Crime Numbers
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), under its Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, compiles reported crimes from all law enforcement agencies operating in the various countiesof the state. The latest collated crime data for Chatham are for 2017. In that year, the county recorded 1,347 violent crimes and 10,440 property crimes. Compared to the figures for 2013, the violent crime rate rose by 24.1% and the property crime rate increased by 1.7%.
A closer look at the county’s crime statistics shows that there were 38 murders, 115 rapes, 425 robberies, and 769 aggravated assaults in 2017. Chatham County also recorded 1,779 burglaries, 7,578 larcenies, 1,062 motor vehicle thefts, and 21 arsons in the same year.
The most recent five-year crime trend for the county shows the only crimes to record lower numbers in 2017 compared to 2013 were robbery (11.1%) and burglary (29.7%). In the same period, homicide, rape, aggravated assault, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson rates increased by 15.2%, 101.8%, 48.7%, 10.6%, 31.1%, and 72.7% respectively.
Criminal Records
While the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) maintains statewide criminal history records, you can obtain these records at the Chatham County Sheriff's Office. Requestsfor background checks are handled by the Criminal History/Fingerprint Unit of the Sheriff's Office. Each background check costs $15. Orders are accepted by mail or in person at the cashier’s window in the Main Lobbyof the Chatham County Sheriff’s Complex. Complete the CHRI Release/Waiver form and sign it in front of a witness before returning the request form to:
Chatham County Sheriff’s Office
Criminal History/Fingerprint Unit
P.O. Box 10026
Savannah, GA 31412
Phone: (912) 652-7650
You can also submit the form in person at the Sheriff's Office. The fee for a mail-in request is payable in the form of a cashier's check or money order. Cash and card payments are accepted for in-person requests. The Criminal History/Fingerprint Office is open to the public from Monday to Friday between 9:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. (except for public holidays). You may contact this office directly by calling(912) 652-7658 for any questions. The processing of a criminal history/background check takes 3-5 business days.
Chatham County is served by two police departments: The Savannah Police Department and the Chatham County Police Department. Both departments provide police reports. To obtain a copy of police report from Chatham County Police Department, visit the Whitefield Precinct located at:
9306 Whitefield Ave
Savannah, GA 31406
Phone: (912) 652-6920
The Savannah Police Department (SPD) accepts phone, fax, and email requests for copies of police reports. To submit a request, call (912) 651-3617, or fax at (912) 525-1748, or email SPDrecords@savannahga.gov. You can also obtain a police report by mail (include a self-addressed stamped envelope) and in person by visiting or sending a mail request to the Records Unit of SPD at:
SPD's Northwest Precinct
602 E. Lathrop Ave.
Phone: (912) 651-6990
The office is open to the public from Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For further enquiries, you can reach the office at (912) 651-3617. It takes up to 3 business days for requests to be processed by the Records Unit. The Record Unit of SPD also provides motor vehicle accident reports. To obtain one of these reports, complete and submit a Statement of Need form.
In accordance with state law, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is the central repository for Georgia's Violent Sexual Offender Registry and provides a statewide database of registered sex offenders. Visit the Sex Offender Search Page on GBI's website to find registered sex offenders living in Chatham County. Use the search tools on the page by entering a zip code, street address, or city name in the county to find individual offenders. The Chatham County Sheriff's Office also provides a local resource for searching registered sex offenders living in the county. Visit the Sex Offender Registry page on the Sheriff's Office website to find sex offenders.
The Chatham County Detention Center is the only correctional facility in the county. It is located within the Chatham County Sheriff’s Complex at:
1050 Carl Griffin Drive
Savannah, GA 31405
Friends and family can send money to inmates’ accounts by making cash and credit card deposits deposit kiosks located in the Video Visitation Center the detention center and the main lobby of the Chatham County Sheriff's Office. Visit www.jailATM.com to fund an inmate's account online. You will need a credit/debit card to transfer the money on the website. There is a $2.50 ATM fee for each transaction. The maximum daily deposit allowed per visitor per inmate is $300. For more information, call the corrections department at phone: (912) 652-7700.
