Putnam County
Sheriff's Office

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