Oneonta Jail Inmate Search

Oneonta became a city in 1891 as a result of a coal mining that was being performed in the vicinity of Sprout Springs. During this time city records were not very well recorded nor kept. Like many other towns and cities, Oneonta ran on the Town Marshal system. Records indicate that the towns police department was formed about the same time that the town was incorporated. At this time the Mayor, Town Marshal, or the Sheriff of Blount County all shared the law enforcement duties in Oneonta.

Early records state that J.F. Ryan was the first Town Marshal to serve for the Police Department, and the Mayor was J.B. Sloan. With the records not being well kept but the records indicate that the first “Police Chief of Oneonta” was W.E. Nations. In the early years, the Police Department was not on duty 24 hours a day like it does today. Police officers tended to their personal daily lives and patrolled or were called when needed. As the city's population grew the police department did also. During this time police officers patrolled with only a nightstick.

Before 1998 the police department and the fire department shared offices. Construction on a new police department began in 2007 and was completed in 2008. From 1988 until relocation in 2008 the police department was housed in the old national guard armory building. In October of 2008, the Oneonta Police Department moved to the current location inside of the Danny B. Hicks municipal complex which is located at 302 2nd Street North. This relocation was constructed carry out the vision of the late Mayor Danny Hicks that all city offices be under one roof that was centrally located. Since the beginning of the police department, many divisions have been added such as traffic, homicide investigations, commercial vehicle enforcement, evidence technicians, narcotics investigations, and special operations units.