Access Cook County 72 Hour Booking Records

Cook County 72 hour booking records are kept by Sheriff Douglas Hanks' office in Adel, Georgia. The county jail handles all arrests and booking for the area. There is no online inmate search tool for Cook County, so you will need to call or visit the Sheriff's Office to check on a booking.

Cook County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Douglas Hanks leads the Cook County Sheriff's Office. The address is 1000 County Farm Rd, Adel, GA 31620. Call 229-896-7471 to ask about arrests, bookings, or jail status. The office handles law enforcement and jail work for the whole county. Adel is the county seat and sits along Interstate 75 in south Georgia, which brings a fair amount of traffic through the area.

Cook County does not offer an online inmate roster. You cannot look up bookings from a phone or computer. To check on someone, call the Sheriff's Office. Give the person's full name and date of birth if you have it. Staff check the jail roster and can share the charges and bond amount. The county is small, so the jail does not hold many people at once. Phone calls tend to go fast.

If you prefer to go in person, the Sheriff's Office is on County Farm Road in Adel. Bring your ID. Staff can look up booking records and provide copies of arrest reports. For older records, a written request may work best. The office keeps all booking logs and arrest data on file. Adel is a small town, and the courthouse and other county offices are close by, so you can handle multiple record needs in one trip.

Because Cook County sits on I-75, the sheriff's office sometimes books travelers who are passing through. If the person you are looking for was arrested on the highway, the booking would be at the Cook County jail even if the person does not live here. Keep that in mind when you search.

How 72 Hour Booking Works in Cook County

After an arrest in Cook County, the person goes to the county jail for booking. Staff take a photo, fingerprints, and log the charges. Georgia law sets the rules for what happens next. O.C.G.A. § 17-4-26 requires a person arrested on a warrant to appear before a judge within 72 hours. This is the "72 hour booking" rule.

The clock starts at the time of arrest. It runs through weekends and holidays without a break. If a Cook County deputy arrests someone on a Friday, the person must see a judge by Monday. The Tifton Judicial Circuit handles first appearance hearings for Cook County. Judges schedule sessions to make sure the 72 hour deadline is met.

For warrantless arrests, O.C.G.A. § 17-4-62 sets a 48 hour limit. When deputies arrest someone on the spot without a warrant, a probable cause hearing must happen within two days. If it does not, the person can ask for release. Both time limits apply to all arrests in Cook County, from traffic-related crimes to felonies. The law makes sure no one sits in the jail too long without a judge looking at the case.

The Georgia Sheriffs' Association directory is shown here:

This directory lists every sheriff in Georgia, including Cook County, and gives you contact info for each office.

Cook County Public 72 Hour Booking Records

Booking records in Cook County are public under Georgia law. O.C.G.A. § 50-18-72, the Open Records Act, makes most government records available to anyone. You do not need a reason to ask. The Cook County Sheriff's Office must respond within three business days. This covers arrest reports, booking logs, and jail records.

To request records, call 229-896-7471 or write to the Sheriff's Office. Include the person's full name and a date range. Staff can charge for the cost of copies. Viewing records in person is free. O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 covers booking photos. They are public records. But the law stops agencies from giving them to sites that charge a removal fee. If you need a booking photo from Cook County, ask the Sheriff's Office directly.

Georgia Statewide 72 Hour Booking Resources

Cook County has no online jail roster. State tools help fill this gap. The Georgia Department of Corrections has a free offender search. If someone booked in Cook County ended up in state prison, this tool shows their location, sentence, and release date. It is open to everyone at no cost.

The GCIC at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation handles statewide criminal history checks. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, you can request a report that covers all Georgia counties. Call 404-244-2639 for info. This is broader than a single Cook County booking record. It shows all arrests and outcomes across the state.

VINE Link works with Cook County. You can sign up for free alerts when an inmate's status changes. VINE sends a call, text, or email for releases, transfers, and court dates. The phone line is 833-216-6670. This saves you from calling the jail daily. The Georgia Sheriffs' Association has a directory listing all sheriffs in the state, which is handy if your search goes beyond Cook County.

The GDC offender search is shown here:

This statewide tool tracks people who moved from the Cook County jail to a state prison facility after sentencing.

Record Restriction in Cook County

Certain Cook County arrest records can be restricted from public view. O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 allows record restriction if the charge was dismissed, the person was acquitted, or they completed a diversion program. The booking entry stays in the Cook County jail log. But the state criminal history marks it as restricted, which keeps it off most background checks going forward.

First offender treatment under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 is another option. If someone got first offender status after a Cook County arrest and met all the conditions, the conviction can be sealed from the public criminal history. It does not get erased. It just does not show up. Serious felonies and sex crimes cannot be sealed under this law. To start the process, contact the Cook County Clerk of Court or a lawyer. The Tifton Judicial Circuit handles the petition. After the court signs the order, the GBI updates the state records, which can take several weeks.

The restriction process has a filing fee. Once everything is processed, the Cook County arrest will show as restricted in state systems. This can help with future background checks, though the booking record itself remains in the local jail files at the Cook County Sheriff's Office.

Cities in Cook County

Adel is the county seat and the largest town in Cook County. Other communities include Sparks, Cecil, and Lenox. All arrests in the county go through the Cook County Sheriff's Office for booking.

No cities in Cook County meet the population threshold for a separate page. Contact the Sheriff's Office at 229-896-7471 for all booking inquiries.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Cook County in south Georgia. If you are not sure which county handled an arrest, check the nearby sheriffs' offices. Cook County sits between several other counties along the I-75 corridor.