Pickens County Arrest Records

Pickens County arrest records are official documents that local law enforcement departments generate after an arrest. They detail the who, what, where, and why of an arrest incident and are useful for establishing offender patterns, obtaining official details about an individual's detainment, building defense strategies for court, and filing for expungements.

Although arresting departments primarily maintain arrest records in Pickens, these records may be included in other documentation, like the Pickens County court records, as a case progresses through the criminal justice system. Still, just as not everyone who is arrested in Pickens endures processing at the police station or confinement at a local detention facility, not all arrests or charges end up as a court case.

Are Arrest Records Public in Pickens County?

Yes. The Georgia Open Records Act (GORA) facilitates public access to many records preserved by public bodies in Georgia. Arrest records in Picken County are among the documents that the general public can examine upon a request to a law enforcement body. Notwithstanding, GORA (under O.C.G.A § 50-18-72) and other applicable statutes exempt several categories of records or information from public review, including:

• Sealed/expunged records
• Medical and similar files
• The identity of a classified source/informant
• Personally identifying information like financial account digits and Social Security numbers
• Records associated with a pending investigation or prosecution of criminal or unlawful activity, except for the initial police arrest and incident reports
• Records deemed confidential by federal statute or regulation

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

In Picken County, a public arrest record (i.e., an arrest record that anyone can see) typically carries these pieces of information:

• An accused's full legal name (plus aliases), age, sex, race, physical description (height, weight, eye color, etc.), and photograph
• The charges
• The arrest date, arresting agency, and arresting officer's badge number
• Booking number and date
• Bond information, including type and amount

Pickens County Arrest Statistics

Statistics amassed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on counties in the United States reveal that 510 arrests occurred in Pickens County in 2023. These arrests were reported by the county's two law enforcement agencies: the Jasper Police Department and the Pickens County Sheriff's Office.

The Jasper PD recorded 5 arrests, with Driving Under the Influence (3) and Disorderly Conduct (1) as the top distinguishable arrests. Meanwhile, the Pickens County Sheriff's Office recorded 505 arrests, with Simple Assault (58), Drug/Narcotic Offenses (55), and Driving Under the Influence (51) as the most frequent.

Find Pickens County Arrest Records

Contact with local law enforcement is often necessary when searching for arrest records in Pickens County. Interested individuals can stop by an arresting agency's physical location during regular business hours to request and pick up open records related to its officers' enforcement actions.

When submitting such inquiries, the requester will need to provide the arrestee's name or an arrest date to enable prompt information retrieval. They will also be expected to pay any costs assessed for the reproduction of records or the use of staff time. (An agency may provide an online platform for submitting open record requests.)

Moreover, a local arresting agency can provide individuals with their statewide criminal history records (which contain arrest information) for a fee. They can also furnish the public with information about a suspect's whereabouts. However, if the arrested individual is an adult and determined to be in the county's custody, one may seek information from the Pickens County Sheriff's Office, which operates the local Adult Detention Center. Arrested minors may be placed in the Department of Juvenile Justice's custody, and this department can be reached for pertinent information.

It should be noted that county authorities are typically unable to provide information about a suspect who was taken to a state or federal prison facility. In these instances, the interested person can access the Georgia Find an Offender tool or Federal Offender Locator, depending on which level of government has custody.

Free Arrest Record Search in Pickens County

Georgia's Open Records Act provides members of the public with free access to records maintained by public officials and bodies, including law enforcement. However, in reality, a nominal charge—usually not more than 10 cents per page—often applies to process an open records request. Under GORA, agencies can charge reasonable fees to search for, retrieve, redact, and reproduce documents. Therefore, parties seeking open arrest records in Pickens may be liable for the associated document charges.

Members of the public also have reputable third-party databases at their disposal to conduct a Pickens County arrest record search. Many databases allow users to search for records in different U.S. regions with a person's first and last name. However, users may need to pay for the search results.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Arrests tend to remain on a person's criminal record throughout their lifetime. Georgia's legislature includes no provision for the automatic and complete erasure of criminal history information, including records of arrests. However, a defendant may be eligible to restrict the public perusal of their record.

Expunge Pickens County Arrest Records

Unlike several states, Georgia does not use the term "expungement" for criminal record clearing. This means Georgia counties do not expunge arrest or criminal records. Instead, they use the phrase "record restriction". Contrary to an expungement that may destroy a record, record restriction only withdraws public access and limits access to law enforcement for criminal justice purposes.

To restrict an arrest record in Pickens County, one must either petition an arresting agency or the prosecuting attorney's office, depending on the date of the arrest.

Arrests before July 1, 2013, are petitioned to the police department that made the arrest. The applicant will need to fill out Section 1 of the Application to Restrict Arrest Record form and submit it to the arresting agency. Subsequently, the agency will complete Section 2 and forward it to the case's prosecutor. The prosecutor will complete the third section and review the matter within 90 days. Any decision entered within those 90 days will be communicated to the involved parties (the petitioner and the arresting law enforcement department). If the request is denied, one can appeal the decision to the Pickens County Superior Court within 30 days.

There is no application process for arrests made on or after July 1, 2013. For relevant information, individuals should contact their case prosecutor, who may have been the solicitor-general, a district attorney, or the Attorney General.

All approved record restrictions are communicated to the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) to effect the removal. If the prosecuting attorney has access to the GCIC database, they can notify the GCIC. Otherwise, the applicant is responsible for alerting the GCIC of the record restriction. A $25 processing fee accompanies such requests.

However, the above process only extracts information about a specific arrest cycle from a person's Georgia criminal history. Such information may still be accessible through other sources, including private vendors and local agencies (like the courts). To seal court paperwork, one must file a petition with the court that handled the matter.

Note: Only people deemed legally eligible can request record restriction, such as those whose cases resulted in a non-guilty disposition and who have certain misdemeanor charges.

Pickens County Arrest Warrants

Arrest warrants in Pickens County are formal orders authorizing an individual's arrest. Judges or magistrates issue these writs after receiving law enforcement complaints establishing probable cause, a reasonable basis for someone's arrest. Usually, arrest warrants are approved because a particular person has been investigated and is suspected of a crime. However, they can also be issued to bring someone who violated a court order, such as failing to pay costs, to the judiciary.

Notably, Georgia law (O.C.G.A § 17-4-40) allows a private citizen to apply for an arrest warrant if they believe they are the victim of a crime and the perpetrator has not been apprehended.

Per O.C.G.A § 17-4-407, Pickens County arrest warrants reveal the name or description of an alleged offender, the court that issued the warrant, the offense(s) for which accused, and the warrant type.

Do Pickens County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. Any arrest warrant released in Pickens County remains outstanding until its subject is apprehended or willingly surrenders. On some occasions, the court may quash (recall) an arrest warrant if a sufficient basis is found.