Search St. Clair County Police Records
St. Clair County police records are kept by the Sheriff's Department and local agencies across this Metro East Illinois county. The county seat is Belleville, where the sheriff's main office sits at 700 N. 5th Street. You can search for and request police records through their online FOIA portal, by mail, email, or with a walk-in visit. St. Clair County uses the JustFOIA system for online record requests, which makes the process faster for people who need reports or arrest data. This guide explains how to get police records from agencies in St. Clair County.
St. Clair County Quick Facts
St. Clair County Sheriff's Department
The St. Clair County Sheriff's Department is the primary law enforcement agency for the county's unincorporated areas. They handle patrols, investigations, and the county jail. Their main office at 700 N. 5th Street in Belleville is where you go for records requests. Call 618-277-3505 for general questions about police records in St. Clair County.
St. Clair County has an online FOIA portal that makes record requests simple. You can access it through the JustFOIA system. Create an account, describe the records you need, and submit your request. The system tracks your request and sends updates by email. This is the fastest way to get police records from St. Clair County because you can check the status at any time without calling the office. The portal handles requests for the sheriff and other county departments.
The St. Clair County Sheriff's Department website is shown below.
Use this site to find contact info and links to the FOIA portal for requesting police records in St. Clair County.
| Address | 700 N. 5th Street, Belleville, IL 62220 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 618-277-3505 |
| FOIA Portal | stclaircountyil.justfoia.com |
| Website | co.st-clair.il.us |
How to Get Police Records in St. Clair County
Under the Illinois FOIA (5 ILCS 140/), you have the right to ask for police records from St. Clair County agencies. The law requires a response within five business days. If the request needs more time, the agency can extend the deadline to ten business days. You do not need to explain why you want the records. Just describe them with enough detail so staff can find what you are looking for.
You can also download a FOIA request form from the Sheriff's Department. Fill it out and mail it to 700 N. 5th Street, Belleville, IL 62220. Walk-in requests work too. Standard FOIA fees apply for copies of police records in St. Clair County. The first 50 pages of black and white copies are free under state law. Pages after that cost $0.15 each. Color copies cost more.
Note: Be as specific as you can with dates and names in your request to avoid delays with St. Clair County police records.
St. Clair County Circuit Clerk
Kinnis Williams Sr. serves as the Circuit Clerk for St. Clair County. This office keeps all court case files that connect to police records. When someone faces charges in St. Clair County, the case file moves through the court system and every paper is stored by the clerk. You can look up cases to see charges, hearing dates, and final outcomes.
The St. Clair County Circuit Clerk's office is at #10 Public Square in Belleville, IL 62220. It is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Call 618-825-2334 to ask about court records. You can also email CircuitClerk@co.st-clair.il.us. Court records from St. Clair County show what happened after the police made an arrest, which gives you the full picture of a case from start to finish.
The Circuit Clerk site has tools for looking up cases and getting copies of court filings in St. Clair County.
Illinois State Police Records for St. Clair County
ISP Troop 8 covers St. Clair County from its base in Collinsville. State troopers patrol the interstates and state highways in the area. If a trooper handled the incident, you need to contact ISP for the police report. File a request at isp.illinois.gov/Foia or email ISP.FOIA.Officer@illinois.gov. Crash reports from ISP cost $5.00 per report. Pay by check or money order made out to Illinois State Police.
The Uniform Conviction Information Act (20 ILCS 2635/) controls what criminal history data is public in Illinois. Only convictions can be shared with the general public. The Criminal Identification Act (20 ILCS 2630/) sets rules for sealing and expunging records in St. Clair County and across the state. If you need to check your own record, use the ISP Access and Review process at a Live Scan vendor. ISP does not charge a fee, but the vendor may have a processing charge.
Types of Police Records in St. Clair County
St. Clair County agencies keep several kinds of police records. The type you need depends on what happened and which agency responded. Here are the main categories.
Common records available from St. Clair County include:
- Incident reports from the sheriff or local police
- Arrest and booking records
- Traffic crash reports
- Dispatch and 911 call logs
- Sex offender registration data
- Court case filings and dispositions
Open investigations may limit what the sheriff can release. The FOIA has exemptions for records that could interfere with active law enforcement cases. Once the case is closed, most of the file becomes public. If your request gets denied because of an ongoing case in St. Clair County, ask for a timeline on when the records might be available. You can also file an appeal with the Illinois Attorney General if you believe the denial was wrong.
Cities in St. Clair County
St. Clair County has many cities and villages with their own police departments. Belleville, East St. Louis, O'Fallon, Swansea, and Fairview Heights each have a local force. Police records from a city department must be requested from that city, not the St. Clair County Sheriff. All criminal court cases end up at the St. Clair County Circuit Court in Belleville regardless of which agency made the arrest.
Nearby Counties
These counties sit next to St. Clair County. If you are trying to find a police report but don't know which jurisdiction handled it, check the address where the incident happened.