Douglasville Background Check

A Douglasville background check pulls records from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and the Douglasville Police Department. Douglasville is the county seat of Douglas County and sits just west of Atlanta along Interstate 20. The sheriff's office is the main source for criminal history records at the county level. The city police department keeps its own files from cases handled within city limits. Running a background check in Douglasville means contacting one or both of these agencies, or using the state's online tools for a broader search beyond just Douglas County.

Douglas County Sheriff Background Check

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office is the main local source for a Douglasville background check. Sheriff Tim Pounds runs the office at 8470 Earl D. Lee Blvd in Douglasville, GA 30134. Call 770-942-2121 for questions about the process. You go in person with a valid photo ID. Provide the full name and date of birth of the person being checked. The office runs a search through local records and the state criminal history database. Expect results within a few business days. The fee falls at or below the state cap of $20 set by O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34.

Douglas County has seen steady growth over the past two decades. More people means more records in the system. The sheriff's office handles all county-level criminal history from arrests, jail bookings, and court cases. Everything that happens in Douglas County, whether in Douglasville or elsewhere in the county, goes through this office. Since Douglasville is the county seat, the sheriff's office is right in town. That makes it easy to walk in and submit a request without a long drive.

Note: The Douglas County Sheriff's Office is the primary source for all county-level Douglasville background check records.

Douglasville Police Department Records

The Douglasville Police Department keeps its own records from incidents and arrests within city limits. These files are separate from what the Douglas County Sheriff holds. If Douglasville Police officers responded to a call or made an arrest inside the city, that report lives in the DPD system. You can request arrest reports and incident records from the department for use in a background check.

The police department covers Douglasville city limits only. Anything that happened outside the city but still in Douglas County is held by the sheriff's office or state patrol. For a complete Douglasville background check, checking both the city police and the county sheriff is the smart approach. The two agencies work side by side in the same area but keep records in separate systems. An arrest made by Douglasville Police stays in their files. An arrest made by the sheriff's office stays in the county files. Both matter when you want a full picture of someone's local criminal history.

State Background Check Options

Georgia offers two main state-level tools for a Douglasville background check. The Georgia Felon Search costs $15. It is an online tool. You type in a name and get felony conviction results sent to your email. Fast and simple. But limited. It only shows felony convictions. No arrests. No misdemeanors. No pending cases. If someone in Douglasville was only charged with a misdemeanor, the Felon Search will not show it.

For a deeper search, the GAPS fingerprint system through IdentoGO pulls from both the GBI and FBI databases. Fingerprint checks match on prints, not names. They catch records tied to aliases and different names. They also show out-of-state records that a local Douglas County check would miss entirely. You have to visit an IdentoGO location in person for fingerprinting. There are locations in the west metro Atlanta area that serve Douglasville residents. A GAPS check combined with a local sheriff's check gives you the most complete Douglasville background check possible.

Note: The Georgia Felon Search at $15 only covers felony convictions and will not show misdemeanor records from Douglasville.

Douglasville Background Check Image

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office website provides information on background check services for Douglasville.

This is the county office that processes Douglasville background check requests and maintains local criminal records.

Douglasville Background Check Law

Under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34, the GBI provides criminal history data to authorized requestors. The maximum fee is $20 per record. Most Douglas County agencies charge at or below this cap. The law spells out who can get records and what they can use them for. The GCIC manages the central database. All Douglas County records feed into this system. But the GCIC does not do name-based checks for the public. You must use a local agency or state tool.

Record restriction under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37 can hide certain records from a Douglasville background check. If charges were dismissed or the person was found not guilty, they may apply to restrict that record. Once restricted, it vanishes from standard background check results. The First Offender Act under O.C.G.A. § 42-8-60 also plays a role. Someone who completed their sentence under this act does not carry a conviction on their record. The arrest is still there, but the conviction does not show as one on a check. These rules apply to all Douglasville and Douglas County records.

Douglasville Check Fees

• Douglas County Sheriff background check: up to $20
• Georgia Felon Search: $15 per search (online, felony only)
• GAPS fingerprint check: varies by IdentoGO location
• Maximum state fee: $20 per O.C.G.A. § 35-3-34(d.3)

Always confirm the current fee and accepted payment types before visiting the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. Some agencies take cash only. Others accept money orders. A quick phone call to 770-942-2121 can save you a wasted trip if you bring the wrong form of payment. The Felon Search accepts cards online. GAPS checks are paid at the IdentoGO site when you get your fingerprints taken.

Contact Info for Douglasville

• Douglasville Police: douglasvillega.gov/police
• Douglas County Sheriff: 8470 Earl D. Lee Blvd, Douglasville, GA 30134, 770-942-2121
• Georgia Sheriffs Directory: georgiasheriffs.org

Start your Douglasville background check with the Douglas County Sheriff for the broadest local search. Then check with the Douglasville Police Department for city-level records. Use the state-level Felon Search or GAPS system for wider searches. Each source adds a different layer of data. Using more than one gives you a more complete picture of someone's criminal history in the Douglasville area.

Nearby Cities

These cities are near Douglasville and each has its own background check resources and contacts.