Access Taylor County Police Blotter

Taylor County police blotter records are filed and stored at the sheriff's office in Butler, a small community in central Georgia. Sheriff Jeff Watson manages the department responsible for all law enforcement records in the county. Taylor County has a rural character and a modest population, so the sheriff's office handles nearly all crime reporting and arrests on its own. If you want to search for a police blotter entry from Taylor County, the process involves the local sheriff, Georgia's statewide databases, or a formal open records request. This page lays out each path and what to expect when getting records from Taylor County.

Taylor County Police Blotter Office

Sheriff Jeff Watson runs the Taylor County Sheriff's Office from PO Box 465 in Butler. The phone number is (478) 862-5444. All arrests, incident reports, traffic stops, and crime logs in Taylor County go through this office. Deputies file a report for each call, and those documents become the police blotter that the public can view.

Taylor County sits between Columbus and Macon in a part of the state that is mostly rural. The police blotter here tends to reflect that setting with property crimes, traffic-related calls, and occasional drug activity making up most entries. The sheriff's office is the sole law enforcement agency for the county, so every police blotter record in Taylor County comes from one source. That simplifies the search process compared to counties with multiple agencies.

Taylor County Police Blotter Records

Georgia's Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 gives you the right to police blotter records from Taylor County. Any document the sheriff's office creates or maintains qualifies as a public record under this law. Arrest logs, booking records, and incident files are all included.

Write your request and send it to PO Box 465, Butler, GA 31006 or take it to the office yourself. The sheriff has three business days to respond per O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71. Copies cost up to 10 cents a page. The first 15 minutes of search time are free, and after that the charge is the lowest-paid employee's hourly rate. You do not need to give a reason for your request, and you do not have to live in Taylor County. Active investigation files are exempt under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, but the basic police blotter entry is almost always available.

State Patrol Records in Taylor County

Georgia State Patrol troopers handle highway incidents in Taylor County. Their reports go to the Department of Public Safety. Access them through the EPORTS online system. Crash reports cost $5.00. Incident reports are $2.00. First citations are free. Reports take three to five business days.

The GBI offers additional tools. The Records Request Center handles open records requests for GBI investigations. The sex offender registry is free. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34, felony conviction records are public. For tips about Taylor County crimes, call the GBI at (800) 597-8477 or use the online tip form.

This fee schedule applies to records from state agencies that cover Taylor County.

Taylor County Offender Lookup

State prison inmates from Taylor County can be found through the Georgia Department of Corrections offender search. Enter a name to see matching records with photos when available. The system covers state facilities but not the Taylor County jail or federal prisons.

For people currently in the Taylor County jail, call (478) 862-5444. The sheriff's office can share custody information, charges, and bond amounts. Booking records are part of the police blotter and are public under Georgia law.

Understanding Taylor County Crime Reports

Police blotter entries from Taylor County contain the standard fields: date, time, location, and a description of the event. Arrest reports include the suspect's name and charges. The responding deputy is identified. These are the core details in every report from the Taylor County Sheriff's Office.

Georgia law requires redaction of phone numbers, day and month of birth, and medical info from public copies. The version you get from Taylor County will have those items removed. Parties to a case and their lawyers may be able to get fuller records. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory can help verify contact details for the Taylor County Sheriff's Office before you submit a request.

Taylor County Police Blotter Fees

Fees for police blotter records from Taylor County follow state rules. Page copies cost up to 10 cents. Certified copies add $2.00. The first quarter hour of search time is free. EPORTS crash reports are $5.00 each and incident reports are $2.00.

Call (478) 862-5444 to ask about fees before visiting the Taylor County Sheriff's Office. Small requests from this rural county tend to be inexpensive.

Nearby Counties

These counties share borders with Taylor County. If an incident happened near the line, check both agencies to find the report.