Search Whitfield County Booking Reports
Whitfield County booking reports are public records maintained by the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office in Dalton, Georgia. Each time a person is brought into county custody, a booking record is created that documents the arrest, charges, and personal identifying information. Whitfield County is one of northwest Georgia's more active counties for bookings, given its population and location along I-75. This page covers how to access booking records, what they contain, and which state and local tools are available to help with your search.
Whitfield County Quick Facts
Whitfield County Sheriff and Jail Operations
The Whitfield County Sheriff's Office serves as the primary law enforcement and detention authority for Whitfield County. The jail is located in Dalton, the county seat. Bookings come from the sheriff's deputies, the Dalton Police Department, Georgia State Patrol, and other agencies operating within Whitfield County. All of those go through the same intake process at the county jail.
You can reach the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office at 706-278-1233. The office can confirm current custody status and provide basic booking information over the phone in most situations. For copies of booking records, submit a written Open Records request under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 et seq. The sheriff must respond within three business days. The first 15 minutes of staff search time is free. Additional time may be billed at a rate set by state law. If you are looking for a current inmate, calling the jail directly is typically the fastest path to an answer.
Note: Whitfield County's proximity to I-75 means the sheriff regularly processes bookings involving people from outside the county. Check the booking data carefully to confirm county of residence versus the location of the arrest.
What Whitfield County Booking Reports Contain
Each booking at the Whitfield County Jail generates a record that meets the requirements of O.C.G.A. § 42-4-7. The statute sets the minimum data the sheriff must capture: the person's full name, age, sex, and race, the charges they were booked on, and the date and time of intake and any release. These fields appear in every Whitfield County booking record.
In practice, Whitfield County records typically also include the arresting agency, bond amount or type, and a court case number. The record reflects the charges as stated by the arresting officer at intake. Those charges may change as the case moves through the courts, but the original booking record stays as created. Booking photos are taken at intake. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19, Georgia law bars law enforcement from selling or sharing those photos with commercial mugshot websites. The Whitfield County Sheriff's Office follows this state restriction.
Booking records document the arrest event, not the outcome. A person may be listed in the booking records and later have their charges dropped, reduced, or result in acquittal. The booking entry stays regardless. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association reports that a significant share of county jail inmates statewide are pretrial detainees, meaning they have not been convicted.
GDC and State-Level Records for Whitfield County
The Georgia Department of Corrections manages a separate system from the county jail. When someone is convicted in Whitfield County Superior Court and sentenced to state prison, they leave county custody. Their record transfers to GDC. Use the GDC offender query form to search for state inmates by name or offender ID. You can also start at the main GDC offender information page.
GCIC, the Georgia Crime Information Center operated by the GBI, is a broader resource. It holds statewide arrest and court records for all 159 Georgia counties. Unlike the county booking log, GCIC may show what happened in court after the arrest. Accessing your own GCIC record requires a scheduled appointment at the GBI office. No walk-ins. Call 404-244-2639 or visit the GCIC program page. The GBI FAQ explains what to expect and what to bring to your appointment.
GDC offender query form to search Georgia state prison records from Whitfield County
The GDC offender search covers Whitfield County residents who were sentenced to state prison, separate from the county jail booking records in Dalton.
VINE Inmate Alerts and Open Records for Whitfield County
VINE provides free, around-the-clock custody monitoring for inmates held throughout Georgia, including the Whitfield County Jail. Register at VINELink.com, select the inmate, and choose how you want to be notified. VINE sends alerts when custody status changes, such as a release or transfer. You can set up notifications by phone, text, or email. The service is free and covers every county in Georgia.
For Whitfield County records requests, Georgia's Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72 gives you the right to request booking data from the sheriff. The sheriff must respond within three business days. Standard booking records are public. If access is denied, the sheriff must state the specific exemption that applies in writing.
Record restrictions may apply in some cases. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, arrests that were not prosecuted may be restricted from GCIC upon petition. Under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60, First Offender completions may result in a sealed conviction in the GCIC system. These restrictions do not eliminate the original booking entry in the jail log. The two systems operate under different rules, and understanding that helps you know what to expect from each type of search.
Cities in Whitfield County
Dalton is the county seat and largest city in Whitfield County. Arrests made by Dalton police are processed through the Whitfield County Jail and appear in the county booking system.
Nearby Counties
Whitfield County sits in the northwestern corner of Georgia. Bordering counties each maintain their own jail records and booking systems.