Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest and crime counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site on September 23, 2026.
Effingham County, Georgia, has about 73,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Effingham County depends on where the incident happened: the Effingham County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county, the agency that reports for the city inside a city. This guide names each agency, where its records page is and what the Georgia Open Records Act requires of it.
This guide covers which agency, the sheriff's reports, the cities' reports, how many reports, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: Effingham County public records, Effingham County arrest records, Effingham County warrants, Effingham County inmate search, Effingham County criminal records, Georgia arrest records and Georgia inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Effingham County
A crime, incident or collision report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, and that agency releases it, not the court, the jail or the prosecutor.
In Effingham County that is the Effingham County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county and for any city that contracts with it for police service, and the agency that reports for a city where the city has one of its own.
Reports from the Effingham County Sheriff's Office
The Effingham County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 37 violent and 205 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 520 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 912-754-3449. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at effinghamsheriff.org/156/Jail (page title: Jail | Effingham County, GA), phone 912-754-3449, 502 W First Street Springfield, GA 31329, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Effingham County
The three cities the FBI lists in Effingham County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Rincon: 5 violent and 63 property crimes reported for 2025; 163 arrests reported for 2025.
- Springfield: 1 violent and 23 property crimes reported for 2025; 48 arrests reported for 2025.
- Guyton: 14 arrests reported for 2022.
A city on that list is reported separately whether the officers are the city's own or the sheriff's under contract; the FBI's list does not say which.
How Many Reports: Effingham County in 2025
The three agencies in Effingham County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 43 violent and 291 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the three agencies in Effingham County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 731 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Georgia Open Records Act Requires
Under the Georgia Open Records Act the agency must answer a request within 3 business days, and it may charge for search, retrieval and copying after the first quarter hour. The request goes to the agency that holds the report, in writing, and does not have to say why the report is wanted.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at effinghamcounty.org/505/Open-Records-Request (page title: Open Records Request | Effingham County, GA).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney, 912-764-9924, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Effingham County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Effingham County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Georgia Open Records Act the answer is due within 3 business days.
How long does an agency in Effingham County have to answer?
Under the Georgia Open Records Act, within 3 business days. It may charge for search, retrieval and copying after the first quarter hour.
How do I get a report from the Effingham County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 912-754-3449. Under the Georgia Open Records Act the answer is due within 3 business days.
Is this the official Effingham County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.