Montgomery County Police Records
Montgomery County police records are held by the Sheriff's Office and Circuit Clerk in Hillsboro. Use this page to find out how to request reports, search court records, and file FOIA requests with county agencies.
Montgomery County Quick Facts
Montgomery County Sheriff's Office
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office is at 140 N. Main Street in Hillsboro, IL 62049. Call (217) 532-9511 to reach the department. You can email tysonh@montgomerycountyil.gov for inquiries. The sheriff provides law enforcement for the unincorporated parts of the county. This includes patrol, jail operations, court security, and civil process.
Police records from the sheriff cover incident reports, arrest logs, traffic crash reports, and dispatch data. To get copies, you need to file a written FOIA request. The Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/) gives you the right to ask for these records. Write your request clearly. Include names, dates, and case numbers when you have them. This helps the staff find your records fast.
The Montgomery County Sheriff's page is shown below.
Visit the Montgomery County Sheriff's page for contact details and department information.
The sheriff's page gives you the basics for reaching the department about police records or general law enforcement questions.
Montgomery County sits in south-central Illinois. It has about 28,000 residents. Hillsboro is the county seat and the center of government. The sheriff's office is the main law enforcement agency for most of the county. Litchfield, Nokomis, and other towns have their own police departments. When you need a sheriff's report, direct your request to the sheriff's office, not a city department.
| Address | 140 N. Main Street, Hillsboro, IL 62049 |
|---|---|
| Phone | (217) 532-9511 |
| tysonh@montgomerycountyil.gov | |
| Website | montgomerycountyil.gov/sheriff |
FOIA Process for Montgomery County Records
Every FOIA request must be in writing. Phone calls are not enough. You can mail the request, deliver it in person, or email it if the agency accepts that. Once the FOIA officer gets your request, the clock starts. Five business days is the standard response window. The office can extend this to ten days for large or complex requests. Both the extension and the final response must be in writing.
Standard copy fees apply across Montgomery County. The first 50 pages of black and white copies are free. After that, each page costs $0.15. Electronic copies sent by email are free. Color copies cost the actual price to make them. Ask for electronic delivery when you can. It is the cheapest option and usually the fastest too.
If your request is denied, you will get a written explanation. The letter must cite the specific exemption from the FOIA statute (5 ILCS 140/). Common denial reasons include active investigations, personal privacy protections, and law enforcement safety. You have the right to appeal. File with the Illinois Attorney General's Public Access Counselor. It costs nothing and you do not need a lawyer. The PAC reviews the denial and issues an opinion.
Some criminal records have extra restrictions at the state level. The Uniform Conviction Information Act (20 ILCS 2635/) means that only conviction data is available through state-level criminal history searches. Arrest records without a conviction are excluded. But you can still request arrest records from the Montgomery County Sheriff under FOIA. The local path follows different rules than the state path.
Montgomery County Circuit Clerk Records
Daniel Robbins is the Montgomery County Circuit Clerk. The office is at 120 N. Main Street in Hillsboro, IL 62049. Call (217) 532-9546 for questions about court records. The Montgomery County Circuit Clerk page has info about court services and filings.
The Circuit Clerk's page on the county website is shown below.
Visit the Circuit Clerk's page for details about court records and procedures in Montgomery County.
Court records here show what happened after a police arrest, from charging through sentencing.
Court records and police records serve different purposes. The police report covers the incident. The court record covers the legal process that follows. After police make an arrest in Montgomery County, the State's Attorney decides whether to file charges. If charges are filed, the case enters the circuit court and the clerk tracks every document. Charges, pleas, motions, trial outcomes, and sentences are all part of the court file.
To pull court records, 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 makes things faster. Certified copies cost more than regular ones. Call ahead to ask about the current fee schedule. If you need both the police report and the court record for a case, you will have to contact both the sheriff and the clerk. They are separate offices.
| Clerk | Daniel Robbins |
|---|---|
| Address | 120 N. Main Street, Hillsboro, IL 62049 |
| Phone | (217) 532-9546 |
| Website | montgomerycountyil.gov/circuit-clerk |
State Police Resources for Montgomery County
ISP Troop 8 covers Montgomery County. State troopers respond to incidents on interstates and state routes. I-55 passes through the county, so ISP handles a good amount of traffic enforcement in the area. If a trooper wrote the report, request it from ISP, not the county sheriff.
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. Crash reports from ISP cost $5 each. Pay by check or money order. Include the date, location, and names of drivers in your request.
For criminal background checks, ISP runs the CHIRP system. Under the Uniform Conviction Information Act (20 ILCS 2635/), only conviction records appear. The fee is $16. The Illinois Sex Offender Registry is free. Search by name or address for registered offenders in Montgomery County. No FOIA request needed for that database.
Types of Police Records in Montgomery County
Montgomery County agencies hold several types of police records. What you need depends on the incident and which agency responded.
- 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
- Warrant information (limited access)
- Sex offender data from the ISP registry
County road crashes go to the sheriff. State highway crashes, particularly on I-55, go through ISP Troop 8. City police in Hillsboro, Litchfield, and Nokomis keep their own records. All criminal court cases for the county go through the Montgomery County Circuit Clerk. Make sure you send your request to the correct agency. The wrong office cannot help you and it wastes time for both sides.
Active warrants have limited public access. The sheriff may confirm if a warrant exists for a specific person but will not release a full list. Call the non-emergency number to ask about a particular individual.
Cities in Montgomery County
Hillsboro is the county seat. Litchfield is the largest city. Other communities include Nokomis, Raymond, and Witt. Each city with its own police department handles its own records. Court cases for the whole county go through the Montgomery County Circuit Clerk in Hillsboro.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Montgomery County in central Illinois.