Polk County 24 Hour Booking Records

Polk County 24 hour booking records cover every arrest processed through the county jail in Cedartown. The Polk County Sheriff's Office runs the detention center and logs each booking as it happens. Cedartown sits in northwest Georgia, close to the Alabama state line. All local arrests from both the sheriff's office and the Cedartown Police Department go through the same county jail for processing. You can get booking data by calling the sheriff's office or by filing a written open records request under Georgia law.

Polk County Sheriff's Office

The Polk County Sheriff's Office handles all county law enforcement and runs the jail in Cedartown. The office is at 420 West Avenue, Cedartown, GA 30125. You can call them at (770) 749-2900. The jail stays open all day, every day. When someone gets arrested in Polk County, they go through the booking process at this facility no matter what time it is.

Booking means staff record your name, date of birth, and address. They log the charges. A photo gets taken. Fingerprints are collected. A booking number is assigned. This all becomes part of the 24 hour booking record for Polk County. The whole process can take a few hours depending on how busy the jail is that night or day.

Cedartown also has its own police department. Officers there make arrests within city limits. But the booking still happens at the county jail. The same is true for Rockmart, the other main town in Polk County. City police arrest, county jail books.

How to Get Polk County Booking Records

Georgia's Open Records Act makes jail booking data public. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 says you can ask for these records from the Polk County Sheriff's Office. You don't need to give a reason. A phone call works for basic info. For a formal copy, put it in writing and send it to the sheriff's office.

The sheriff's office has three business days to respond under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71. If they need more time, they have to tell you why and give a timeline. The first 15 minutes of search time are free. After that, fees are based on the pay rate of the lowest-paid staffer who can do the work. Copies run about $0.10 per page. Most single booking record requests cost very little in Polk County.

Some info gets blacked out before you see it. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 requires the removal of social security numbers, bank account details, personal email addresses, and cell phone numbers. The arrest info, charges, bond amount, and booking date all stay visible. Initial police reports are public too, even if the case is still under investigation.

Bond and Release in Polk County

After booking, bond is the next step. Minor crimes usually have a set bond schedule. The person pays the amount listed and leaves. More serious charges may need a judge. Polk County falls under the Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit. Bond hearings happen at the Polk County courthouse in Cedartown.

Felony cases can take longer. The person stays in the jail until the hearing. If the judge sets bond and the person posts it, they get out. The booking record stays on file no matter what. Even if charges get dropped later, the initial booking data remains in the Polk County system. Getting it restricted takes a separate legal process under Georgia law.

Statewide Resources for Polk County 24 Hour Booking

A booking record from Polk County shows one event. For a full criminal history, you need to go through the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The GBI runs the Georgia Crime Information Center, which tracks arrests and court outcomes across the whole state. You can get your own record at most sheriff's offices. Getting someone else's history requires their written consent under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34, unless the search is limited to felony convictions.

The GDC Find Offender tool from the Georgia Department of Corrections lets you look up state prison inmates. This does not cover Polk County jail inmates. It only shows people who have been sentenced to state prison. For people awaiting trial or serving short sentences, the county jail is where to check.

The Georgia Applicant Processing Service handles fingerprint-based background checks. Results come back in 24 to 48 hours. This is a separate process from requesting a booking record, but it can show prior arrests from Polk County and anywhere else in the state.

The GBI FAQ page on criminal history records explains the difference between booking records and full criminal histories. It covers the process, fees, and what shows up on a report. Worth reading if you need more than just one Polk County booking record.

24 Hour Booking Photo Rules in Polk County

Every booking in Polk County includes a photo. Georgia law under O.C.G.A. § 35-1-18 says the sheriff's office cannot post booking photos on a website. This rule applies across all of Georgia. If you want a copy, you have to submit a written statement about how you will use it. Lying on that form can lead to charges under O.C.G.A. § 16-10-20.

Third-party mugshot sites sometimes get photos from older records. If your Polk County booking photo ends up on one of those sites and your charges were dropped or you completed a first offender sentence, Georgia law can help. O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.5 requires the site to take down your photo within 30 days at no cost. You can also seek record restriction through the prosecutor's office under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 if your case qualifies.

The First Offender Act, O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60, is another path. People who finish a first offender sentence can get their record sealed. Once sealed, only judges and law enforcement can see it. This applies to Polk County arrests just like anywhere else in Georgia.

Looking Up Polk County Arrest Data Online

The Georgia Department of Corrections website is one of the main state-level tools for checking on inmates in the prison system. It covers people sentenced to state facilities, not county jails like the one in Cedartown.

The GDC site provides search tools for offenders in state custody. For Polk County jail inmates specifically, contact the sheriff's office at (770) 749-2900.

If you need help with an open records request or have been denied access to a Polk County booking record, the Governor's Office open records page explains your rights and the process for filing a complaint. Georgia takes the Open Records Act seriously, and agencies that fail to comply face fines.

Polk County 24 Hour Booking Access

These counties border Polk County. Each one has its own jail and keeps separate booking records.