Access Polk County Busted Mugshots

Polk County is a northwest Georgia county with Cedartown as its county seat, and the Polk County Sheriff's Office handles all local arrest records, jail bookings, and busted mugshots. This page covers how to search those records, which statewide tools cover Polk County, and what Georgia law says about booking photos and your rights as a resident.

Polk County Sheriff and Jail Booking Records

The Polk County Sheriff's Office in Cedartown is the primary agency for local arrest records and busted mugshots. Each booking into the Polk County Jail creates a record that includes the person's name, charges, arresting agency, and booking date. Georgia's Open Records Act makes these records public. State law prohibits the sheriff from posting booking photos on the internet, but the office provides records and photos in response to formal open records requests. For a quick custody status check, a phone call to the sheriff's office is the fastest approach.

Cedartown is the county seat and main city in Polk County. The Cedartown Police Department handles arrests inside city limits and generates its own arrest records, separate from the sheriff. If someone was arrested inside Cedartown, the police department holds that booking record. The sheriff's office covers county-wide arrests and all jail operations. If you are unsure which agency made the arrest, the sheriff's office is usually the right first call since all inmates end up at the county jail regardless of which agency made the arrest.

Polk County has a population of about 44,600, which puts it in a mid-range position among Georgia's 159 counties. Rome, in neighboring Floyd County, is the nearest qualifying city and has its own page on this site. Polk County itself does not have a city that meets the 25,000 threshold, so Cedartown serves as the local hub for county services including law enforcement records.

The screenshot below shows the GBI agency homepage, the state resource for criminal history data that covers Polk County and every other Georgia county.

The GBI coordinates statewide criminal history records through the Georgia Crime Information Center, which holds data for all 159 counties including Polk.

State Databases for Polk County Arrest Records

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation runs the Georgia Crime Information Center, which holds criminal history records for every county in the state. GCIC background checks include both arrests and dispositions, not just final convictions. For a complete state-level record tied to a Polk County case, a formal GCIC request through the GBI is the most thorough option available through official channels.

The Georgia Felon Search is $15 and returns instant results through the official georgia.gov portal. It draws from GCIC conviction data. If you need to check whether someone has a felony on their record from a Polk County arrest or anywhere in Georgia, this tool is fast and affordable. It does not show arrests without convictions, but for felony conviction history it is accurate and draws from the same state-maintained data as a full GCIC check.

For people serving state prison sentences after a Polk County conviction, the Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free and includes photos. The GDC tool covers state prison inmates, not local jail residents. If someone arrested in Polk County was later sentenced to state prison, the GDC database may have their record, current facility, and photo. This is a useful complement to local sheriff records when you need to track a case after sentencing.

The screenshot below shows the Georgia Department of Corrections offender search tool, which is free to use and shows photos of state prison inmates including those convicted in Polk County.

The GDC database is updated regularly and is one of the few free Georgia tools that shows photos without a formal open records request.

Georgia Law on Booking Photos and Mugshot Access in Polk County

O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19, passed in 2014, bars all Georgia law enforcement agencies from posting booking photos on the internet. The Polk County Sheriff and the Cedartown Police Department both fall under this rule. This is why you will not find a live mugshot gallery on the county or city website. The photos are still public records. To get one, you submit a formal open records request and the agency must respond within three business days. The law was designed to cut off the flow of booking photos to commercial mugshot websites.

O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.5 targets commercial mugshot sites that charge for photo removal. If one of those sites posted a Polk County booking photo and is seeking payment to remove it, that is illegal under Georgia law. You can send a certified demand letter. The site must remove the photo within 30 days at no cost to you. The Georgia Consumer Protection Division has a free guide covering exactly how to write and send that demand. The law applies to for-profit sites only.

The Georgia Open Records Act at O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 sets the response deadline at three business days. The first 15 minutes of staff search time and the first 20 pages of documents are free. Pages beyond 20 cost $0.10 each. These rules apply uniformly to the Polk County Sheriff and Cedartown PD just as they apply to every other public agency in Georgia.

Sex Offender Registry and GBI Resources for Polk County

The Georgia Sex Offender Registry is a free GBI tool that lets you search registered sex offenders by name or location. Polk County offenders appear in the statewide database, with photos where available. The registry is updated on a regular basis and requires no account or fee. This is one of the most widely used free tools for criminal background searches in any of Georgia's 159 counties and a good starting point when you need current registration status.

The GBI's open records portal handles state-level records requests online. If the record you need goes beyond what the Polk County Sheriff or Cedartown PD holds, this portal is the right channel. Submit and track requests online. If the case involved GBI investigators or went through a state court, the GBI may have files the local agencies do not. The same response deadlines and fee schedule that apply to county agencies apply here as well.

The screenshot below shows the Georgia statute page covering O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19, the 2014 law that restricts how Polk County agencies can post booking photos online.

This statute applies to all Georgia law enforcement agencies and explains why booking photos must be obtained through a formal request rather than a public website.

Requesting Polk County Arrest Records and Booking Photos

Contact the Polk County Sheriff's Office in Cedartown to request a booking photo or arrest record. For arrests inside Cedartown city limits, the Cedartown Police Department holds those records. Under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70, both agencies must respond within three business days. Give the person's full name and, if possible, the arrest date or case number. The more detail you provide, the faster the search and the lower the fee exposure. You can call, visit in person, or submit a written request by mail.

For state-level records, use the GBI open records portal. The system handles online submissions and tracks them from receipt to response. If the Polk County case involved GBI investigators or moved through a state court, the portal may hold records that local agencies do not have. The fee schedule follows the Open Records Act requirements that apply uniformly across all Georgia agencies.

Booking photos taken in Polk County are public records. The 2014 statute bars agencies from posting them online but does not seal them from public access. You have a legal right to request them. If a commercial website posted a Polk County booking photo and is demanding payment for removal, the Consumer Protection Division guide explains your rights and the steps to take under Georgia law. The process is free and does not require legal representation.

Cities in Polk County

No city in Polk County currently meets the 25,000 population threshold for a dedicated page on this site. Cedartown is the county's main city. For arrest records there, contact the Polk County Sheriff's Office or the Cedartown Police Department directly. Rome, the nearest qualifying city, is located in neighboring Floyd County.

Nearby Counties

Polk County borders four northwest Georgia counties. Each has its own sheriff's office and arrest record resources.