Find Burke County Police Blotter

Police blotter records for Burke County are managed by the sheriff's office in Waynesboro. Burke County is one of the largest counties in Georgia by land area, covering over 830 square miles in the eastern part of the state. The sheriff's department patrols this big territory and logs all arrests, incidents, and calls for service in the daily police blotter. You can search for these records through an open records request or by using Georgia's state databases. Plant Vogtle, the nuclear power facility, also sits in Burke County, which means there is both local and federal law enforcement presence in the area.

Burke County Police Blotter Office

Sheriff Alfonzo Williams runs the Burke County Sheriff's Office from PO Box 702 in Waynesboro. The department covers all unincorporated areas of the county. Deputies handle patrol, serve warrants, and run the county jail. Each of these activities creates police blotter records that the public can request.

The daily blotter from Burke County logs the basics for every event. Date, time, type of call, location, and what the deputy did. Arrest entries have more detail. They show the suspect's name, what they were charged with, the date and time they were booked, and which officer made the arrest. These records are public under Georgia law. The sheriff's staff handles requests at the office during business hours.

Note: Burke County is one of Georgia's original counties, created in 1777.

Burke County Police Blotter Records

Georgia's Open Records Act controls how you get police blotter data from Burke County. The law at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 defines public records as all documents that a government agency creates or keeps. This includes the police blotter, arrest records, incident reports, and call logs from the Burke County Sheriff's Office. Anyone can request these records. You do not have to live in Burke County or anywhere in Georgia.

File your request by calling the office, writing a letter, or going in person. Include your name and describe the records you want. The office must respond within three business days under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71. Copies cost up to 10 cents per page. Search time past the first 15 minutes gets billed at the rate of the lowest-paid worker who can pull the records. For most police blotter requests in Burke County, the fees stay low.

Some records have limits. Active investigation files can be withheld under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72. Crash reports need a statement of need. Confidential source names stay sealed. But the basic police blotter entries and arrest records from Burke County are almost always available to anyone who asks.

State Police Records for Burke County

The Georgia DPS EPORTS system stores reports from the Georgia State Patrol that cover Burke County. US-25 and State Route 56 are major roads through the area, and the state patrol handles a lot of traffic enforcement on them. EPORTS lets you search for incident reports at $2.00 each and crash reports at $5.00 each. Citations from troopers are free for the first one.

The GBI Records Request Center handles requests for state-level law enforcement records. If the GBI investigated a case in Burke County, this is where you go to get the file. The GBI also runs the Uniform Crime Reporting program that tracks crime data from over 600 agencies statewide, including Burke County law enforcement.

The GBI accepts tips about crimes online and by phone. If you have information about a case in Burke County, you can reach the GBI tip line at (800) 597-8477 or use their online submission form shown above.

Burke County Police Blotter Lookup

For people arrested in Burke County who went to state prison, the Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is a free tool. It shows current inmates with their booking details and photos when available. The database only covers state facilities. If someone is sitting in the Burke County jail awaiting trial, they will not appear in the GDC system yet.

Criminal history requests follow a different process. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34, criminal records beyond Georgia felony convictions need the person's consent. The GBI handles these checks through the Georgia Crime Information Center in Decatur. If you need your own history, contact the GCIC at (404) 244-2639.

The GDC search tool is simple. Enter a name and the system shows matches. Photos display automatically if they are available. Keep in mind that the GDC warns their data may not be fully accurate or complete.

Cities in Burke County

Waynesboro is the county seat and the biggest city in Burke County. Midville, Sardis, and Girard are smaller towns. None reaches the population threshold for a separate page. Police blotter records for unincorporated Burke County go through the sheriff's office. Incidents inside city limits may be handled by that town's police force.

Nearby Counties

Burke County borders several other east Georgia counties. The Savannah River forms its eastern boundary with South Carolina. Contact these offices if the event you need records for happened near a county line.