Ben Hill County Jail Mugshots

Ben Hill County jail mugshots are held by the Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office in Fitzgerald, Georgia. The sheriff's office shares a law enforcement complex with the Fitzgerald Police Department, and the county jail sits in the same building. You can search for inmate booking photos through a mobile app or an online search tool that covers both the sheriff's office and city police arrests. This page shows you how to find Ben Hill County jail mugshots using each available method, including open records requests for records not available online.

Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff Lee Cone leads the Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office. The office is at 255 Appomattox Rd, Fitzgerald, GA 31750. Call 229-426-5161 for questions about jail mugshots or inmate status. You can also email lcone@benhillcounty.com. The sheriff's office shares its building with the Fitzgerald Police Department in a law enforcement complex that serves the entire county.

The office runs several divisions. These include Uniforms, Criminal Investigations, Jail, Drug Enforcement, Courthouse Security, and School Resources. The jail division handles all bookings and maintains the jail mugshot records for Ben Hill County. Major Greg Stokes serves as the jail administrator and oversees day-to-day operations at the facility. The jail sits at the same 255 Appomattox Rd address as the sheriff's office.

Ben Hill County's 2016 Crime Index was 415.3, which is higher than the national average of 241.6. As of June 2018, the county had 90 registered sex offenders. Fitzgerald is the county seat and largest city, with a population of about 9,053 people.

Search Ben Hill County Jail Mugshots

The main online tool for finding Ben Hill County jail mugshots is the Ben Hill County inmate search on Offender Index. This site lets you look up current and past inmates by name. Results show booking details and charges. The search is free and does not need an account.

The Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office also has a mobile app called "BHSO/Fitz PD Public Safety." You can download it from Google Play. The app has features for inmate services, records requests, tip submission, and news and alerts. It covers both the Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office and the Fitzgerald Police Department. Just keep in mind this app is not for emergency use. Call 911 for emergencies.

Ben Hill County participates in the statewide VINE system. VINE stands for Victim Information and Notification Everyday. Register at www.vinelink.com or call 1-866-277-7477 to sign up. The service sends free alerts by phone, email, or text when an inmate at the Ben Hill County jail is released, transferred, or has a status change. Both the sheriff's office and Fitzgerald Police Department bookings go through the same jail, so VINE covers all of them.

Ben Hill County Jail Visitation

The Ben Hill County Jail allows visitation for male inmates on Saturdays. Morning hours run from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Afternoon hours are 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The schedule is split by last name. Each visit lasts up to 30 minutes, and inmates get one visit per week. Up to four visitors can come at one time, but you must be on the inmate's approved visitor list before your visit.

Contact the jail at 229-426-5161 for the current visitation schedule and rules. Policies can change, so check ahead before you make the trip to Fitzgerald.

Mugshot Records and Georgia Law

Jail mugshots in Ben Hill County fall under Georgia state law. Under O.C.G.A. § 35-1-19, Georgia law enforcement cannot post booking photos on websites except in limited cases. Anyone who requests a jail mugshot must sign a written statement saying the photo will not go on a site that charges for removal. This rule protects people booked at the Ben Hill County Jail from commercial mugshot sites.

The Georgia Open Records Act under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70 gives the public the right to inspect government records. However, mugshot access still follows the stricter rules in § 35-1-19. If your arrest in Ben Hill County was dismissed or you qualify under O.C.G.A. § 35-3-37, you can apply for record restriction. Once restricted, your jail mugshot and booking data are no longer available to the public.

Ben Hill County Open Records Requests

For records not available online, you can file an open records request. For county records, contact the Ben Hill County Sheriff's Office at 255 Appomattox Rd, Fitzgerald, GA 31750 or call 229-426-5161. For Fitzgerald city records, go through the City Clerk's Office. City Clerk Christina Evans handles those requests. Her office is at 302 East Central Avenue, Fitzgerald, GA 31750, and the phone number is 229-426-5060.

Under Georgia law, agencies must respond to open records requests within three business days. Copy fees are capped at 10 cents per page under O.C.G.A. § 50-18-71. For statewide criminal history that goes beyond what Ben Hill County holds, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation runs the Georgia Crime Information Center. This covers arrest data across all Georgia counties.

Note: The Georgia Consumer Protection Division handles complaints against mugshot websites that refuse to remove booking photos.

Nearby Counties

These counties are near Ben Hill County in south-central Georgia. Jail mugshots are kept by the county where the booking happened. If you are not sure which county handled an arrest, check the location where it took place.