Grady County Booking Releases

Grady County booking releases come from the Grady County Sheriff's Office in Cairo, which serves as the county seat. The sheriff runs the county jail and keeps records of all bookings and releases that take place there. Grady County sits in the southwest part of Georgia near the Florida border, and the jail handles arrests from local law enforcement as well as state agencies operating in the area. You can get booking release records by contacting the sheriff's office or by filing an open records request under Georgia law.

Sheriff's Office and Jail Records

The Grady County Sheriff's Office is the main source for booking release records in the county. The office is based in Cairo and runs the county jail where all local inmates are held. When someone is arrested in Grady County, the jail staff log the booking into their system. This includes the person's name, date of birth, charges, arresting agency, and the date and time of the booking. When that person is released, the release date and method are added to the record.

Georgia law requires every county sheriff to keep these records. Under O.C.G.A. § 42-4-7, the jail keeper must maintain a record of each person held in the facility. This includes their name, the offense they are charged with, the date they were committed, and the date of their discharge. Grady County follows this law and stores all booking and release data in its jail management system.

You can reach the Grady County Sheriff's Office by phone to ask about booking releases. Staff can check the system for current and recent inmates. For older records or formal copies, you may need to submit a written request. The office is located at the Grady County Jail in Cairo, and walk-in requests are also accepted during business hours.

How to Search Booking Releases

There are a few ways to look up Grady County booking releases. The most direct method is to call or visit the sheriff's office. Staff can tell you if someone is currently in the jail and can provide basic booking and release info over the phone in many cases. For detailed records, you will likely need to file a formal request.

Grady County is a smaller county, and not all records may be available through an online portal. Some Georgia counties offer web-based inmate search tools, but Grady County residents and others looking for records may need to rely on direct contact with the jail. You can also search state-level databases for people who have been transferred to state custody after being booked in Grady County.

If the person you are looking for was booked in Grady County but later moved to a state prison, the Georgia Department of Corrections database would be the place to check. The county jail only holds records for the time the person was in their custody. Once someone is transferred, their records shift to the state system.

For formal record copies, send your request in writing. Include the person's full name, date of birth if you have it, and the approximate date of the booking. The more details you can give, the faster the staff can find what you need.

Open Records Requests

Georgia's Open Records Act gives you the right to ask for booking release records from any county in the state. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, public records held by government agencies must be made available for inspection and copying. Booking releases fall under this law because they are records created and kept by a public office.

When you file an open records request with the Grady County Sheriff's Office, the agency has three business days to respond. They don't have to hand over the records in three days, but they do have to tell you whether the records exist and what it will cost to get copies. The first 15 minutes of search and retrieval time are free. After that, the county can charge a reasonable fee for staff time. Copies cost $0.10 per page.

You can submit your request in person, by mail, or by email. Put your request in writing and be as specific as you can about what records you want. If you just ask for "all booking releases," the county may push back and ask you to narrow it down. A good request names the person and gives a date range.

What Booking Releases Contain

Booking release records in Grady County hold specific data points about each jail stay. The record starts when someone is brought to the jail and processed. Staff collect the person's identifying details and log the charges that led to the arrest. This information stays in the system even after the person leaves.

Under O.C.G.A. § 35-1-18, booking photographs are part of the arrest record and are subject to specific rules about public release. Grady County follows these state guidelines when handling requests for booking photos. The law sets limits on when and how these photos can be shared, and some restrictions apply depending on the outcome of the case.

The records also note which agency made the arrest. This could be the Grady County Sheriff's Office, the Cairo Police Department, or a state agency like the Georgia State Patrol. Each booking entry ties back to the arresting agency so there is a clear chain of custody. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, some records may be exempt from public disclosure if they relate to ongoing investigations or sealed court orders.

Statewide Booking Release Resources

You can search beyond Grady County using state databases. The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search lets you look up anyone who has been sentenced to state prison. This is helpful if someone was first booked in Grady County and then transferred to a state facility after sentencing.

The GDC offender search database lets you look up inmates across Georgia's state prison system.

Use this tool to check if someone booked in Grady County was later transferred to state custody.

The VINE notification system is another free tool. It lets you register for alerts when an inmate's custody status changes. You get a call, text, or email when someone is released or moved. This works for Grady County and every other county in Georgia. The GDC Open Records portal and the GBI Open Records portal handle requests for state-level records that may relate to people first booked in Grady County.

Nearby Counties

If you need booking releases from outside Grady County, check these neighboring counties. Each one runs its own jail and keeps its own records. Make sure you search the right county based on where the arrest happened.