Search Albany Booking Releases
Albany booking releases are managed by the Dougherty County Sheriff's Office. Albany is the county seat and the largest city in Dougherty County, with a population near 66,700. When Albany police arrest someone, that person gets transported to the Dougherty County Jail for booking and processing. The county keeps all booking and release records in its jail management system, and these records are available to the public through open records requests and online search tools.
Albany Quick Facts
Dougherty County Manages Albany Booking Releases
Albany sits right in the middle of Dougherty County, and the county jail handles all bookings for the city. When someone gets arrested in Albany, the city police hand that person off to the Dougherty County Jail. The Sheriff's Office then creates the booking record. This record stays with the county, not the city. It is a common setup across Georgia where city police arrest people but county jails do the booking.
The Dougherty County Jail is located in Albany at 1401 Evelyn Avenue. Since Albany is the county seat, the jail and the courthouse are both in the same city. This makes it easier to visit in person if you need booking release records. The Sheriff's Office phone number is (229) 431-2174. You can call and ask about recent bookings or how to file an open records request for older data.
Under O.C.G.A. § 42-4-7, the jail must keep a record of every person they hold. The law requires the name, charges, booking date, and release date to be logged. Dougherty County follows this and stores all data in a digital system that goes back many years.
Visit the county page for more details on how booking releases work in Dougherty County.
Albany Police and Arrest Records
The Albany Police Department handles law enforcement for the city. Their officers respond to calls, make arrests, and write incident reports. These police reports are different from booking release records. A police report covers what happened during the incident and arrest. A booking release record covers what happens at the jail after the arrest.
If you need a police report from Albany, contact the police department. If you need a booking release record, go through the Dougherty County Sheriff's Office. Both are public records in Georgia, but they come from different agencies. This distinction matters because people often call the wrong office and waste time getting bounced around.
Albany police also share data with county and state databases. When an officer books someone into the county jail, the arrest info gets entered into the Georgia Crime Information Center. This links local arrests to the statewide criminal records system. So a booking in Albany shows up in both the county jail records and the state database.
How to Find Albany Booking Releases
Start with the Dougherty County online inmate search if one is available. Many Georgia counties let you search current inmates by name through their jail website. The search is free and works at any hour. You can check for people who were recently booked after an arrest in Albany.
If the online search does not show what you need, file an open records request with the Dougherty County Sheriff's Office. Georgia's Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 gives you the right to get copies of public records from any government agency in the state. Write a letter or email that describes exactly what you are looking for. Include the person's full name and any other details you know, like the date of arrest or booking number.
The county has three business days to respond to your request. They can provide the records, tell you they need more time, or explain why certain records are exempt from disclosure. Copy fees are $0.10 per page. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71, the agency can also charge for the time staff spend searching for records if it takes more than 15 minutes.
You can also visit the jail in person during business hours. Bring your ID and be ready to wait while staff pull up the records you need.
What Booking Releases Contain
Booking release records for Albany arrests include the inmate's full name, date of birth, and physical description. The record shows what charges were filed, which agency made the arrest, and the booking date and time. A booking number gets assigned to each case. When the person leaves jail, the release date and method are added to the record.
Some records also include booking photographs. Georgia law at O.C.G.A. § 35-1-18 sets rules on how booking photos can be shared and published. The law puts limits on commercial use of these images. If you want a booking photo from an Albany arrest, ask the Dougherty County Sheriff's Office about their release policy.
Certain parts of a booking record may be off limits. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, records tied to active investigations or sealed court orders may not be released. The county will let you know if any part of a record falls under one of these exceptions.
Statewide Booking Release Resources
Beyond Dougherty County records, statewide databases can help you track down booking and release information for people who have moved through the Georgia corrections system.
The Georgia Open Records Act gives the public the right to access government documents, including jail booking records from Albany and Dougherty County.
The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search covers anyone serving a state prison sentence. If someone booked in Albany was later transferred to a state facility, this is where you can find their current status. The search is free and available all day.
The VINE system sends alerts when an inmate's custody status changes. You can track someone booked in Albany and get a notice when they are released or transferred. It works for all Georgia counties and costs nothing to use. The GDC Open Records portal and the GBI Open Records portal handle state-level records requests if your search goes beyond Dougherty County.
Nearby Cities
Albany is in southwest Georgia. The nearest major city with its own page is Valdosta, about 90 miles to the southeast. If an arrest may have taken place there instead, check that city's booking release page.