Dodge County Booking Releases

Dodge County booking releases are maintained by the Dodge County Sheriff's Office in Eastman. Situated in south-central Georgia, this county processes all jail bookings at its main facility in the county seat. The sheriff keeps records of every arrest, booking, and release that happens at the Dodge County Jail. Eastman is located along major highway routes in the region, and the county handles bookings from local law enforcement as well as highway patrol stops. You can access booking release records by contacting the sheriff's office directly or through Georgia's statewide record search tools.

Sheriff's Office and Jail Records

The Dodge County Sheriff's Office oversees the county jail and all booking release records. The office is in Eastman. You can call during business hours to check on current inmates or ask about past bookings. Staff log every arrest into the jail management system and keep the data on file.

Under O.C.G.A. § 42-4-7, the sheriff must maintain a record for each person held in the county jail. The law requires the record to include the inmate's name, charges, booking date, and release date. Dodge County follows this rule for every booking. The jail also houses inmates for Dodge State Prison and other agencies under certain agreements, but county booking records are the sheriff's responsibility.

Georgia law requires jails to maintain detailed records for each inmate, including personal information and property.

This state requirement ensures the Dodge County Jail keeps full and accurate records for everyone who is booked in.

Walk-in visits to the sheriff's office are also an option. If you are in Eastman, stop by during office hours. Staff can look up records while you wait. For copies or older records, a written request is the best approach.

How to Search Booking Releases

Start with a phone call to the Dodge County Sheriff's Office. Give them the name of the person you want to look up. A date of birth helps if there are common names. Staff can search the system and tell you if there is a matching booking record. This works for people currently in custody and those who have already been released.

Check the sheriff's website for an online jail roster. If available, it shows current inmates with charges, booking dates, and bond amounts. Not all counties in this part of Georgia offer web-based tools, so phone requests may be your best bet.

State databases add more options. The GDC offender search shows inmates in the Georgia prison system. Dodge County is home to Dodge State Prison, so state corrections records are especially relevant here. If someone went from a county booking to the state system, the GDC database will show it.

The VINE notification system covers Dodge County. You can search for inmates and register for free custody alerts. When a person's status changes, VINE sends you a notice by phone, email, or text.

Open Records Requests

Georgia's Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 gives you the right to request booking release records from the Dodge County Sheriff's Office. Submit your request in writing. No reason is needed. Include the person's name and any dates or details that will help staff find the records. Send the request to the office in Eastman.

The county must respond within three business days. The first 15 minutes of search time is free. Copies are $0.10 per page. If you are asking for a lot of records or the search takes longer, the county can charge for extra staff time. For a single booking record, the cost is usually low.

Exemptions apply under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72. Records from open investigations, juvenile cases, and sealed court orders may be withheld. Standard adult booking releases in Dodge County are public records and generally available upon request.

What Booking Releases Contain

A Dodge County booking release record shows the inmate's full name, date of birth, physical description, booking date, charges, arresting agency, and bond amount. When the person is released, the record adds the release date and how they left custody. Release methods include bond, time served, transfer, and dismissal.

Under O.C.G.A. § 35-1-18, booking photographs have specific rules for release. This law says when and how mugshots can be made public. Dodge County follows these guidelines. Requests for booking photos are reviewed under this law before the photos are shared.

The arresting agency appears in each record. In Dodge County, this is usually the sheriff's office or the Eastman Police Department. The Georgia State Patrol also makes arrests on the highways that run through the county. The record tells you which agency handled the arrest, so you can follow up with them if needed.

Statewide Booking Release Resources

State tools are valuable for Dodge County searches, especially given the presence of Dodge State Prison in the area. The GDC offender search covers all state prison inmates. The GDC Open Records portal handles formal requests for corrections data. The GBI Open Records portal covers Georgia Bureau of Investigation records.

All three portals accept online requests and are free to search. Keep in mind that county jail records and state prison records are kept by different agencies. The sheriff handles county bookings. The Department of Corrections handles state inmates. You may need to check both if someone moved from one system to the other.

Nearby Counties

Dodge County sits in south-central Georgia and borders several other counties. If the arrest happened outside Dodge County, you will need to check the county where it took place for booking release records.