Augusta Busted Mugshots and Arrest Records

Augusta busted mugshots and arrest records are managed through Augusta-Richmond County's consolidated government, which merged city and county operations back in 1996. Arrests made by the Augusta-Richmond County Sheriff's Office flow into a single county-level booking system, and the public inmate inquiry tool at appweb2.augustaga.gov lets you search current inmates by name to find charges, booking dates, and custody status for anyone held in the Augusta jail system.

Augusta Arrest Booking and the Consolidated Government

Augusta and Richmond County merged into a consolidated government in 1996. This means there is no separate Augusta city jail and no separate Richmond County jail. All arrested persons go through a single booking process under the Augusta-Richmond County Sheriff. The jail is located within the county system, and records are maintained in one central database. This setup makes searching for Augusta busted mugshots more straightforward than in cities where city and county jails operate independently.

The Augusta-Richmond County Sheriff processes bookings that include fingerprinting, recording charges, and photographing defendants. Under Georgia law, booking photos are not posted publicly on the sheriff's own website. However, the inmate inquiry system does show arrest data, charge information, bond amounts, and court dates. For most people searching for a specific defendant, this tool provides enough detail to confirm whether someone is in custody and what they were arrested for. The system is updated regularly throughout the day as new bookings come in.

If someone was arrested in Augusta but released quickly, they may not appear in the current inmate search. Arrests that result in a citation or quick release sometimes don't make it into the searchable database in a timely way. In those cases, a formal open records request to the sheriff's office is the next step.

Augusta Police Department

The Augusta-Richmond County Police Department has its headquarters at 401 Walton Way, Augusta GA 30901. The non-emergency line is 706-821-1000. In the consolidated government, the police department handles day-to-day law enforcement while the sheriff manages the jail and court services. Both agencies generate arrests that feed into the same booking system. APD officers arrest people throughout the Augusta metro area, and those defendants are booked by sheriff's staff at the county detention facility.

Augusta is a significant city in eastern Georgia. It sits along the Savannah River and is home to Fort Eisenhower, formerly Fort Gordon, which means federal arrests also occur in the area and flow through federal channels separate from the county system. If you are looking for someone arrested by federal agents in Augusta, the county inmate search will not show those records. Federal defendants go to federal detention facilities and appear in the federal court's PACER system instead.

Augusta Busted Mugshots - Inmate Inquiry Tool

The Augusta-Richmond County inmate inquiry tool is at appweb2.augustaga.gov/InmateInquiry. The search is free and requires no registration. You can look up inmates by name. Results show the defendant's name, booking date, charges, bond amount, and scheduled court date where available. This is the fastest way to find Augusta arrest records in the current county database.

For historical records or certified copies of Augusta arrest records, you need to contact the Augusta-Richmond County Sheriff's Office directly. Under the Georgia Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, public agencies must respond to requests within three business days. The first 15 minutes of staff time are free, and the first 20 pages cost nothing. This law covers all public records held by local law enforcement in Augusta.

The screenshot below shows the Georgia Bureau of Investigation homepage, a statewide resource for criminal history checks relevant to Augusta arrests.

The GBI operates the Georgia Crime Information Center, which maintains criminal history records for all of Georgia including Augusta-Richmond County arrests.

Georgia Law on Augusta Booking Photos

Georgia's booking photo law at O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19 prohibits law enforcement agencies from posting mugshots online. That is why the Augusta-Richmond County inmate inquiry tool shows charge data without displaying photos. Booking photos still exist as public records, but accessing them requires a formal request rather than a search on the sheriff's web portal.

If you find an Augusta booking photo on a third-party mugshot website, Georgia's consumer protection law at O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.5 may help. Under this law, mugshot websites must remove photos at no charge within 30 days of a written request sent by certified mail, provided the underlying arrest qualifies. The Georgia Consumer Protection Division has guidance on eligibility and how to draft the removal request. Not every Augusta arrest qualifies for removal, so reviewing the eligibility criteria before submitting is worthwhile.

The Georgia Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 gives the public the right to request Augusta arrest records and booking photos from the sheriff's office. Requests can be submitted in writing to the Augusta-Richmond County Sheriff's Office. The agency must respond within three business days and must provide records at a reasonable cost.

Statewide Resources for Augusta Arrest Records

Several Georgia statewide tools are useful when researching Augusta arrest records. The Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC), run by the GBI, holds criminal history data for the entire state. A GCIC check covers arrests in Augusta and elsewhere. The Georgia Felon Search at georgia.gov costs $15 and gives instant results on felony convictions statewide, including those from Augusta courts.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free and includes photos for state prison inmates. People convicted in Augusta's Superior Court and sentenced to state prison will appear in this database. Those still held in the local Augusta jail will not. The Georgia Sex Offender Registry is also free and searchable by name, listing registered offenders in Augusta and all other Georgia counties. The GBI's open records portal handles formal record requests at the state level.

The screenshot below shows the Georgia Felon Search service, which can supplement the Augusta inmate inquiry tool for felony conviction checks.

The Georgia Felon Search costs $15 and gives instant results on whether someone has a felony conviction anywhere in Georgia, including Augusta-Richmond County.

Richmond County Resources

Augusta operates as a consolidated city-county government under Richmond County. The county page has more detail on the jail system and arrest record resources.