Find Criminal History in Tucker

Criminal history records in Tucker are held by the Tucker Police Department and the DeKalb County court system. Tucker is a city of just over 37,000 people in DeKalb County, and most criminal cases from the area go through the DeKalb County Superior Court. The Tucker PD handles local arrests and keeps incident and arrest reports for crimes that take place in city limits. State tools from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation also let you search for felony convictions tied to Tucker cases. If you need to look up a criminal record from this area, you will likely need to check both local and county-level sources to get a full view of what is on file.

Tucker Police Department Criminal Records

The Tucker Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency for the city. Their office is at 2701 First Avenue, Tucker, GA 30084. You can call them at (678) 597-7460. The department handles arrests, incident reports, and crime reports for events that take place inside Tucker city limits. These records are the first thing created when someone gets arrested in Tucker. They include the date, time, charges filed, and the name of the arresting officer.

Tucker PD sends arrest data to the Georgia Crime Information Center. This is a state requirement. That means a Tucker arrest will show up in GCIC searches as well as local records held by the department. If you need a copy of a police report from a Tucker case, you can reach out to the Tucker PD records unit. Walk-in requests are taken at the First Avenue office during business hours. You can also call to ask about what is needed to get copies.

Tucker was incorporated as a city in 2015. Before that, police services in the area were handled by DeKalb County. Older criminal records from the Tucker area may still be held by the DeKalb County Police Department rather than the Tucker PD. If the arrest you are looking for happened before 2016, check with DeKalb County first.

The department is still growing. It contracts some police services through agreements with DeKalb County, so record keeping for certain types of calls may fall under the county system. It is a good idea to check both if you are not sure which agency responded to a specific incident.

DeKalb County Handles Tucker Court Records

Tucker sits in DeKalb County. Criminal cases from Tucker go through the DeKalb County court system. The DeKalb County Superior Court Clerk keeps records for felonies and serious misdemeanors. The clerk's office is at 556 North McDonough Street in Decatur. You can reach them by phone. The office holds case files, charges, plea information, trial outcomes, and sentencing data for all criminal cases in the county.

The DeKalb County Magistrate Court handles preliminary hearings and some lower-level offenses. Cases that start in magistrate court can be bound over to superior court if the charges are serious enough. That means the same case might have records in two different courts. For a full picture of a criminal case from Tucker, check both levels of the court system.

DeKalb County has an online case search tool. You can look up court records from a computer without going to the courthouse in person. The tool lets you search by name and see basic case details. For certified copies, you still need to go through the clerk's office or submit a written request. There is a fee for certified documents.

State Criminal History Tools

The Georgia Felon Search is a state-run tool. It checks the GCIC database for felony convictions across Georgia. The cost is $15 per search. You need a first name, last name, date of birth, and sex. Results come back fast. The fee applies even if nothing is found. This tool covers Tucker cases along with every other city in the state.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free. It shows people who are currently in a state prison or on state supervision. If someone was convicted in a Tucker-related case and is now serving time in a GDC facility, they will show up in this search. People in the DeKalb County Jail or those who have finished their sentence will not appear here.

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

Record Restriction for Tucker Cases

Georgia uses the term record restriction instead of expungement. A restricted record is sealed from public view. Law enforcement can still see it. But a standard public search will not show it.

Several situations allow record restriction. Charges that were dismissed may qualify. People who completed a pretrial diversion program can apply. First Offender cases are another path. The First Offender Act, found in O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-60, allows first-time offenders to finish their sentence without a formal conviction on record. Once the sentence is done, the court discharges them and the record gets restricted.

The full rules are in O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37. For arrests that happened after July 1, 2013, you contact the prosecuting attorney. For older ones, go through the arresting agency. In Tucker, that could be the Tucker PD or, for pre-2016 arrests, the DeKalb County Police. Either way, the petition goes to the court that handled the case.

There is a retroactive First Offender option as well. If someone should have been sentenced under that act but was not, they can petition the court for that status later. This can result in a conviction being taken off the public criminal history record.

Steps for Searching Tucker Criminal History

There are a few ways to find criminal history tied to Tucker. The right one depends on what type of record you need.

• Call the Tucker Police Department at (678) 597-7460 for arrest and incident reports
• Visit the DeKalb 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 in state prisons
• Submit an open records request to the Tucker PD for police reports

Police records show what happened at the time of arrest. Court records from DeKalb County show what happened with the case after charges were filed. State tools add felony conviction data and corrections information. You may need to check more than one source to get the full picture. Older records from before Tucker became a city will be under DeKalb County records.

Open Records Requests in Tucker

Georgia's Open Records Act gives people the right to ask for public documents from government agencies. That includes police records from the Tucker Police Department. You can submit a request to get incident reports, arrest reports, and other records tied to criminal cases in Tucker.

There is a fee for copies. The city can charge for search time and copying costs. The Open Records Act says agencies must respond within three business days. That first response might just say they got the request and need more time. Simple requests usually come back faster than more involved ones.

Some records will not be released. Active investigations can be held back until the case closes. Records that are restricted by court order or state law are also off limits. If a record has been sealed under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37, it will not be provided through an open records request.

Nearby Cities With Criminal Records

Tucker is close to several other cities in the metro Atlanta area. Each has its own police force and handles local arrests. Those records feed into the state system through the GCIC. If you need criminal history from a nearby city, these pages cover the local sources and how to search.