Court Records
All the courts in Chatham County are part of the Eastern Judicial Circuit (First District) of Georgia. The highest trial court of justice in the county is the Chatham County Superior Court located at:
Chatham County Courthouse
133 Montgomery Street, Room 304,
P.O. Box 10227
Savannah, GA 31412
Phone: (912) 652-7200
Fax: (912) 652-7380
Chatham County has other lower courts including a State Court, a Juvenile Court, a Probate Court, a Magistrate Court and six Municipal Courts, and a Recorder's Court. Below are their addresses and contact information:
State Court of Chatham County
Chatham County Courthouse
133 Montgomery Street,
Room 501, P.O. Box 9927
Savannah, GA 31412
Phone: (912) 652-7224
Fax: (912) 652-7229
Chatham County Juvenile Court
197 Carl Griffin Drive
Savannah, GA 31405
Phone: (912) 652-6716
Fax: (912) 652-6741
Probate Court of Chatham County
Chatham County Courthouse
133 Montgomery Street, Room 509
Savannah, GA 31401-3242
Phone: (912) 652-7265
Fax: (912) 652-7262
Chatham County Magistrate Court
Chatham County Courthouse
133 Montgomery Street, Room 303
Savannah, GA 31401
Phone: (912) 652-7181
Municipal Court of Bloomingdale-Administrative Office
6 Adams Road, P.O. Box 216,
Bloomingdale, GA 31302
Phone: (912) 748-8302
Fax: (912) 748-4192
Court sessions hold at:
Bloomingdale City Hall Building,
8 US Highway 80
Municipal Court of Garden City
100 Central Avenue,
Garden City, GA 31405
Phone: (912) 963-2708
Municipal Court of Pooler
100 US Highway 80 Southwest,
Pooler, GA 31322
Phone: (912) 748-7333
Municipal Court of Port Wentworth
City Hall
305 South Coastal Highway,
Port Wentworth, GA 31407
Phone: (912) 964-4360
Municipal Court of Thunderbolt
2821 River Drive, Room 205,
Thunderbolt, GA 31404
Phone: (912) 629-4667
Fax: (912) 629-4668
Municipal Court of Tybee Island
78 Van Horne Drive, P.O. Box 1340,
Tybee Island, GA 31328
Phone: (912) 786-5635
Fax: (912) 786-4003
Recorder's Court of Chatham County
Chatham County Courthouse
133 Montgomery Street, Room 116,
Savannah, GA 31401
Phone: (912) 652-7425
Fax: (912) 652-7413
You can view the records ofthe Superior, State, Magistrate, Probate and Recorders Courts online at the Chatham County Court System website using the Smart Search tool. The tool allows users to search either by record number or name of the subject. As a registered user on the website, you will be able to purchase all court records (except for records of the Probate Court) for a fee (fees will be paid directly to the Clerk of the Court holding the record). These records can also be accessed from the public access terminals located inside the Clerk’s office in the Chatham County Courthouse. Municipal and Probate Courts records can be accessed by visiting the Clerk of the Court’s office in person.
The appropriate fees for purchasing court records are determined by the court holding the record. For example, the Probate Court provides certified copies at $10 for the first page and $1 for all subsequent pages. It also provides exemplified copies at $15 for the first page and $1 for each additional page, and uncertified copies cost $1 per page. Charges may include an additional $10 research fee where the assistance of a Record Room staff is needed to locate relevant documents.
Vital Records
Divorce records for Chatham county are provided by the State Office of Vital Records and the Chatham County Clerk of Superior Court. The State Office of Vital Records provides records for divorces that have taken place in the county from June 1952 to August 1996. For divorce records prior to 1952 and after 1996, contact the Chatham County Clerk of Superior Court.
The Georgia State Office of Vital Records accepts in-person and mail requests for divorce records. To request a copy of divorce record by mail, complete the Divorce Verification Form and mail it to:
State Office of Vital Records
1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30349
Other requirements include a photocopy of your photo ID and a check or money order for $10 sent along with your mail request. The $10 fee includes charges for a record search and one certified copy of the divorce certificate. The office also charges an additional $10 for every three years of records searched for requests submitted without the year of divorce. You can also make your request in person at the State Office of Vital Records located at:
1680 Phoenix Boulevard,
Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30349
or at the local Vital Records Office in Chatham County located at:
1395 Eisenhower Dr.
Savannah, GA 31406
Phone: (912) 356-2138
The offices are open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. between Monday and Friday. You can pay for an in-person request with cash or credit/debit card. While it takes 8 – 10 weeks to process a mail-in request, walk-inrequests are completed the same day.
To obtain a copy of the divorce record prior to 1952 or after 1996, contact the Chatham County Office of the County Superior Court Clerk. Download and complete the same Divorce Verification Form, and submit it in-person to the office at:
133 Montgomery Street, RM 304
Savannah, GA 31401
Phone: (912) 652-7200
Fax: (912) 652-7380
The office also charges a $10 fee per request and you are also required to present a photocopy of a valid ID.
Records of marriages that happened in Chatham County are either provided by the Probate Court or the State Office of Vital Records, Georgia Department of Public Health. While the Vital Record Office only provides copies of marriage records from June 1952 to August 1996, Chatham County Probate Court issues copies before and after these dates. To request a record from the Georgia State Vital Records, start by downloading and completing the Marriage Record Form. Submit the completed form, along with a $10 fee, in person or by mail to:
State Office of Vital Records
1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30349
Other requirements apply as with obtaining a divorce record. For marriage records maintained by the office of the probate judge, send a completed Existing Marriage Document Request Form by mail to:
Probate Court of Chatham County
Marriage Certificates
P.O. Box 8344
Savannah, GA 31412
Alternatively, submit your request in person to:
Probate Court of Chatham County
133 Montgomery Street, Room 509
Savannah, GA 31401
The Probate Court charges $10 for each certified copy of a marriage certificate.
Birth and death certificates for Chatham County are issued by both the State Office of Vital Records and the local Vital Records Office in the county. Available birth records are from January 1919 to the present and cost $25 per copy. Download and complete the Birth Record Form or Death Record Form to request a copy from the State Office either by mail or in person. Send or submit the completed form along with a photocopy of your photo ID to:
State Office of Vital Records
1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30349
You may also purchase a birth record or death record from Chatham County Vital Records Office in one of the three ways; in person, by mail, or by telephone. Chatham County Vital Records Office is located at:
Chatham County Health Department
1395 Eisenhower Drive,
Savannah, GA
Phone: (912) 356-2138
1-866 667-3236 (toll-free)
Office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (the office closes earlier on Fridays by 2:00 p.m.). When sending a mail request, include the completed Birth Record form, a copy of a state-issued photo ID, a stamped self-addressed envelope, and a cashier's check or USPS money order payable to Vital Records, P.O. Box 14257, Savannah, GA 31416. For more information, you can reach the Chatham County Vital Records Office on the telephone at (912) 356-2138 or call this toll-free line: (866) 667-3236.
