Call it "the police" and everyone knows what you mean — but in Macon-Bibb, there is no city police department. The main law-enforcement agency here is the Bibb County Sheriff's Office, led by an elected sheriff who answers to voters, not to the mayor or the commission. That one fact explains a lot about how public safety works in this county.
The short answer
The sheriff is an elected county official who runs the Bibb County Sheriff's Office: road patrol, criminal investigations, the county jail, courthouse security, warrants — even animal services. Since Macon and Bibb County consolidated in 2014, it's the law-enforcement agency for the whole county. The main line is (478) 751-7500 (911 for emergencies).
Sheriff vs. "the police"
A police department is created by a city or county government and answers to it. A sheriff is different: in Georgia, the sheriff is a constitutional officer — one of four in every county, alongside the clerk of superior court, the probate judge, and the tax commissioner — elected directly by voters to a four-year term.
That independence has teeth. Under Georgia law:
- The sheriff's deputies and employees generally work for the sheriff, not the county.
- The commission approves the office's budget — but once approved, it cannot dictate how the sheriff spends it.
- The county can't take law enforcement away from the sheriff by creating its own police force; a county police department would require voter approval, and even then the sheriff keeps the duty to enforce the law and preserve the peace.
So when you see the commission debate the Sheriff's Office budget, that's the real check-and-balance moment — funding is the commission's lever, operations are the sheriff's.
What the office actually runs
The Bibb County Sheriff's Office is more than patrol cars. Its divisions include:
- Patrol
- the deputies answering calls across the county.
- Criminal Investigations and Forensics
- detectives working cases.
- Corrections & Detention
- the county jail at 668 Oglethorpe Street, holding people 17 and older who are awaiting trial or serving on misdemeanor and felony charges.
- Court Services
- security for the courthouse and courtrooms, and transporting inmates to court. (Which court is which?)
- Warrants
- serving arrest warrants and civil papers.
- Animal Services
- the county's animal welfare operation runs under the sheriff.
County leaders also moved oversight of the E-911 communications center to the Sheriff's Office in 2022, per news reports.
What the sheriff does NOT do
The sheriff's job ends where the courtroom begins:
- Prosecuting cases belongs to the District Attorney of the Macon Judicial Circuit (covering Bibb, Crawford, and Peach counties) — a separately elected office.
- Deciding guilt and sentences belongs to the courts.
Arrest, prosecution, and judgment are three different elected offices on purpose — no one person controls the chain.
Who holds the job
The current sheriff is David Davis, first elected in November 2012 and re-elected to a fourth term in November 2024 — he won the May 2024 Democratic primary outright and was unopposed in the November general election, where the county's certified results recorded 57,157 votes. Because the office is elected — and partisan, unlike some local boards — the ballot box is where the sheriff is hired and fired. (Who runs those elections?)
Where to go next
- What does Macon-Bibb County government do? — the consolidation story, and who's elected on their own.
- What courts serve Macon-Bibb residents? — where a case goes after an arrest.
- What does the Board of Commissioners do? — the board that funds, but doesn't run, the Sheriff's Office.
- Ask Mulberry — ask how the sheriff, the DA, and the courts fit together.
Bibb County Sheriff's Office (bibbsheriff.us) — the office's divisions (Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Corrections & Detention, Court Services, Warrants, Animal Services, Forensics, and more); main phone (478) 751-7500.
Bibb County Sheriff's Office — Sheriff David Davis (bibbsheriff.us) — first elected sheriff in November 2012; re-elected to his fourth term in November 2024.
Bibb County Sheriff's Office — Corrections & Detention (bibbsheriff.us) — the jail at 668 Oglethorpe Street houses male and female inmates 17 and older on misdemeanor or felony charges.
Bibb County Sheriff's Office — Court Services (bibbsheriff.us) — law-enforcement security for the courthouse and courtrooms, and prisoner transport for court appearances.
ACCG — Other County Officials, Officers, Boards, Authorities (accg.org) — the four constitutional officers, independently elected; the sheriff's four-year term; deputies as employees of the sheriff; the commission's inability to dictate spending after budget approval; county police forces require voter approval and cannot divest the sheriff's law-enforcement duty; the sheriff as county jailor.
Macon-Bibb County — Official and Complete Summary Report, Nov. 5, 2024 General Election (maconbibb.us) — certified results: Sheriff David Davis (I) (Dem), 57,157 votes, unopposed; District Attorney Anita Reynolds Howard (I) (Dem) re-elected.
Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney (maconjudicialcircuitda.com) — Anita R. Howard, elected District Attorney in 2020; the circuit serves Bibb, Crawford, and Peach counties.
Last reviewed August 2026. Officeholders and division structure can change; bibbsheriff.us is the authoritative source.