Paulding County Police Blotter Records

Police blotter data in Paulding County is kept by the sheriff's office at 180 Constitution Boulevard in Dallas. Paulding County has been one of the fastest-growing counties in Georgia over the past two decades. More people means more law enforcement calls, and each call creates a blotter entry. The Paulding County Sheriff's Office tracks all arrests, incidents, traffic stops, and calls for service. These police blotter records are public under Georgia law, and you can search them by contacting the office or using state-level databases that cover activity in the county.

Paulding County Police Blotter Office

Sheriff Gary Gulledge runs the Paulding County Sheriff's Office from the main headquarters on Constitution Boulevard. The office provides law enforcement for the entire county, including patrol, criminal investigations, jail operations, and court security. Every arrest a deputy makes gets entered into the police blotter. The same goes for incident reports filed when deputies respond to calls. This is a busy agency given the county's population, and the blotter reflects that volume.

Dallas, Hiram, and Braswell are the main communities in Paulding County. The Dallas Police Department covers the city of Dallas. Hiram has its own police force too. But the sheriff handles all unincorporated areas, which make up the majority of the county. If you are not sure which agency took a report, call the sheriff's office first. They can tell you where the blotter record sits or direct you to the right city department in Paulding County.

Note: Paulding County has its own judicial circuit and does not share it with any other county.

Reading Paulding County Police Blotter

Georgia's Open Records Act covers police blotter entries in Paulding County. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, any document prepared and kept by a government agency is a public record. That includes blotter logs, arrest records, and incident reports. You have the right to request these without stating a reason. Just contact the records division at the sheriff's office and describe what you need.

Phone requests work for simple searches. Call (770) 443-3010 and ask for records. Give them a name, date range, or case number. For more detailed or multiple record requests, submit a written request by mail or drop it off in person. The law requires a response within three business days under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71. Standard copies in Paulding County cost up to 10 cents per page. If the search takes staff time beyond the first 15 minutes, the agency can bill for that at the lowest hourly rate of a qualified employee.

Walk-ins are welcome at the Constitution Boulevard office during business hours. Bring your ID and be ready to describe exactly what records you need from the Paulding County police blotter.

State Police Blotter Resources for Paulding County

Several state agencies keep records that tie into Paulding County police blotter data. The Georgia DPS EPORTS portal stores reports from the Georgia State Patrol. If a trooper handled a crash on Highway 278 or Highway 120 in Paulding County, that report goes into EPORTS. You can request it online. Crash reports cost $5.00 and incident reports cost $2.00.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation handles records through their Records Request Center. This covers state-level investigations and multi-agency cases. The GBI also operates the Georgia Crime Information Center, which is the main hub for criminal history data in the state. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34, criminal history beyond felony convictions requires consent from the subject.

The DPS fee schedule shown above lays out exactly what the state charges for different types of reports. Knowing the fees ahead of time helps when you are planning a records request for Paulding County police blotter data.

Paulding County Blotter Exemptions

Not all police blotter data in Paulding County is fully open. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72(a)(4) allows agencies to withhold records from pending investigations and active prosecutions. The basic arrest record with names and charges usually stays available. But the detailed investigative file behind it may be sealed until the court case ends in Paulding County.

Crash reports require a statement of need per O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72(a)(5). You have to prove a connection to the accident. Personal data like phone numbers gets redacted from copies. Confidential informant identities are always shielded. These exemptions are the same statewide. They are not unique to Paulding County.

Paulding County Offender Lookup

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is a free tool for finding people who were arrested in Paulding County and ended up in state prison. Enter a name and the system shows current inmates with booking data and photos. This covers state facilities only. People in the Paulding County jail waiting for trial are not in this database.

For tips about unsolved crimes, the GBI tip submission form takes online reports. You can also call the GBI tip line at (800) 597-8477. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory can help you confirm contact info for the Paulding County sheriff and neighboring jurisdictions.

Cities in Paulding County

Dallas is the county seat. Hiram and Braswell are the other main communities. Dallas and Hiram each have their own city police departments. The Paulding County Sheriff's Office covers everything outside those city limits. No city in Paulding County has a population over 25,000.

Nearby Counties

Paulding County is northwest of Atlanta. These bordering counties may have blotter records for incidents near the county lines.