Access Heard County Police Blotter
Heard County police blotter records track arrests, incident reports, and crime logs across this small west Georgia county centered on Franklin. Sheriff Ross Henry runs the Heard County Sheriff's Office, the only full-time law enforcement agency serving the area. You can search police blotter entries by contacting the office directly or through state databases that cover Heard County. Georgia's Open Records Act guarantees public access to initial incident reports, and free state-level tools let you search arrest records, offender data, and crime information linked to Heard County.
Heard County Quick Facts
Heard County Police Blotter Office
The Heard County Sheriff's Office handles all police blotter records for the county. Sheriff Ross Henry operates out of PO Box 339 in Franklin. The phone number is (706) 675-3329. Deputies patrol the county's roads and communities. Every arrest, call, and incident report feeds into the Heard County police blotter.
Heard County is one of the smaller counties in Georgia, sitting along the Alabama state line west of Carroll County. Franklin is the county seat and the only real town. The population is low, and the area is heavily rural. Crime activity is lighter here than in metro areas, but the police blotter still records everything. Traffic incidents, property crimes, domestic calls, and drug-related activity all show up. You can visit the office during regular hours and request public records from the Heard County police blotter system.
O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 makes police blotter entries public records in Heard County. The sheriff's office has three business days to respond to your request per O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71. Copies cost up to 10 cents per page. No charge for the first 15 minutes of staff time.
| Office | Heard County Sheriff's Office |
|---|---|
| Address | PO Box 339, Franklin, GA 30217 |
| Phone | (706) 675-3329 |
| Sheriff | Ross Henry |
Heard County Police Blotter Records
The Georgia Open Records Act lets anyone request police blotter data from the Heard County Sheriff's Office. You do not need to live in Heard County. No reason is required. The law covers arrest reports, incident logs, booking sheets, and every other document the office creates or holds.
Exemptions exist under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72. Active investigations or pending criminal cases in Heard County can lead the sheriff's office to withhold certain records. Confidential source names are always protected. Information that would put someone at risk stays out of public copies too. But the first police blotter entry for any incident, the initial report of what happened, is nearly always open. Written requests are best because they start the three-day response deadline. Send yours to PO Box 339, Franklin, GA 30217.
State Patrol Police Blotter in Heard County
Georgia State Patrol troopers create their own police blotter records in Heard County. They patrol state roads and handle crashes, traffic enforcement, and some criminal matters on the highways. Their reports are separate from the sheriff's office. Get them through the EPORTS system.
EPORTS charges $5.00 for crash reports, $2.00 for incident reports, and nothing for your first citation. Reports are typically ready in three to five business days. Heard County has several state routes but no interstates. If the incident you need a report on occurred on a state highway, EPORTS is the right tool for the Heard County police blotter record.
Search EPORTS for state patrol blotter records in Heard County.
EPORTS only has state patrol records. Sheriff's office reports from Heard County must be requested directly.
GBI Crime Data for Heard County
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation maintains statewide crime data that covers Heard County. The GBI Records Request Center is where you submit open records requests for GBI investigation files. Criminal history records require the subject's consent under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34, unless the record involves a Georgia felony conviction.
The Georgia Sex Offender Registry is free and searchable. Look up offenders in the Heard County area. The GDC offender query covers state prison inmates but not the Heard County jail. For current jail info, call (706) 675-3329. Booking records are part of the police blotter and are public.
Note: Booking records from the Heard County jail are part of the police blotter and available to anyone under Georgia law.
Reading Heard County Crime Reports
Police blotter entries from Heard County list the date, time, and place of each incident. A short description explains the event. Arrests show the person's name and the charges they face. The responding officer is named as well.
Certain personal details are redacted from the public version under Georgia law. Phone numbers, day and month of birth, and medical facts are removed. If you are a party to the case, you may qualify for a more complete copy from the Heard County Sheriff's Office. Check the Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory to verify the office address and phone number before sending your records request.
The Sheriffs' Association covers all 159 Georgia counties, including Heard County, and can help confirm current contact details.
Heard County Record Fees
Police blotter fees in Heard County follow state law. Copies are up to 10 cents per page. Certified copies add $2.00. The first quarter hour of search time is free. After that, the office charges at the rate of the lowest-paid qualified worker. The DPS fee schedule shows the full breakdown.
State patrol crash reports from EPORTS are $5.00. Incident reports cost $2.00. The Heard County Sheriff's Office may set its own rates for locally generated records. It is best to call ahead and ask.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Heard County. For incidents near the line, contact both agencies to confirm who handled the call.