Albany Georgia Busted Mugshots
Albany busted mugshots and arrest records come from two agencies: the Albany Police Department and the Dougherty County Sheriff's Office. Albany is the county seat of Dougherty County and the largest city in southwest Georgia, with a population of about 66,705. The Dougherty County Jail handles bookings for arrests made in Albany, and the sheriff's office maintains the inmate records that are available to the public.
Albany Quick Facts
Which County Handles Albany Arrest Records
Albany is the county seat of Dougherty County, and essentially all of Albany's city limits fall within that county. The Dougherty County Jail is the facility that handles bookings for arrests made in Albany by both city police and county law enforcement. The jail is run by the Dougherty County Sheriff's Office. When someone is arrested in Albany, they are transported to the county jail, and that booking creates the public record you search to find arrest data and inmate information.
Albany Police Department arrests account for a large share of the bookings in Dougherty County's system. The city has its own police force at 201 W Oglethorpe Blvd, Albany, GA 31701. The non-emergency line is 229-431-2100. APD handles calls for service within city limits and transfers arrested persons to the county jail for booking. The Dougherty County Sheriff's Office at 225 Pine Ave handles jail operations separately from the city police function.
If someone was arrested in Albany and you can't find them in the county jail system, they may have been released quickly, transferred to another facility, or the arrest may have been handled by the Georgia State Patrol or another state agency. State arrests sometimes bypass the county booking system initially.
Albany Police Department and Dougherty County Sheriff
The Albany Police Department serves the city and is one of the larger municipal police forces in southern Georgia. The department address is 201 W Oglethorpe Blvd, Albany, GA 31701, and the non-emergency number is 229-431-2100. For emergencies, call 911. APD handles local patrol, investigations, and arrests within Albany city limits.
The Dougherty County Sheriff's Office is a separate agency that handles the county jail, civil process, and law enforcement in unincorporated parts of the county. The sheriff's jail facility processes bookings from Albany PD arrests as well as county-made arrests. The two agencies work in the same building complex on Pine Avenue in downtown Albany. Albany PD makes the arrest; the sheriff books the defendant into jail. That booking record is what becomes the public arrest record.
Albany is also served by the Georgia State Patrol, which has a post in the area and handles traffic-related arrests and other state-level law enforcement. State Patrol arrests may be booked into the Dougherty County Jail or processed separately depending on the charges. For Albany busted mugshots, the county jail database is still the best starting point.
The screenshot below shows the GBI GCIC division page, which oversees criminal history records for all 159 Georgia counties including Dougherty.
GCIC maintains records of arrests and convictions statewide, and records from Albany and Dougherty County arrests are submitted to this system by local agencies.
Dougherty County Inmate Search for Albany Arrests
To search Albany busted mugshots and inmate records, use the Dougherty County Sheriff's Office online tools. The Dougherty County Sheriff's website is at doughertysheriff.com. Many Georgia sheriff offices provide online inmate lookup tools. If the online search is not available or doesn't return results, you can call the Dougherty County Jail directly to ask about a specific person's booking status. Providing a full name, date of birth, and approximate arrest date will help staff locate the record faster.
For formal records, you can submit an open records request to the Dougherty County Sheriff's Office. Under the Georgia Open Records Act, the agency must respond within three business days. The first 15 minutes of staff search time is free, and the first 20 pages cost nothing. Additional pages run $0.10 each. You can also submit a request to the Albany Police Department for incident reports and other records that the city holds directly.
For a full overview of Dougherty County arrest resources, visit the Dougherty County busted mugshots page. That page covers the full county jail system, open records contacts, and related resources for Albany residents and anyone searching Dougherty County arrest data.
The screenshot below shows the Georgia Bureau of Investigation homepage, the agency that oversees GCIC, the sex offender registry, and the statewide open records system.
The GBI is the primary state agency for criminal history data, and its resources are available to anyone researching arrest records in Albany or anywhere else in Georgia.
Georgia Law on Booking Photos and Arrest Records
Georgia law affects how booking photos are handled in Albany and statewide. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19, law enforcement agencies in Georgia cannot post arrest photos online. That is why official county jail websites do not display mugshots. The Dougherty County Sheriff's inmate search may show charges and custody status without including photos. This applies statewide and is not specific to Albany or Dougherty County.
Third-party websites often republish Albany booking photos from open records requests. Georgia law responds to this with O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.5, which says that mugshot companies must remove photos free of charge within 30 days when the arrest qualifies for record restriction. You send the removal request by certified mail. The Georgia Consumer Protection Division has guidance on which sites must comply and how to submit the request.
The Georgia Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 sets rules for all formal record requests in Georgia. Agencies must respond within three business days. This law covers the Albany Police Department, the Dougherty County Sheriff, and every other government agency in the state. It is your legal right to request arrest records and booking data from these agencies.
The screenshot below shows the Georgia Consumer Protection page on mugshot websites, explaining your rights and how to request photo removal under state law.
Georgia's mugshot removal law covers residents statewide, including those with arrest records from Albany or Dougherty County.
Statewide Resources for Albany Arrest Records
Beyond the Dougherty County inmate search, several state tools cover Albany arrest records. The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC), managed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, holds criminal history data for all 159 counties. Records from Albany arrests are submitted to GCIC by local agencies after processing. You can request a criminal history check through the GBI's official system. The GBI's open records request portal at gbigeorgia.govqa.us handles formal requests for GBI-held data.
The Georgia Felon Search at georgia.gov costs $15 and provides instant felony conviction results statewide. The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free and shows photos for people in state prison. Albany and Dougherty County arrests that led to state prison sentences may appear in the GDC database. The Georgia Sex Offender Registry is free and covers all registered sex offenders in Albany and the surrounding area.
The screenshot below shows the Georgia Sex Offender Registry information page, which explains what data is available and how to search for registrants by name or address.
The Georgia SOR includes registrants statewide, and Albany residents can search by address to find offenders who live or work near them in Dougherty County.
Dougherty County Arrest Records
Albany is the county seat of Dougherty County, and all city arrests are booked through the Dougherty County Sheriff's Office. For complete details on the county jail, inmate search, open records contacts, and related resources, visit the Dougherty County page.