Search Adams County Police Records

Adams County police records are held by the Sheriff's Office and Circuit Clerk in Quincy. Use the tools on this page to find reports, look up cases, and learn how to file a records request.

Adams County Sheriff's Office Records

The Adams County Sheriff's Office is the main law enforcement agency for the unincorporated parts of the county. The office is at 521 Vermont Street in Quincy, IL 62301. You can visit the Adams County Sheriff website for contact info and general details about the department. The sheriff handles patrol, jail operations, and court security. Police records from the sheriff are available through a FOIA request.

Each department in Adams County handles its own FOIA requests. That is an important detail. If you want a sheriff's report, you ask the sheriff's office. If you want records from the county clerk or another office, you go to that department directly. There is no single place that handles all requests for the whole county. This setup follows the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/), which lets each public body pick its own FOIA officer.

The county also has a central FOIA page. You can find it at the Adams County FOIA page. It lists the officers for each department. Start there if you are not sure who to contact for a specific type of record in Adams County.

The screenshot below shows the Adams County Sheriff's Office website where you can find contact information and resources for police records.

Visit the Adams County Sheriff's website to access department details and learn about available services.

This page gives you the basic info you need to reach the Sheriff's Office and start a records request in Adams County.

Adams County Circuit Clerk and Court Records

Lori Geschwandner serves as the Adams County Circuit Clerk. The office is at 521 Vermont Street in Quincy, IL 62301. You can call at (217) 277-2100. Court records cover criminal cases, civil filings, traffic violations, and other matters that come through the Adams County court system. These files are different from the police reports the sheriff keeps.

If someone was arrested in Adams County and charged with a crime, the court record tracks what happened after the arrest. It shows the charges, plea, trial outcome, and any sentence. Police reports tell you what happened at the scene. Court records tell you what happened in the courtroom. You may need both to get the full picture of a case in Adams County.

To get a copy of a court record, you can go to the Circuit Clerk's office in person. Bring a case number if you have one. The clerk can pull up files by name too, but a case number makes it faster. Fees for copies depend on the type of document. Certified copies cost more than plain ones. Ask the clerk for the current fee schedule when you visit.

How to Request Adams County Police Records

You file a written FOIA request. That is the standard way to get police records in Adams County. The law requires a written request, so phone calls alone will not do it. You can mail your request, drop it off at the sheriff's office, or email it depending on what the department accepts.

Be clear about what you want. Give names, dates, and case numbers when you can. A request for "all records about John Smith from June 2024" works much better than a broad ask for "everything you have." The FOIA officer has five business days to respond. If they need more time, they can extend that to ten days total. Adams County follows the same timeline as every other public body in the state under 5 ILCS 140/.

Fees in Adams County are straightforward. The first 50 pages are free. After that, copies cost $0.15 per page for black and white. Electronic copies sent by email are free. That is a good option if you want to save on costs. Just ask for electronic delivery when you file your request. Not every county offers free electronic copies, so Adams County is a bit ahead on that front.

Some records may be denied in part or in full. The Criminal Identification Act (20 ILCS 2630/) limits what arrest data can go public. If charges were dropped or someone was found not guilty, those records may be sealed or expunged. Open investigations can also be withheld. You will get a written denial letter if any part of your request is turned down.

Illinois State Police Resources for Adams County

ISP Troop 6 covers Adams County. If a state trooper handled an incident here, the report comes from ISP, not the county sheriff. You request ISP records through their FOIA page. Send your request to the ISP FOIA Officer at 801 South 7th Street, Suite 1000-S, Springfield, IL 62703. You can also email ISP.FOIA.Officer@illinois.gov.

For statewide criminal history checks, ISP runs the CHIRP system. This is a name-based search for conviction records under the Uniform Conviction Information Act (20 ILCS 2635/). Only convictions show up. Arrests without convictions are not included. The fee is $16 per search.

The Illinois Sex Offender Registry is another state-level tool. It is free to use. You can search by name or address to see if any registered offenders live in Adams County. This database is maintained under the Sex Offender Registration Act (730 ILCS 150/).

Types of Police Records in Adams County

Adams County holds several types of police records. Each has its own rules about access and fees. Here is what you can look for:

• Incident reports from the Sheriff's Office
• Arrest records and booking logs
• Traffic crash reports from county roads
• Criminal case files from the Circuit Clerk
• Sex offender data from the state registry
• Warrant information (limited public access)

Crash reports from state highways in Adams County go through ISP. County road crashes are handled by the sheriff. City crashes in Quincy go through the Quincy Police Department. Make sure you know which agency responded to the incident before you file a request. Sending it to the wrong office will just slow things down.

Warrant info is tricky. Active warrants are not always public. The sheriff may confirm if a warrant exists for a specific person, but they are not required to give you a list of all outstanding warrants. Call the non-emergency line and ask. The court clerk may also have warrant data tied to criminal cases.

Cities in Adams County

Quincy is the largest city in Adams County and serves as the county seat. Other communities include Camp Point, Payson, and Golden. Cities with their own police departments handle their own records, but court cases for the whole county go through the Adams County Circuit Clerk. For unincorporated areas, the Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency.

Nearby Counties

These counties border Adams County. If you need records from a neighboring area, check which county has jurisdiction over the location in question.