Cobb County Arrest Records

In Cobb County, an arrest process begins when law enforcement believes a person is guilty of criminal conduct. Depending on the severity and circumstances, crimes that necessitate an arrest may be charged as felonies or misdemeanors.

After an arrest, the arresting officer moves the offender to the Cobb County Adult Detention Center or Cobb County Jail, where booking begins. Booking involves collecting the arrestee's personal information, physical description, and photograph. The officer will also document the alleged offense. The information generated during the booking process makes up Cobb County arrest records.

Arrest records help to promote transparency in law enforcement operations. They are also a functional part of the judicial process. Hence, arrest information is typically included in Cobb County court records.

Are Arrest Records Public in Cobb County?

Yes. According to Georgia's Open Records Act, Cobb County arrest records are available to the public on request from authorized government agencies. For this reason, anyone can request arrest records from the official custodians.

However, access to arrest records is limited or restricted in certain circumstances for non-criminal justice purposes when approved through the prosecuting attorney. Examples of information or records exempt under the Georgia Open Records Act include:

• Sealed or expunged arrest records
• Juvenile arrest records
• Sensitive information such as Social Security Numbers or the victim's name and contact address
• Records restricted by federal, state regulation, or statute
• Records relating to pending police investigations or litigation.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Cobb County arrest records provide information about an arrest and the arrested individual. Some of the public information a typical arrest record contains include:

• The full name, age, and contact details of the arrestee
• The arrestee's birth date
• The arrestee's mugshot
• The arrestee's physical description (gender, height, weight, race, eye color, hair color, and any known or unknown scars/marks)
• A description of the circumstances surrounding the arrest (arrest date and time, type of criminal offense, and charges involved)
• An arrest warrant and bond information
• Personal details on the officer in charge.

Cobb County Crime Rate

According to the 2022 index crime report, Cobb County law enforcement reported 13,240 crimes in 2022. Property crimes were the most reported offenses, constituting 85.7% (11,350) of the crime total, while violent crimes comprised the remaining 14.3% (1,867). The most prevalent offenses were larceny theft (9,029), motor vehicle theft (1,140), and burglary (1,181). On the other hand, the top violent crimes recorded were aggravated assault (1,279), rape (279), and robbery (247).

The Cobb County Police Department provides recent crime data on an online service portal through the Crime and Statistics Unit. Interested persons may use this tool to track accidents and incidents in Cobb County.

Cobb County Arrest Statistics

Georgia law enforcement agencies reported 27,887 arrests in 2022, including 10,006 arrests for violent crimes and 17,845 for property crimes. The highest number of arrests was for larceny (14,504), followed by aggravated assault (8,204) and burglary (1,880). Furthermore, Georgia law enforcement made 1,287 arrests for motor vehicle theft, 936 arrests for robbery, 443 arrests for murder, and 423 arrests for rape.

Going by reported arrests by age group, persons in the 30-39 years range made up the highest proportion of arrestees (26%), followed by persons in the 22-29 age range (22%), 40-49 age range (15%), 17-21 age range (15%), 50+ age range (13%), and under 16 group (8%).

Find Cobb County Arrest Records

To obtain a copy of an arrest record, the requester needs to know the law enforcement agency that made the arrest. Each record custodian may have its own process and will require specific information to make a request.

In Cobb County, the Cobb County Sheriff's Office is the primary custodian of records on arrested persons in the Cobb County Detention Center. Interested persons may find arrest records by visiting the Sheriff's Office during business hours. Alternatively, they may send a mail request. Either way, they must provide the necessary information to facilitate a search, including the inmate's full name, date of birth, and booking number.

Cobb County Sheriff's Office
185 Roswell Street NE
Marietta, GA 30060
Phone: (770) 499-4728

Similarly, the Georgia Department of Corrections provides ways to look up the arrest information of persons in a state facility. This information is available online via the Offender Query tool. Interested members can search by name or ID Number.

