Find Arrest Records in LaSalle County
LaSalle County arrest records are held by the LaSalle County Sheriff's Office and police departments in Ottawa, Peru, LaSalle, Streator, and other towns throughout the county. With a population above 108,000, LaSalle County is a large rural and small-city county in north-central Illinois. The county seat is Ottawa, where the sheriff's office, the circuit court, and the main records offices are located. Searching for arrest records in LaSalle County involves contacting the right local agency or using state-level resources.
LaSalle County Quick Facts
LaSalle County Sheriff's Office
The LaSalle County Sheriff's Office is at 707 E Etna Rd, Ottawa, IL 61350. Call (815) 433-2161 to reach the office. The sheriff provides law enforcement for unincorporated areas across this large county and runs the LaSalle County Jail. Arrest records from the sheriff cover booking data, charges, bond information, and intake details for anyone processed through the jail. The records staff can help you find what you need or tell you which agency holds the record.
LaSalle County covers a lot of ground. Ottawa, Peru, LaSalle, Streator, Marseilles, and several smaller towns all have their own police departments that make arrests. An arrest record in LaSalle County could be with any of these agencies. The sheriff's jail often receives people arrested by city police, so the jail booking data may reference arrests made by other departments. If you know the city where the arrest happened, contact that city's police first. If you don't know, the sheriff's office is the best place to start.
How to Search LaSalle County Arrest Records
The LaSalle County Circuit Clerk handles court records for the 13th Judicial Circuit. Criminal cases tied to arrests in LaSalle County go through the circuit court in Ottawa. The clerk's records show case filings, charges, hearing dates, attorney information, and how the case ended. Contact the circuit clerk for a case search if you know the person's name or case number. Court records give a fuller picture than a raw booking record because they include everything from arraignment through sentencing or dismissal.
At the state level, the Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification keeps criminal history data from all 102 counties. Conviction records are public under the Uniform Conviction Information Act (20 ILCS 2635/1). The CHIRP system lets approved users search these records digitally. Arrest records from LaSalle County that did not lead to a conviction are not in the state system. You need to go through FOIA for those.
For current jail information, call (815) 433-2161 and ask about the inmate roster. This tells you who is in custody right now and what charges they face.
Filing FOIA Requests for LaSalle County Arrest Records
The Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/1) is the primary tool for requesting arrest records from LaSalle County agencies. Anyone can file a FOIA request. No reason is needed. Write your request and send it to the FOIA officer at the right agency. For the sheriff, mail it to 707 E Etna Rd, Ottawa, IL 61350. City police departments each have their own FOIA officers as well.
Agencies must respond within five business days under FOIA. They may extend that by five more days if the request is broad. Section 2.15 of the act (5 ILCS 140/2.15) requires agencies to release basic arrest data within 72 hours, including the person's name, age, charges, and the arresting agency. Keep your request narrow. Give full names, date ranges, and specify the type of record. The first 50 pages from many LaSalle County agencies come free. Pages beyond that carry a small per-page charge. If the cost will be significant, the agency should tell you before processing the request.
What LaSalle County Arrest Records Contain
An arrest record from LaSalle County includes the name, date of birth, and address of the person arrested. It lists the charges, the arrest date and time, and the arresting agency. Jail booking records add a booking number, bond details, and intake and release dates. Court records tied to the arrest show case numbers, hearing schedules, plea information, and the final disposition of the case.
An arrest does not equal a conviction. Charges can be dropped, cases dismissed, or a person found not guilty. The UCIA (20 ILCS 2635/1) only allows the state police to share conviction data with the public. Arrest records that did not end in a conviction are available from LaSalle County agencies through FOIA, but they will not show up in the state CHIRP system. Records that have been sealed or expunged are not available to anyone outside law enforcement. The Office of the State Appellate Defender has resources for people looking to seal or expunge their arrest records in Illinois.
LaSalle County Arrest Records Resources
The ISP fee schedule shows current costs for criminal history searches at the state level. You can get your own complete criminal history through the Access and Review process at an approved Live Scan vendor. That is the only way for a person to see every arrest on their record in Illinois, including LaSalle County arrests that were never charged.
Illinois law under 725 ILCS 5/107-2 sets the rules for arrest authority. It applies to all law enforcement in LaSalle County. The ISP FOIA page provides forms for requesting records directly from the state police. If a LaSalle County agency wrongly denies your FOIA request, the Illinois Attorney General's Public Access Counselor can step in and review the denial.
Cities in LaSalle County
No cities in LaSalle County meet the population threshold for a dedicated arrest records page on this site. Ottawa is the county seat, and Peru, LaSalle, and Streator are other communities with police departments. For arrest records from any of these cities, contact the local police department or the LaSalle County Sheriff's Office.
Nearby Counties
LaSalle County is bordered by several other Illinois counties. Each has its own sheriff's office and arrest records process: