Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. The jail figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site between September 23, 2026 and October 4, 2026.
Putnam County, Georgia, has about 23,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate), and arrests there are reported to the FBI by the Putnam County Sheriff's Office and one city agency. An arrest leaves the same records whoever makes it: the arresting agency's report, the record of anyone held at the county jail, and, if the District Attorney files charges, a case in the Putnam County Superior Court. This guide says who keeps each one, what it costs and who may see it, with the arrest counts each agency reported.
This guide covers who makes arrests, how many arrests, booking and the jail, finding an arrest, copies, cities and common questions.
Related guides: Putnam County public records, Georgia arrest records, Georgia inmate search and Georgia criminal records.
Who Makes Arrests in Putnam County
The Putnam County Sheriff's Office is the county agency that reports arrests to the FBI for Putnam County. It reported 300 arrests for 2025.
One city in Putnam County reports its arrests to the FBI separately:
- Eatonton, 6,641 residents: 221 arrests reported for 2024.
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 Arrests Each Agency Reports in Putnam County
The FBI publishes every agency's monthly arrest counts on the Crime Data Explorer. These are the full-year totals, all offenses, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026; a year with months missing or not reported is left out.
- Putnam County Sheriff's Office: 300 for 2025, 325 for 2024, 358 for 2023, 452 for 2022 and 576 for 2021.
- Eatonton: 221 for 2024, 250 for 2023, 102 for 2022 and 203 for 2019; 2020 and 2021 are missing months.
Together, the two agencies with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 546 arrests that year. The same agencies with both 2024 and 2023 complete reported 546 in 2024 against 608 in 2023, down 10 percent.
Booking: Where People Arrested in Putnam County Are Held
A person kept in custody after an arrest in Putnam County is held at the county jail, whichever agency made the arrest, apart from the short stay some city departments' own holding cells allow; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked at all. The jail's record of each person held, with the charges, is a public record of the arrest, and the court file takes over from there.
So far in 2026 the jail has held about 94 people on an average day, up from about 82 in 2019. Its rated capacity is 120 beds, and it is running at 78 percent of it. The figures are from the Vera Institute of Justice's Incarceration Trends data.
SearchSystems opened and checked the jail page of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at putnamcountysheriff.org/jail-division (page title: Jail Division | Putnam County Sheriff's Office, Georgia), phone (706) 485-2680, 111 Ridley Drive Eatonton, GA 31024, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 2026.
A sentence of more than a year is served in state prison; the Georgia Department of Corrections lists its inmates at gdc.georgia.gov/offender-info/find-offender.
How to Find Out About an Arrest in Putnam County
An arrest in Putnam County can be traced in two places, depending on where the case stands: the case index of the Putnam County Superior Court, which shows whether charges were filed and the next court date (the court records page SearchSystems verified is at gsccca.org/clerks/clerk-results?cid=117, phone (706) 485-4501); the District Attorney, which decides whether an arrest becomes a charge (its page is at ocmulgeeda.com/putnam, phone (706) 484-2987).
Georgia is one of the states that lets anyone look up another person's statewide criminal history: Georgia Felon Search lets anyone check felony convictions online by name, through the Georgia Crime Information Center. That record shows what agencies reported to the state, which is wider than one county's court index but can lag it.
Getting a Copy of an Arrest Record in Putnam County
The report of an arrest is released by the agency that made it; the jail and the court hold their own records of the same event, but not the report. Under the Georgia Open Records Act the agency must answer within 3 business days, and it may charge for search, retrieval and copying after the first quarter hour.
- An arrest by the Putnam County Sheriff's Office: ask its records unit, reached through the office at (706) 485-2680.
- An arrest in Eatonton: the records unit of the agency that reports for that city.
- A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the District Attorney, (706) 484-2987, handles discovery for pending cases.
- The court file of a case that was filed: the Putnam County Superior Court, through the court records page at gsccca.org/clerks/clerk-results?cid=117, phone (706) 485-4501.
- Any county record that is not posted: the county records request page SearchSystems verified is at putnamcountyga.nextrequest.com (page title: Putnam County Open Public RecordsNextRequest | Modern FOIA & Public Records Request Software).
- Your own statewide record: a fingerprint-based request through Georgia Applicant Processing Services.
Cities in Putnam County: Who Reports the Arrests
The FBI lists a separate arrest reporting agency for Eatonton, the one city in Putnam County.
Wherever in the county the arrest happens, a person kept in custody goes to the county jail and the case goes to the Putnam County Superior Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many arrests are made in Putnam County each year?
The Putnam County Sheriff's Office reported 300 arrests to the FBI for 2025. For 2024, the latest year most of the agencies in Putnam County sent in full, the two with every month on file reported 546 between them.
How do I find out if someone is in jail in Putnam County?
Ask the Putnam County Sheriff's Office at (706) 485-2680; its jail page SearchSystems verified is at putnamcountysheriff.org/jail-division.
Where are people arrested in Putnam County booked?
Those kept in custody go to the county jail, run by the Putnam County Sheriff's Office; a person cited and released at the scene is not booked.
Are arrest records public in Putnam County?
The court files of criminal cases are public, and so is the statewide criminal history kept by the Georgia Crime Information Center: Georgia Felon Search lets anyone check felony convictions online by name. The arrest report itself is released by the agency that made the arrest, under the Georgia Open Records Act.
How do I get a copy of an arrest report in Putnam County?
From the agency that made the arrest: the Putnam 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; the county records request page SearchSystems verified is at putnamcountyga.nextrequest.com.
Is this the official Putnam 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.