Search Dalton 72 Hour Booking Records

Dalton 72 hour booking records are kept at the Whitfield County jail. The Dalton Police Department makes arrests in the city, but all booking and jail processing goes through the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office.

Dalton Police Department

The Dalton Police Department is at 301 W Crawford St, Dalton, GA 30720. Call 706-278-9085. The department runs law enforcement for the city. Officers patrol the streets, respond to calls, and make arrests. Dalton does not have its own jail. After an arrest, the person is taken to the Whitfield County jail for booking.

Dalton is the county seat of Whitfield County and sits in northwest Georgia along I-75. The city is known for its carpet and flooring industry. A lot of people work here, and the population includes a large number of factory workers and commuters. Arrests come from the usual range of causes: DUI, drug charges, theft, domestic disputes, traffic violations, and warrant service. Each arrest ends up as a booking record at the Whitfield County jail.

You can call the Dalton Police Department to ask about a recent arrest. They keep arrest reports and can tell you the charges, the date, and the arresting officer. For bond amounts and jail status, contact the Whitfield County Sheriff.

Whitfield County Sheriff and Jail Bookings

Sheriff Darren Pierce runs the Whitfield County jail. His mailing address is PO Box 652, Dalton, GA 30722. Call 706-278-1233 for booking questions. All Dalton arrests go through this office. The booking process includes photos, fingerprints, charge entry, and bond setting.

The Whitfield County jail is in Dalton, so the trip from arrest to booking is short. Most bookings from the Dalton Police Department show up in the system within a couple of hours. The record will show the person's name, date of birth, charges, arresting agency, bond amount, and the date and time of booking.

Whitfield County is a mid-size county. The jail does not see the volume of metro Atlanta counties, but it stays busy. Weekends tend to be the busiest time for bookings. You can call the jail to check on someone who was recently arrested. Staff can look up inmates by name and give you basic info over the phone.

Bond works the same as in most Georgia counties. Cash bond, surety bond through a bail bondsman, and property bond are the main options. The Whitfield County Magistrate Court handles first appearances and sets bond for most charges. For serious felonies, a Superior Court judge may need to set bond. The amount depends on what the person is charged with and their criminal history.

Georgia 72 Hour Booking Rules

O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26 says that anyone arrested with a warrant must go before a judge within 72 hours. This is the "72 hour booking" rule. The clock starts at the time of arrest, not when the person arrives at the Whitfield County jail.

For warrantless arrests, O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 sets the hearing deadline at 48 hours. Many Dalton arrests happen without a warrant. Traffic stops, domestic calls, bar fights, and shoplifting are all situations where officers can arrest on the spot without a warrant. The 48 hour rule is strict. If it is not met, the arrested person can ask for release.

Whitfield County Magistrate Court holds first appearances. Weekend arrests usually see a judge by Monday. The time limits still apply. This is a fundamental right under Georgia law. Everyone who is arrested gets to see a judge within the set time frame.

72 Hour Booking Public Access

Georgia's Open Records Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, makes booking records available to the public. Anyone can request them. No reason is needed.

For Dalton arrest records, you can ask the Dalton Police Department for the arrest report or the Whitfield County Sheriff for the booking record. Either office will handle an open records request. Copy fees are usually small. Turnaround is a few business days in most cases.

Booking photos are public records but O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 limits how they are shared. Law enforcement cannot give them to anyone who will post them online and charge to take them down. You can still get them through a standard open records request for a legitimate purpose.

State Resources for 72 Hour Booking Searches

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search covers anyone in state prison. If a Dalton arrest led to a prison sentence, this free tool shows the facility, sentence length, and release dates.

GCIC, the Georgia Crime Information Center, keeps criminal history data under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37. A background check through the GBI covers all counties in Georgia and gives a fuller picture than a single booking search.

The VINE notification system is free and covers the Whitfield County jail. Sign up for alerts when an inmate is released, moved, or has a court date. The phone line is (877) 994-8463.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association lists contact info for every sheriff in the state. This is helpful if your search goes beyond Whitfield County. Northwest Georgia has several small counties close together, so an arrest near Dalton could end up in a neighboring county jail.

72 Hour Booking Record Restriction

If charges from a Dalton arrest were dismissed, dropped, or ended in acquittal, you can petition to restrict the record. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 allows this. A restricted record does not show on most background checks but law enforcement can still see it.

File the petition through Whitfield County court. It is not automatic and takes time. A lawyer can help. Under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60, people who completed a sentence under the First Offender Act can petition for restriction too. The court that handled the case must approve it.

Nearby Cities

Dalton is in northwest Georgia. These are the closest major cities with booking record pages. Each city uses its county sheriff for jail bookings.

Whitfield County Booking Records

For full details on the Whitfield County jail, booking procedures, and all cities in the county, visit the Whitfield County page.