Knox County Police Records
Knox County police records are kept by the Sheriff's Office and Circuit Clerk in Galesburg. This guide covers how to search for, request, and access police records from Knox County agencies.
Knox County Quick Facts
Knox County Sheriff Police Records
The Knox County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency for the county. The office is at 152 South Kellogg Street in Galesburg, IL 61401. The 24-hour number is (309) 343-9151 and the admin line is (309) 345-3733. The sheriff handles patrol, investigations, and jail operations across Knox County. Police records from the sheriff cover incidents outside of city limits and areas without their own police force.
To get a copy of a police report, start with the sheriff's office. You can visit in person during business hours or call to ask about the process. Written requests are the standard way to get records. Include the date, names, and a case number if you have one. Knox County has about 49,000 residents. Galesburg is the largest city. Incidents in the city of Galesburg may be handled by the Galesburg Police Department, not the county sheriff. Check which agency responded to the call before you submit a request.
The Knox County Sheriff's website is shown below.
The sheriff's main page lists contact details and services for the office in Galesburg.
| Address | 152 South Kellogg Street, Galesburg, IL 61401 |
|---|---|
| 24-Hour Phone | (309) 343-9151 |
| Admin Phone | (309) 345-3733 |
| Website | knoxcountysheriffil.com |
FOIA Requests for Knox County Police Records
The Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/) gives the public the right to request police records from any government body in Knox County. The sheriff's office uses a JustFOIA online portal for submitting and tracking requests. This portal lets you file your request from home and check its status at any time.
The Knox County FOIA portal is shown below.
The JustFOIA portal makes it simple to submit and track FOIA requests to the Knox County Sheriff.
Knox County fees for records follow the FOIA schedule. The first 50 pages of black and white copies are free. After that, each page costs $0.15. Color copies run $0.25 per page. Digital records are provided at cost. Certification of a document costs $1.00. The office must respond within five business days. Complex requests can take up to five extra days. If your request is denied, the denial must cite the FOIA exemption. You can appeal to the Illinois Attorney General's Public Access Counselor at no cost.
Be specific when you file a request. State what type of record you need. Give the date, names, and location. A focused request gets processed faster. Vague or overly broad requests may be denied as too burdensome under the FOIA.
Knox County Circuit Clerk Court Records
The Knox County Circuit Clerk is Mary Ostrander. Her office is at 200 South Cherry Street in Galesburg, IL 61401. Call (309) 345-6719 for information. The circuit clerk keeps all court records tied to police activity in Knox County. When a case moves from arrest to court, the clerk tracks every step.
Court records include charges, motions, hearings, plea agreements, verdicts, and sentences. If you have a police report and want to know what happened in court, the circuit clerk's files are where you look. Visit the office in Galesburg with a photo ID to search case records. You can also call to ask about the process and any fees for copies.
Knox County is part of the 9th Judicial Circuit. All criminal and civil cases from the county go through this court. The clerk's staff can help you search for a case if you have a name, date, or case number. For older records, you may need to visit in person since digital archives may not go back very far.
Criminal Background Checks in Knox County
A criminal background check is not the same as a police report request. The Uniform Conviction Information Act (20 ILCS 2635/) says only conviction data is public. Arrests that did not end in a conviction are private. The Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification handles these checks.
Use the CHIRP portal for name-based searches. Go to a Live Scan vendor for fingerprint-based results. The Criminal Identification Act (20 ILCS 2630/) controls sealed and expunged records. Sealed records are off limits to the general public. Only certain agencies and the named individual can access them. The Access and Review process lets you check your own record at no charge.
Neither the Knox County Sheriff nor the circuit clerk can give you a full criminal history. Their records cover local Knox County cases only. For a statewide check, you must go through ISP.
State Police Records Covering Knox County
ISP Troop 4 covers Knox County. Troopers patrol highways and state roads in the area. If a state trooper was involved in the incident, the record is with ISP. Contact the ISP FOIA Officer at ISP.FOIA.Officer@illinois.gov or go to isp.illinois.gov/Foia.
Crash reports from ISP cost $5.00 each by mail. Send a check to the Patrol Records Unit at 801 South 7th Street, Suite 600-M, Springfield, IL 62703. You can also order them online. For other record types, a standard FOIA request to ISP applies. ISP also runs the sex offender registry, which is searchable online without a FOIA request.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Knox County. Verify the address of the incident before contacting a county office for records.