Dalton Criminal History Lookup

Criminal history records in Dalton are held by the Dalton Police Department and the Whitfield County court system. Dalton is the county seat of Whitfield County in northwest Georgia, with a population close to 35,000. The city police department handles local arrests and keeps incident and arrest reports for crimes that happen inside city limits. Court cases go through the Whitfield County Superior Court for felonies and serious misdemeanors. State tools from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation also cover Dalton cases and allow searches for felony convictions. To get a complete picture of someone's criminal history from this area, you may need to pull records from both local and county-level sources.

Dalton Police Department Criminal Records

The Dalton Police Department is the main law enforcement agency in the city. Their office is at 301 Jones Street, Dalton, GA 30720. The phone number is (706) 278-9085. The DPD handles arrests, incident reports, and crime data for events that take place in Dalton. When someone gets arrested by Dalton police, the arrest report is the first record created. It shows the date, time, charges, and the arresting officer's name.

The department sends arrest information to the Georgia Crime Information Center as state law requires. This puts Dalton arrests into the statewide criminal history system. A Dalton arrest will appear in GCIC searches as well as the local records the department keeps on file. If you need a copy of a police report from a Dalton case, contact the DPD records unit. You can visit the Jones Street office during business hours or call ahead to ask about the process.

Dalton PD covers the city limits. The Whitfield County Sheriff's Office handles law enforcement for the rest of the county. If you are not sure whether an incident happened inside or outside the city, check with both agencies. Each keeps its own local records, though both report to the state system.

The department also works with other law enforcement in the area on task forces and joint operations. Records from those cases may be split between agencies. If the case involved a joint effort, the lead agency would typically hold the main file.

Whitfield County Handles Dalton Court Records

Dalton is in Whitfield County. Criminal cases from Dalton go through the Whitfield County court system. The Superior Court Clerk keeps records for felonies and serious misdemeanors. The clerk's office is at the Whitfield County Courthouse in Dalton, since Dalton is the county seat. Case files include charges, plea details, trial outcomes, and sentencing information for all criminal cases.

Whitfield County also has a Magistrate Court. It handles preliminary hearings and lower-level offenses. A case can start in magistrate court and move to superior court if the charges are serious. Records from a single case might exist in both courts. For a complete view of a criminal case, check records at each level.

The clerk charges a fee for certified copies. You can visit in person or make a request by mail. For more information on how the Whitfield County system works and what resources are available, the Whitfield County criminal history page covers the clerk's office, the sheriff, and other local options.

State Criminal History Tools

The Georgia Felon Search is a state-run database that checks GCIC records for felony convictions. It costs $15 per search. You need a first name, last name, date of birth, and sex. Results come back right away. The fee is charged even if no record is found. The tool covers all of Georgia, including Dalton and Whitfield County cases.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free to use. It shows people who are currently in a state prison or on state supervision. Someone convicted in a Dalton case who is serving time at a GDC facility will show up. People in the Whitfield County Jail or those who have completed their sentence are not listed.

The GBI FAQ page has common questions about criminal history records in Georgia. It covers how to request your own record and how third-party searches work. The GBI also offers fingerprint-based criminal history checks, which are the most thorough and official way to get a copy of your own criminal history.

Record Restriction for Dalton Cases

Georgia does not call it expungement. The state uses the term record restriction. A restricted record is sealed from public view. Law enforcement still has access to it. But it will not appear in standard public searches.

Charges that were dismissed may qualify for restriction. People who completed a pretrial diversion program can apply. First Offender cases are also eligible. Under the First Offender Act in O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-60, a first-time offender can complete their sentence without a formal conviction on their record. The court discharges them and the record is restricted from public view.

The complete rules are in O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37. For arrests after July 1, 2013, contact the prosecuting attorney to begin the process. For older arrests, go through the arresting agency. In Dalton, that is the Dalton Police Department. The petition is filed with the court that handled the original case.

A retroactive First Offender petition is an option too. If someone qualified for that act but was not sentenced under it, they can petition the court to apply it after the fact. If the court agrees, the conviction gets removed from the public record.

Finding Criminal History in Dalton

There are multiple ways to track down criminal history tied to Dalton. The best approach depends on what type of record you need.

• Call the Dalton Police Department at (706) 278-9085 for arrest and incident reports
• Visit the Whitfield County Superior Court Clerk for court case records
• Use the Georgia Felon Search for statewide felony conviction data
• Check the GDC offender search for people currently in state prisons
• Submit an open records request to the Dalton PD for police documents

Police records tell you what happened at the time of arrest. Court records from Whitfield County show how the case played out in the legal system. State tools add felony conviction data and corrections records. For the most complete view, check all three. If the case happened outside Dalton city limits but still in Whitfield County, the sheriff's office would hold the local police records instead of the DPD.

Open Records Requests in Dalton

Georgia's Open Records Act gives you the right to request public documents from government agencies. This covers police records from the Dalton Police Department. You can ask for incident reports, arrest reports, and other documents from criminal cases in the city.

Fees apply for copies. The city can charge for staff time and for copying the documents. Under the law, agencies must respond within three business days. That first response may just confirm receipt of the request. Simple requests usually get filled faster than larger or more complex ones.

Not all records are released. Active investigations can be withheld. Records that are restricted by court order or sealed under state law are not available. If a criminal history has been restricted under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37, it will not be provided through an open records request.

Nearby Cities With Criminal Records

Dalton is in northwest Georgia, not far from other cities in the region. Each city has its own police department and handles local arrests. Those records go into the state system through the GCIC. If you need criminal history from a nearby city, the page below covers the local resources.