Livingston County Police Records
Livingston County police records are kept by the Sheriff's Office and Circuit Clerk in Pontiac. This page covers how to find and request police records from Livingston County agencies.
Livingston County Quick Facts
Livingston County Sheriff Police Records
The Livingston County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement agency for the county. The office is at 844 W. Lincoln Street in Pontiac, IL 61764. The business line is (815) 844-2774. For non-emergency calls, use (815) 844-0911. You can also reach the office by email at sheriffbusiness@livingstoncountyil.gov.
The sheriff handles patrol, investigations, and jail operations across Livingston County. Police records from the sheriff cover incidents in unincorporated areas and small communities that do not have their own police force. Pontiac is the county seat and largest city. If the incident happened within Pontiac city limits, the Pontiac Police Department may hold the report.
To request a police report, contact the sheriff's office. You can visit in person, call, or send a written request by mail or email. Include the date of the incident, the names of people involved, and a case number if you have one. Livingston County has about 35,500 residents. The staff can usually help with straightforward record requests quickly. For more complex matters, you may need to file a formal FOIA request.
| Address | 844 W. Lincoln Street, Pontiac, IL 61764 |
|---|---|
| Business Phone | (815) 844-2774 |
| Non-Emergency | (815) 844-0911 |
| sheriffbusiness@livingstoncountyil.gov | |
| Website | livingstoncountysheriff.com |
FOIA Requests for Livingston County Police Records
The Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/) gives you the right to request police records from any public body in Livingston County. The county has a designated FOIA Officer, Susan Renken, who can be reached at srenken@livingstoncountyil.gov. The county also has a FOIA page with forms and instructions.
The Livingston County FOIA page is shown below.
This page from the county FOIA section explains how to submit requests and provides the FOIA form.
Your request must be in writing. Include what records you want, the dates, names, and any case or report numbers. The office has five business days to respond. They can take up to five more days if the request is complex. The first 50 pages of black and white copies are free. After that, each page costs $0.15. If the office denies your request, it must cite the specific FOIA exemption. You can appeal to the Illinois Attorney General's Public Access Counselor.
Be specific when you write your request. A focused ask gets processed faster. Vague requests can be turned down as too burdensome under the FOIA. State the type of record, the date, and the location. This helps the Livingston County office find what you need without delays.
Livingston County Circuit Clerk Court Records
The Livingston County Circuit Clerk is Jacquelyn Gragson. Her office is at 110 N. Main Street in Pontiac, IL 61764. Call (815) 844-2602 or email jgragson@livingstoncountyil.gov for questions about court records.
The Livingston County Circuit Clerk page is shown below.
This page from the circuit clerk site shows services and contact info for the office in Pontiac.
After a police report leads to charges, the case goes to circuit court. The clerk stores every filing, motion, hearing, and order. Court records show charges, plea deals, trial outcomes, and sentences. If you have a police report and want the court result, the circuit clerk's files are where you look next. Visit the office in Pontiac with a photo ID to search case records in person.
Livingston County is part of the 11th Judicial Circuit. The clerk's staff can help you find a case by name, date, or case number. Ask about any fees for copies when you arrive at the courthouse.
| Circuit Clerk | Jacquelyn Gragson |
|---|---|
| Address | 110 N. Main Street, Pontiac, IL 61764 |
| Phone | (815) 844-2602 |
| jgragson@livingstoncountyil.gov |
Criminal Background Checks in Livingston County
Criminal background checks are a separate process from police report requests. The Uniform Conviction Information Act (20 ILCS 2635/) limits public access to conviction data only. Arrests that did not lead to a conviction are not public. The Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification handles all criminal history checks.
Use the CHIRP portal for name-based searches. Visit a Live Scan vendor for fingerprint-based results. The Criminal Identification Act (20 ILCS 2630/) controls access to sealed and expunged records. Sealed records cannot be viewed by the public. The Access and Review process lets you check your own record at no cost through a Live Scan location.
Neither the Livingston County Sheriff nor the circuit clerk can run full background checks. Their files cover local Livingston County cases only. For a statewide criminal history, contact ISP directly.
State Police Records Covering Livingston County
ISP Troop 5 covers Livingston County. Troopers patrol I-55 and state highways in the area. If a state trooper handled the incident, the report is with ISP. Send a FOIA request to 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 online. I-55 runs through Livingston County, so ISP handles a good number of crash reports in the area. For other ISP record types, a standard FOIA request applies.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Livingston County. Make sure you know which county handled the incident before submitting a records request.