Tazewell County Police Records

Tazewell County police records are available through the Sheriff's Office in Pekin and local police departments across the county. With a population of about 130,000, Tazewell County sits in central Illinois along the Illinois River and is part of the Peoria metro area. The Sheriff's Office handles records for unincorporated areas and assists smaller towns. You can get police reports, crash files, and arrest records through the FOIA process. Requests go to the Civil Process Department at 101 S. Capitol St. in Pekin, and the office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for walk-in requests.

Tazewell County Sheriff Police Records

The Tazewell County Sheriff's Office is the primary source for police records in the unincorporated parts of the county. The office is at 101 S. Capitol St., Pekin, IL 61554. Call 309-477-2250 for the main line or 309-346-4141 for dispatch. The Civil Process Department handles records requests during business hours, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To get police records from Tazewell County, you submit a FOIA request. The Sheriff's FOIA page explains the steps. You can send your request by email, bring it in person, or mail it to the office. Be specific about what you need. Include the date of the incident, the people involved, and any case or report numbers you have. Under the Illinois FOIA law at 5 ILCS 140/, the office has five business days to respond. They can extend that to ten days if the request is complex or covers many files.

The first 50 pages of black and white copies are free. Pages beyond that cost 15 cents each. Color copies and non-standard sizes cost more. These fees follow the same rules as every other public body in Illinois.

FOIA Contacts for Tazewell County Records

Tazewell County has multiple FOIA officers depending on which department holds the records you want. The county FOIA contacts page lists each department and its designated officer. If you are not sure which office has the police records you need, start with the Sheriff's Office or call the main county number for direction.

Each department in Tazewell County handles its own FOIA requests separately. The Sheriff's Office is one. The County Board office is another. This means you might need to send your request to more than one place if the records span different offices. For example, a case that went from a police report to a court filing would involve both the Sheriff's Office and the Circuit Clerk in Tazewell County. It helps to know exactly what document you need and which office created it.

Note: The Sheriff's FOIA process is separate from the county's general FOIA process in Tazewell County.

Criminal History Records in Tazewell County

Criminal history records work differently from incident reports in Tazewell County. The Uniform Conviction Information Act at 20 ILCS 2635/ allows the public to see only conviction information. Arrest records without a conviction are not available to the general public. The Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification keeps these records statewide.

You can run a name-based check through the CHIRP portal at chirp.isp.illinois.gov. This covers all Illinois counties, including Tazewell County. You register for an account, enter the person's name and date of birth, and get results that show conviction records only. For a more complete check, the fingerprint-based Access and Review process at a Live Scan vendor gives you the full criminal history transcript. ISP does not charge for Access and Review, though the vendor may have a processing fee. The Criminal Identification Act at 20 ILCS 2630/ governs what details are included and who can see them.

Tazewell County Circuit Clerk Court Records

The Tazewell County Circuit Clerk keeps court records tied to criminal cases that began as police reports. The office is at 342 Court Street, Pekin, IL 61554. Call 309-477-2214 or fax 309-353-7801. Hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Circuit Clerk website has information on how to search for cases and get copies of court documents in Tazewell County.

Court records in Tazewell County include charging documents, plea entries, trial records, and sentencing orders. When someone is arrested in Tazewell County, the case file starts with the police report and moves to the State's Attorney for prosecution. The Circuit Clerk then manages all the court paperwork from that point on. If you need to track a case from the police report through to the final court order, you may need to contact both the Sheriff's Office and the Circuit Clerk in Tazewell County.

State Police Coverage in Tazewell County

ISP Troop 4 covers Tazewell County from its headquarters in Metamora. State troopers patrol the interstates and state routes that run through the area. Crash reports from state highways in Tazewell County go through ISP, not the local Sheriff's Office. You can request crash reports by mail for $5.00 each from the ISP Patrol Records Unit at 801 South 7th Street, Suite 600-M, Springfield, IL 62703. The ISP Crash Reports page has details on filing and requesting reports.

For other state police records involving Tazewell County, submit a FOIA request to ISP at ISP.FOIA.Officer@illinois.gov. The first 50 pages are free. Payment goes by check or money order to Illinois State Police. No credit or debit cards are accepted.

Tazewell County Public Safety Records

The Illinois Sex Offender Registry at sor.isp.illinois.gov covers all registered offenders in Tazewell County. You can search by name, address, or zip code. This is free and open to everyone. The registry operates under 730 ILCS 150/ and is maintained by ISP with help from local law enforcement in Tazewell County.

The Tazewell County Sheriff's Office works with the state to keep registry information current. If someone moves to or from Tazewell County, local deputies verify the new address and update the state database. Questions about specific registrants can go to the Sheriff's Office at 309-477-2250 or to ISP at ISP.SOR.Unit@illinois.gov.

Cities in Tazewell County

Tazewell County includes Pekin, East Peoria, Morton, Washington, and several smaller towns. Each city with its own police department handles records for incidents within its limits. For police records from unincorporated Tazewell County, contact the Sheriff's Office.

Peoria is just across the river and is a separate county. Residents in the Peoria metro area sometimes confuse which county handled a report. Check the location of the incident to make sure you contact the right office.

Nearby Counties

These counties are next to Tazewell County. If you need police records from an incident near a county line, check the exact address to find out which county has the file.