Search Mason County Police Records
Mason County police records are held by the Sheriff's Office and Circuit Clerk in Havana. This page shows how to request incident reports, look up court cases, and reach the right agencies.
Mason County Quick Facts
Mason County Sheriff's Office
The Mason County Sheriff's Office is located at 102 W. Market St. in Havana, IL 62644. The sheriff provides law enforcement for the unincorporated parts of the county. This includes patrol, jail operations, and court security. Police records from the sheriff cover incident reports, arrest records, crash reports, and dispatch logs.
To get a police report from Mason County, you submit a written FOIA request. The Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/) requires all requests to be in writing. You can mail your request, deliver it in person, or check with the office about email submissions. Be clear about what you need. Include names, dates, and any case numbers you have.
Mason County maintains a FOIA directory that lists the FOIA officers for each county department. This is a good place to start if you are not sure who handles the type of record you need. The directory is posted on the county website as a PDF. Check it before you send your request so it goes to the right person the first time.
Mason County is a small, rural county. The sheriff's office is the main law enforcement agency for most of the area. Havana has a small local police force, but the sheriff covers the majority of the county. Response times for FOIA requests follow state law. The agency has five business days to respond, with a possible extension to ten days for larger requests.
| Address | 102 W. Market St., Havana, IL 62644 |
|---|---|
| FOIA Directory | View FOIA Officers (PDF) |
How to File a FOIA Request in Mason County
Write your request clearly. State what records you want. Give specific dates. Include full names of the people involved. A case number helps a lot if you have one. Phone calls alone are not enough under state law. The request must be in writing to trigger the formal FOIA timeline.
Once the FOIA officer gets your written request, the clock starts. Five business days. That is the standard window. The agency can extend it to ten days if the request is complex or covers a lot of records. You will get a response in writing. The response will either provide your records, state the copy cost, or explain why the request was denied with a specific legal citation from the FOIA statute (5 ILCS 140/).
Standard fees apply. The first 50 pages are free for black and white. After that, pages cost $0.15 each. Electronic delivery by email is free in most cases. Color copies cost the actual reproduction price. Ask about fees before the agency starts printing so you can choose the cheapest delivery method.
If your request is denied, you have options. File an appeal with the Illinois Attorney General's Public Access Counselor. It costs nothing. No lawyer needed. The PAC reviews the denial and issues a binding opinion. This is a real tool for pushing back if you think Mason County withheld records it should have released.
Some records will be partially withheld. Open investigation files are the most common example. The agency can redact certain parts while still releasing the rest. Witness statements, victim info, and details that could compromise an active case may be blacked out. Once the investigation closes, you can ask again for the full record.
Mason County Circuit Clerk Records
Debbie Friend serves as the Mason County Circuit Clerk. The office is at 125 N Plum in Havana, IL 62644. Call (309) 543-6619 for questions. You can email circuitclerk@masoncountyil.gov. The Mason County Circuit Clerk page has info about court services and hours.
Court records track what happens after an arrest. When someone is charged with a crime in Mason County, the case goes through the circuit court. The clerk keeps every document from that point forward. Charges, pleas, motions, trial dates, verdicts, and sentences are all part of the court record. This is separate from the police report, which covers what happened at the scene.
To look up a court case, visit the clerk's office in person. Bring a case number if you have one. The staff can search by name, but a case number is faster. Certified copies cost more than plain ones. Ask about the current fee schedule before you order copies. Most basic copies follow the state FOIA pricing guidelines.
| Clerk | Debbie Friend |
|---|---|
| Address | 125 N Plum, Havana, IL 62644 |
| Phone | (309) 543-6619 |
| circuitclerk@masoncountyil.gov | |
| Website | masoncountyil.gov/circuit-clerk |
State Police Resources for Mason County
ISP Troop 6 covers Mason County. If a state trooper wrote the report, you must request it from ISP. File through the ISP FOIA page. Mail to 801 South 7th Street, Suite 1000-S, Springfield, IL 62703, or email ISP.FOIA.Officer@illinois.gov.
The screenshot below shows the ISP crash reports page, which is useful for accidents on state roads through Mason County.
Visit the ISP Crash Reports page for information on ordering accident reports from state highways.
ISP crash reports cost $5 each. You can order them online or by mail from the Illinois State Police.
For criminal background checks, ISP runs the CHIRP system. Under the Uniform Conviction Information Act (20 ILCS 2635/), only conviction records appear in the public results. The fee is $16. Arrests that did not result in a conviction are excluded. The Illinois Sex Offender Registry is free. Search by name or address to find registered offenders in Mason County.
Types of Records Available in Mason County
Several types of police records exist in Mason County. What you need depends on what happened and which agency handled it.
- Incident and offense reports from the sheriff
- Arrest records and jail booking data
- Traffic crash reports from county roads
- Court case files from the Circuit Clerk
- Active warrant info (limited access)
- Sex offender data from the state registry
Know which agency to contact. County road crashes go to the sheriff. State highway crashes go to ISP Troop 6. City police in Havana keep their own records. All criminal court cases go through the Mason County Circuit Clerk regardless of which agency made the arrest. Sending your request to the wrong agency slows everything down.
Cities in Mason County
Havana is the county seat and the largest community. Other towns include Mason City and San Jose. Cities with their own police departments handle their own reports. All court cases for the county go through the Mason County Circuit Clerk in Havana.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Mason County. Each one has its own sheriff and court system.