redacted copy through a formal request.
Barrow County Police Blotter Fees
The cost of getting police blotter records from Barrow County follows state rules. Copies are up to 10 cents per page. Certified copies add $2.00 per document. Search time is free for the first 15 minutes. The state fee schedule for open records gives more detail on what agencies can charge. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association website is another resource for verifying sheriff's office contact information across the state.
Use the sheriffs by county directory above to confirm the address and phone number for the Barrow County Sheriff's Office before sending a records request.
Nearby Counties
Barrow County shares borders with these counties in northeast metro Atlanta. If you are unsure which agency took the report for an incident near a county line, check with both the Barrow County Sheriff's Office and the neighboring county.