Free Arrest Record Search in Cobb County

In Cobb County, individuals can search for arrest records for free using the Sheriff's Office Online Inmate inquiry tool. The Sheriff's Office provides this tool to search for incarcerated individuals in the Cobb County Detention Center. To use this tool, individuals must provide the arrestee's name. A successful search will return information like the arrestee's identification (name, birth date, race, sex) and custody status.

Meanwhile, some third-party websites are also available to help individuals find arrest records for free in Cobb County. To search for records on these sites, requesters must provide the subject's name or arrest location. These sites may collect public information from various sources, but these service providers are not affiliated with the government. Furthermore, obtaining detailed arrest information from a third-party service provider may require paying a fee.

Get Cobb County Criminal Records

Generally, criminal history information in Georgia is only available to the record subject. Interested persons may obtain another person's criminal record if they have the record subject's written consent. To obtain criminal records, visit the Sheriff's Office and submit the necessary information to perform a criminal background check. These include the record subject's full name (for name-based checks) or fingerprint card (for fingerprint-based checks). In addition, the requestor must also provide a photo ID and pay the associated service fees. The Sheriff's Office charges a non-refundable $20.00 service fee per subject.

Cobb County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

People may confuse arrest records with criminal records in Cobb County. Sometimes, these terms are used interchangeably.

Cobb County Arrest Record is an official document generated by the police or law enforcement authorities after an arrest. Arrest records do not contain information on the case outcome as adjudicated in court. On the other hand, a criminal record is a detailed collection of information on a person's involvement with the criminal justice system (law enforcement and the court) as well as the case outcome. If a person pleads guilty to a criminal charge or is found guilty by a jury, the information will be stored in their criminal record. The individual's conviction status will be listed along with other detailed information.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Indefinitely. In Cobb County, an arrest typically stays on record permanently unless the subject obtains a court order to seal the record. Otherwise, the arrest record remains open to the public.

Expunge Cobb County Arrest Records

Georgia law does not use the word expungement because records are not destroyed, but access to the records is limited to potential employers, housing providers, and law enforcement. Georgia Code §35-3-37 provides for the restriction of certain criminal history records for non-criminal justice purposes. The process to restrict records depends on the date of the arrest and the agency or prosecuting attorney in charge of processing the arrest.

Applications for restriction go to the arresting agency for arrests before July 1, 2013. There is no application process for arrests after July 1, 2013. The prosecutor will automatically determine if the restriction is proper after disposition. If the prosecutor denies restriction to an arrest after July 1, 2013, the defendant may file a motion with the court to limit access.

Arrests for restriction include and are not limited to cases closed without conviction and certain misdemeanors. All approved requests for arrest record restrictions must be submitted to the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) to ensure the arrest is successfully removed from public record.

Cobb County Arrest Warrants

An arrest warrant is a document a judge or magistrate issues to authorize a law enforcement agency to take someone accused of a crime into custody. Cobb County arrest warrants are issued when a law enforcement officer has substantive cause to believe someone has committed a crime. In addition, the officer must convince the issuing judge that there is probable cause before arresting a person. This involves submitting an affidavit, witness testimony, or a piece of substantive evidence.

The information on arrest warrants in Cobb County includes:

• Information about the suspect and the alleged offense
• The date the warrant is issued and the expiration date, if one is available
• The time frame in which the arrest could occur
• The information on the authorities who are responsible for releasing the warrant.
• The bond or bail conditions apply.

Cobb County Arrest Warrant Search

The Cobb County Sheriff's Office serves all warrants. The office supervises the Operations Division, which includes the 'Warrant Section.' When the Warrant Section receives a criminal warrant, an immediate process begins to execute the warrant. However, Cobb County does not provide online public access to the county warrant database. Alternatively, persons interested in conducting an active arrest warrant search in Cobb County can contact the Magistrate Court Warrant Division or the Sheriff's Office (for information on executed warrants).

Cobb County Sheriff's Office
185 Roswell Street NE
Marietta, GA 30060
Phone: (770) 499-4634 (Warrant Information).

Do Cobb County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. Most criminal offenses in Cobb County have a statute of limitations. However, if law enforcement authorities issue a warrant, there is no known statute of limitations. Warrants issued in the county do not expire and could remain active for years until the suspect is taken into custody.