Home Message From the Sheriff Press Releases Contact Us Departments Most Wanted Sex Offenders Frequently Asked Questions Welcome to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office website. We hope it will be of assistance to you in your public safety and law enforcement needs. Putnam County is located approximately 60 miles southeast of Atlanta. It is a community of approximately 22,000 full time residents that is rich in history and natural resources. Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair comprise most of the county's north, east, and southern boundaries. These lakes give the county more shoreline and waterfront property than any other county in Georgia except for those situated along the Atlantic coast. The City of Eatonton is the county seat and it is the quintessential small southern town with its majestic courthouse square, quaint shops, and lovely antebellum homes. The Oconee National Forest comprises over a fourth of the county's land mass and much of the remaining acreage is dotted with picturesque dairy farms, as it is the leading milk producing county in the state. Archeologists say the Putnam area was settled by Native Americans over 3,000 years ago. The Woodland Indians are believed to have built both the Rock Eagle and Rock Hawk effigy mounds. The Rock Eagle effigy is located in the northern part of the county at the University of Georgia’s Rock Eagle 4-H Center, and the Rock Hawk effigy is on Georgia Power property east of Eatonton near Lake Oconee just off the Historic Piedmont Scenic Byway. Joel Chandler Harris, author of The Uncle Remus Tales, was born in Putnam and the "Uncle Remus Museum" is located in downtown Eatonton. Contemporary writer, Alice Walker, who penned The Color Purple, is also a Putnam County native. The Sheriff’s Office is the primary public safety entity of the county providing full service law enforcement services throughout the community and operating the county jail. It further handles E911 and the dispatching of all emergency services in the county except for the Eatonton City Police. The sheriff also serves as director of the county Emergency Management Agency. Long ago the Georgia Supreme Court said, "...the Office of Sheriff carries with it the duty to preserve the peace, and protect the lives, property, health, and morals of the people...", and it is a great honor to hold this office and lead the men and women who have this duty. -Sheriff Howard R. Sills 03/18/2021 Notice of Change to Notifications / Text Alert Sy...more 06/05/2020 Plane Crash...more 09/16/2014 New Release...more 09/12/2014 New Release -- temporary road closing...more Eatonton-Putnam Co. Chamber of Commerce | Georgia Emergency Management Agency Georgia Sheriffs' Association | Putnam Co. Government Phone: 706-485-8557 (24 hours) • P.O. Box 3637, 111 Ridley Drive, Eatonton, GA 31024 Map Home | Administration | Chaplain | Court Services | Criminal Investigations Frequently Asked Questions | Jail Division | K-9 Unit | Links & Resources | Map | Marine Patrol Message from the Sheriff | Most Wanted | Office of Emergency Management | Patrol Division Press Releases | Sex Offenders | Substations | Warrants & Civil Process | 911 - Dispatch | Contact Us PUTNAM COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE | © 2021 PUTNAM COUNTY, GEORGIA