Springfield Police Records Search

Police records in Springfield are kept by the Springfield Police Department for incidents within city limits and by the Sangamon County Sheriff for calls in the unincorporated parts of the county. Springfield is the state capital of Illinois, which means the Illinois State Police headquarters is also located here. That gives the city a unique position when it comes to police records access. This page covers how to get reports from local and county agencies, the FOIA process, fees, and how to search criminal history through the state system.

Sangamon County and Springfield Records

Springfield is the county seat of Sangamon County. The Sangamon County Sheriff's Office is at One Sheriff's Plaza, Springfield, IL 62701. For records and FOIA requests, call (217) 753-6385. The sheriff has a dedicated FOIA page on their website.

The sheriff handles law enforcement outside Springfield city limits but inside Sangamon County. This includes unincorporated areas and some smaller towns that contract with the sheriff for police services. If the incident happened within Springfield proper, that report belongs to Springfield PD. Outside the city, try the sheriff.

The Sangamon County Circuit Clerk is Joe Roesch. The office is at 200 S. Ninth Street, Room 405, Springfield, IL 62701. Phone: (217) 753-6674. Court records for criminal cases that originate in Springfield go through this office. The police report and the court file are kept by different agencies, so you may need to contact both if you want the full picture.

How to Request Springfield Police Records

Both Springfield PD and the Sangamon County Sheriff process requests under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/). Put your request in writing. Include your full name, a mailing address or email, and a clear description of the records you want. Case numbers speed things up. Dates and addresses help too. Avoid broad requests that cover a wide range of records.

The law gives the agency five business days to respond. An extension to ten days is possible if the request is complicated or if the records need legal review before release. A denial must come in writing with a specific FOIA exemption cited. You can appeal to the Illinois Attorney General.

The screenshot below shows the Sangamon County Sheriff's website, which includes FOIA instructions for requesting police records in the Springfield area.

Springfield PD keeps its own records separate from the sheriff. Make sure your request goes to the right agency. If you are not sure which one responded to your call, the sheriff's office at (217) 753-6385 can usually help you figure it out.

Fees and Payment

The first 50 pages are free. State law sets this limit. After 50 pages, each additional page costs $0.15 for black and white copies. Color copies and special formats cost more. Both Springfield PD and the Sangamon Sheriff accept payment by check or money order. Credit cards are generally not accepted for FOIA fees.

There is no fee to submit a request. You only pay once the records are compiled and ready. The agency will tell you the total before they hand over anything. If it is more than you want to spend, ask them to narrow it down. Sometimes just getting the main report (and skipping supplemental attachments) cuts the page count significantly.

ISP Headquarters in Springfield

Springfield is home to the Illinois State Police headquarters at 801 South 7th Street. This is where the ISP FOIA Officer, Sarah Wheeler, is based. Her email is ISP.FOIA.Officer@illinois.gov. Having the ISP headquarters in Springfield does not change how records requests work, but it does mean that walk-in requests to ISP are an option if you live in the area.

The Bureau of Identification, which handles criminal history checks, is in Joliet, not Springfield. So even though ISP headquarters is here, background checks still go through the Joliet office at 260 North Chicago Street. Call (815) 740-5160 for those requests.

ISP Troop 6 covers Sangamon County and the Springfield area. If a state trooper wrote the report, you need to request it from ISP. This is common for incidents on I-55, I-72, or Route 36 near Springfield.

Criminal Background Checks

Neither Springfield PD nor the Sangamon Sheriff runs criminal background checks for the public. The Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification handles these statewide from 260 North Chicago Street in Joliet.

The Uniform Conviction Information Act (20 ILCS 2635/) makes conviction data public. Arrests without convictions are sealed. The Criminal Identification Act (20 ILCS 2630/) adds more restrictions and details on who can access what.

Use CHIRP for name-based conviction searches. You need to register an account. Fingerprint-based checks go through a Live Scan vendor. The Access and Review process at ISP is free if you want to see your own record. This is a smart step before applying for anything that requires a clean background.

Crash Reports and Other ISP Records

ISP crash reports cost $5 each. Order at isp.illinois.gov/CrashReports or mail a check to the Patrol Records Unit, 801 South 7th Street, Suite 600-M, Springfield, IL 62703. You get a redacted copy. Unredacted versions require a court order.

For other ISP records in the Springfield area, contact Sarah Wheeler at ISP.FOIA.Officer@illinois.gov. First 50 pages free, then $0.15 per page. Check or money order only. The Sex Offender Registry is online at sor.isp.illinois.gov and covers all of Illinois.

Nearby Cities

These central Illinois cities have their own police departments and records processes.