Rockdale County Criminal History Records

Rockdale County criminal history records include arrests, court cases, and jail bookings in one of the smaller but active counties east of Atlanta. The county seat is Conyers. If you need to search for criminal records in Rockdale County, there are local and state tools to use. The sheriff's office and the Superior Court Clerk are the two main local sources. The sheriff handles jail bookings and arrest data, while the clerk holds court case files. Some information can be found online through state databases. Other records need a trip to the courthouse on Court Street or a phone call to the right office. This page goes through the key sources for Rockdale County criminal history and how to use them.

Rockdale County Sheriff Criminal History

The Rockdale County Sheriff's Office is at 911 Chambers Drive, Conyers, GA 30094. Call (770) 278-8000 for questions. The sheriff handles law enforcement across the county and runs the Rockdale County Jail. Every person booked into the jail gets a record with their name, charges, bond amount, booking date, and release info. These booking records form a central part of the criminal history system in Rockdale County. Jail data gets updated as new arrests come in throughout the day.

The Rockdale County Sheriff's Office website provides details on jail operations, inmate information, and services for county residents.

The sheriff's office also does fingerprint-based criminal history checks. Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37, any person can request their own criminal history record by getting fingerprinted at a law enforcement agency and paying the state fee. At the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office, you bring valid ID, get your prints done, and the request goes to the Georgia Crime Information Center. Results are mailed back. This is how people in the Conyers area can get a personal criminal history check done through local law enforcement. The sheriff can also give you the current jail status for anyone held in Rockdale County on active charges.

Note: Booking records at the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office may take a short time to update after a new arrest occurs.

Criminal Records at Rockdale County Clerk

The Rockdale County Superior Court Clerk is at 922 Court Street, Conyers, GA 30012. Their phone number is (770) 278-7900. This office holds case files for criminal matters that move through the Rockdale County court system. Felony cases and some misdemeanor cases get filed, tracked, and stored here. If you want to know how a criminal case ended in Rockdale County, the clerk's office has that information. Each case file has the charges, court dates, plea details, the verdict, and sentence.

The Rockdale County Clerk of Courts page has information on case searches and filing procedures for the county.

You can visit the clerk's office in person to search the case index during business hours. There is a per-page fee for copies, and certified copies cost more than plain ones. The clerk can also check on a pending case in Rockdale County if you have the case number or defendant name. Some court records are accessible through the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority, which runs a statewide database of court filings. Not all Rockdale County records appear in that system, but many do. The cooperative pulls data from local clerks across the state and puts it in one searchable spot.

Under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-34, local agencies like the Rockdale County court system report criminal history data to the Georgia Crime Information Center. A Rockdale County conviction should appear in a state-level search as well.

Rockdale County Record Restriction Process

Georgia uses the term record restriction. It is not called expungement in this state. A restricted record in Rockdale County gets sealed from public view. It still exists. Law enforcement can see it. The public cannot.

Several things can lead to restriction for a Rockdale County criminal history record. Charges that were never sent to a prosecutor get restricted after a waiting period. Misdemeanors need two years from the arrest date. Most felonies take four years. Serious violent felonies need seven years to pass. If charges were dismissed or the person got a not guilty verdict, restriction can happen sooner. The prosecutor in Rockdale County has ten days to object after an acquittal. If there is no objection, the record gets restricted.

People who finish their sentence under the First Offender Act, found at O.C.G.A. Section 42-8-60, can also get their Rockdale County record restricted. That act lets a judge sentence someone without entering a formal conviction, as long as they complete the terms without problems. It is a path used by a good number of first-time offenders in Rockdale County. For arrests on or after July 1, 2013, you start the restriction process through the Rockdale County District Attorney. Older arrests need contact with the arresting agency first. The local DA has to approve it either way. You can also challenge wrong information on your criminal history under O.C.G.A. Section 35-3-37, and the agency has 60 days to look into it and respond.

State Tools for Rockdale County Records

State-run databases can pull up Rockdale County criminal history. The Georgia Felon Search checks the GCIC database for felony convictions. It costs $15 per search. You need a first name, last name, date of birth, and sex. Results come back quickly. The fee applies even if no record is found. This tool only covers felony convictions, so misdemeanors, pending charges, and restricted records from Rockdale County will not show.

The Georgia Department of Corrections offender search is free. It shows people currently in a state prison. Someone convicted in Rockdale County and sent to a GDC facility would appear in this search. People held in the Rockdale County Jail or those who have already finished their sentence will not show up here.

The GBI FAQ page on getting criminal history records is a good resource. It covers common questions about the process, what records you can request, and how the system works statewide. The GBI manages criminal history data across all Georgia counties, Rockdale County included. If you want to understand the full scope of what is available beyond local sources, the GBI site is where to start.

Note: The Georgia Felon Search only returns felony convictions and will not include misdemeanor data from Rockdale County.

How to Search Rockdale County Criminal History

There are several ways to get criminal history records in Rockdale County. The best path depends on the type of record you need and how fast you want it. Here is a rundown of the main options.

• Call the Rockdale County Sheriff at (770) 278-8000 for jail bookings and arrest data
• Visit the Superior Court Clerk at 922 Court Street for case files and certified copies
• Use the Georgia Felon Search for statewide felony conviction records
• Search the GDC offender database for people in state prison
• File an open records request with the sheriff for specific arrest reports

Each source covers a different part of the criminal history system in Rockdale County. Court records from the clerk show charges and case outcomes. The sheriff's office tracks jail bookings and bond status. State tools add felony conviction data and corrections records. You may need to check more than one source to put together a full picture of someone's criminal history connected to Rockdale County. The clerk has the most complete local data on court case results. The sheriff is the go-to for arrest and jail records.

Criminal History in Rockdale County Cities

Rockdale County is one of the smaller counties in the metro Atlanta area by land size. Conyers is the county seat and the only city of any real size in the county. Conyers has its own police department that handles arrests and incident reports inside city limits. Those records feed into the Rockdale County criminal history system when cases move to Superior Court. The rest of the county falls under the sheriff's jurisdiction for law enforcement purposes.

Nearby Counties With Criminal Records

Rockdale County borders a handful of other Georgia counties in the eastern metro Atlanta area. Criminal cases near county lines sometimes end up in a neighboring jurisdiction. If your search comes up empty in Rockdale County, try one of these nearby counties.

DeKalb County sits to the west and north and is one of the most populated counties in Georgia. Newton County borders Rockdale to the east and south. Henry County is to the south. Gwinnett County lies to the north. Each county has its own court clerk, sheriff, and criminal record system that operates separately from Rockdale County.