Find Chamblee Inmate Population Records
Chamblee's inmate population falls under the DeKalb County jail system. People arrested by the Chamblee Police Department are transported to the DeKalb County Jail for booking and housing. Chamblee sits in the northern part of DeKalb County, just inside the I-285 perimeter near the Buford Highway corridor. The city has its own police force, but like all Georgia cities, it does not operate a municipal jail. The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office manages all inmates. You can search for people held in the DeKalb system through the sheriff's website, VINELink, or the statewide GDC offender database. This page walks through each option.
Chamblee Quick Facts
DeKalb County Jail and Chamblee Arrests
All inmates arrested in Chamblee go to the DeKalb County Jail. The facility sits in Decatur, the county seat, and serves as the main detention center for the entire county. Georgia runs a county-based jail system, meaning the sheriff is in charge of all detention operations. The Chamblee Police Department makes the arrest and handles initial paperwork, but the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office takes over once the person reaches the jail.
The DeKalb County Jail is one of the larger facilities in the metro Atlanta area. It processes arrests from more than a dozen cities within DeKalb County, along with the sheriff's own deputies who patrol unincorporated areas. The jail handles booking, bond processing, and inmate classification for every person brought in. Because so many agencies feed into the same facility, the inmate population can be high. The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office website has general information about the jail and its operations.
Chamblee itself is a smaller city, but it sits along Buford Highway, a busy commercial corridor. This brings a fair amount of police activity. Arrests made by Chamblee PD end up in the same DeKalb County booking system as arrests from Brookhaven, Tucker, Dunwoody, and other nearby cities.
| Primary Facility | DeKalb County Jail |
|---|---|
| County | DeKalb County |
| Sheriff Website | dekalbsheriff.org |
| Police Department | Chamblee Police Department |
How to Search Chamblee Inmate Population Records
The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office offers an inmate search on their website. Visit the DeKalb Sheriff site and look for the inmate lookup tool. Enter the person's name and the system shows current inmates at the DeKalb County Jail. Results include booking date, charges, bond status, and a mugshot when available. This is the fastest way to check if someone arrested in Chamblee is currently in custody.
The GDC Offender Query covers people who have been sentenced to state prison. If someone was arrested in Chamblee but has since been convicted and sent to a Georgia state prison, this tool will show their current facility and release date. It does not track people in the county jail awaiting trial. Use the DeKalb search for pre-trial detainees and the GDC tool for convicted state inmates.
VINELink searches across jails statewide. It is a good backup if you are not sure which county holds the person. You can also register for alerts through VINELink, which we explain below.
A phone call to the jail works too. Staff can confirm if someone is held there right now.
Chamblee Inmate Lookup Tools
The statewide GDC offender search is the primary tool for finding people in Georgia state prisons. You can reach it through the GDC Offender Query page.
The search form accepts a name or GDC ID number. For inmates still at the DeKalb County Jail who have not been sentenced to state time, use the DeKalb County sheriff's inmate search tool instead. The two systems track different groups of people.
Chamblee Inmate Population Records and Inmate Data
Georgia's Open Records Act covers arrest and jail records. Under O.C.G.A. 50-18-70, anyone can request public records from a government agency. Agencies must respond within three business days. For Chamblee, you can submit requests to both the Chamblee Police Department (for arrest and incident reports) and the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office (for jail records). Standard copies cost ten cents per page.
Some records are not public. O.C.G.A. 50-18-72 exempts active investigation files, records that could put someone at risk, and internal prison disciplinary files. Medical records require written consent from the inmate. If the person has been moved to state prison, you would file your request through the GDC Open Records Portal rather than the county.
Probation records are confidential under O.C.G.A. 42-8-40. Parole records follow O.C.G.A. 42-9-53 with similar limits. These rules apply to all cases in Georgia, including those that start with an arrest in Chamblee.
Chamblee Area Inmates Inmate Population Alerts
VINELink is a free alert system that tracks inmates across Georgia. It covers the DeKalb County Jail, which is where all Chamblee arrests are processed. After finding an inmate in the system, you can sign up for phone calls, emails, or text messages. The system contacts you whenever the person's custody status changes. Releases, transfers, and escapes all trigger a notification. The inmate does not know you registered.
Go to VINELink and search by name. You need a phone number and a four-digit PIN. If the call goes unanswered, VINELink keeps trying for 24 hours. After that, you must re-register. The support number is (833) 216-6670. County jail data updates about every 15 minutes, so the information stays reasonably current.
Chamblee Police Department and Arrests
The Chamblee Police Department covers law enforcement in the city. Officers patrol the streets, respond to calls, and make arrests. When someone is arrested, they are taken to the DeKalb County Jail for booking. Chamblee PD does not operate a jail. This is how it works throughout Georgia. County sheriffs run the jails and cities run the police departments.
Chamblee borders several other cities in DeKalb County. Brookhaven is to the south, Dunwoody to the west, and Tucker to the east. All of these cities feed into the same DeKalb County Jail. If you think someone was arrested near the border between two cities, they still end up in the same jail. That simplifies the search since one lookup covers arrests from any police agency in the county.
The city also falls within the jurisdiction of the DeKalb County Police Department, which patrols unincorporated areas nearby. Some arrests near Chamblee may be made by county police rather than Chamblee PD. Either way, the booking destination is the same.
Chamblee Inmate Population Resources
The Georgia Sheriffs' Association Jail Report publishes monthly data on jail populations statewide. It shows total inmates, capacity, and the percentage of people awaiting trial. DeKalb County is one of the larger jails in Georgia, so its numbers show up regularly in the report. You can use the data to see how full the facility is.
The Georgia Department of Community Supervision tracks people on probation and parole. If someone from the Chamblee area has been released from custody and placed on supervision, DCS manages their case. They oversee about 180,000 felony offenders statewide. DCS does not manage inmates in jail, but they are the right contact for people who are out in the community on supervision.
For visiting someone at a state prison, the GDC visitation page explains the full process. Visitation forms need to be notarized and mailed. Processing takes several weeks. For visits at the DeKalb County Jail, call the sheriff's office to confirm the schedule and what ID you need to bring.
Nearby Cities in Georgia
These cities are near Chamblee and share the DeKalb County jail system or are in neighboring counties. Check these areas if you cannot find an inmate in the DeKalb system.