Belleville Arrest Records Lookup
Belleville arrest records are maintained by the Belleville Police Department and processed through the St. Clair County court system. As the county seat of St. Clair County, Belleville has a population of about 41,400. The police department creates arrest records for every incident within city limits, and those records are public under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/1).
Belleville Quick Facts
Belleville Police Department
The Belleville Police Department is at 720 W Main St, Belleville, IL 62220. Call (618) 234-1212 for questions about arrest records or other police services. The department serves all of Belleville and is the primary source for arrest records within city limits. Their records division handles walk-in requests and written inquiries.
When a Belleville officer makes an arrest, the report gets filed with the records division. It stays on file with the department and also moves into the St. Clair County system if the state's attorney decides to pursue charges. Belleville PD keeps its own copy of every arrest record regardless of what happens at the county court level.
The City of Belleville website has contact details for the police department. You can go to the station during regular hours to request copies of arrest reports. Bring a photo ID if you need your own record. For records about other people, you will need to submit a formal written request through FOIA.
How to Search Belleville Arrest Records
Start at the Belleville PD records window. Call (618) 234-1212 or visit 720 W Main St. They can look up arrest records by name and date. For your own arrest record, bring valid ID. For another person's record, file a written FOIA request.
The St. Clair County Sheriff's Office runs the county jail. If someone arrested in Belleville gets held at the St. Clair County Jail, their booking data will be in the sheriff's system. This usually includes charges, bond information, and court dates. Current inmate data may be searchable online.
Court records from Belleville arrests are handled by the 20th Judicial Circuit Court in St. Clair County. The Circuit Clerk's office in Belleville maintains all case files. Since Belleville is the county seat, the courthouse is right in the city. You can look up criminal cases by defendant name to find charge details, hearing schedules, and case outcomes connected to Belleville arrest records.
The Illinois State Police CHIRP system offers statewide criminal history searches. The Bureau of Identification runs this database. A Belleville arrest will show up alongside arrest records from agencies across the state. The ISP fee schedule lists current costs for these searches.
FOIA Requests for Belleville Arrest Records
Under the FOIA law at 5 ILCS 140/1, you can request arrest records from the Belleville Police Department. Put it in writing. Include the full name of the person, the approximate arrest date, and any case or report numbers. Detailed requests get processed much faster than vague ones.
The department has five business days to respond to a FOIA request. They can extend that by five more days for complex requests. Per 5 ILCS 140/2.15, basic arrest information must be released within 72 hours. That means the name of the arrested person, the charges filed, and which agency made the arrest. This 72-hour rule applies to every police department in Illinois, including Belleville PD.
Copies are usually free for the first 50 pages. After that, there is a per-page fee. If the department denies your request for Belleville arrest records, you can appeal to the Illinois Attorney General's Public Access Counselor. They review denials and can order the records released.
What Belleville Arrest Records Show
A Belleville arrest record lists the arrested person's full name, date of birth, and physical description. It shows every charge, the arresting officer, and the exact date and location of the arrest. If the person was held at the St. Clair County Jail, booking data will include an intake number, mugshot, and bond information.
Court records from the 20th Judicial Circuit add case numbers, hearing dates, plea details, and final outcomes. The Uniform Conviction Information Act (20 ILCS 2635/1) governs how conviction data is shared at the state level. Sealed or expunged arrest records do not appear in public searches. Arrest authority across Illinois comes from 725 ILCS 5/107-2, which defines when officers can make arrests with or without a warrant.
Some Belleville arrest records have supplemental reports attached. These may contain witness statements, evidence logs, and officer narratives about the incident. Parts of these can be redacted if there is an active investigation. The core arrest data, though, is almost always available through a FOIA request to Belleville PD.
St. Clair County Connection
Belleville is the county seat of St. Clair County. The St. Clair County Courthouse is in Belleville, so all county criminal court business happens right in the city. The sheriff's office, the State's Attorney, and the Public Defender all have offices nearby. After a Belleville arrest, cases move through the St. Clair County court system from arraignment through final disposition.
The St. Clair County Circuit Clerk keeps all court records. Their office can help you find criminal cases tied to Belleville arrest records. Both the FOIA statute and the Uniform Conviction Information Act govern public access to these records.
Nearby Cities
Cities near Belleville with arrest records pages on this site: