Search Macon County Arrest Records
Macon County arrest records are kept by the Macon County Sheriff's Office and the Decatur Police Department, along with other local agencies. The county has about 100,700 residents, and Decatur serves as the county seat. Most arrest records in Macon County come from the sheriff and the Decatur PD, since Decatur is by far the biggest city in the area. Public access to arrest records follows Illinois FOIA rules, and there are several ways to find the records you need in Macon County.
Macon County Quick Facts
Macon County Sheriff's Office
The Macon County Sheriff's Office is at 333 S Franklin St, Decatur, IL 62523. The phone number is (217) 424-1327. The sheriff provides law enforcement for areas outside Decatur and the smaller communities in Macon County. The office also runs the Macon County Jail, which holds people booked on arrests from the sheriff's office and other agencies in the county. Booking records, charges, and bond data are all kept at the jail.
The Decatur Police Department handles the majority of arrests within city limits. Because Decatur is the largest city in Macon County, a large share of the county's arrest records sit with the city police rather than the sheriff. If you are looking for a specific arrest record and the incident happened in Decatur, start with the police department. For arrests outside city limits or if you are not sure, the sheriff's office is the right call. Both agencies follow the same FOIA rules (5 ILCS 140/1) for releasing arrest records in Macon County.
How to Search Macon County Arrest Records
The Macon County Circuit Clerk handles court records for the 6th Judicial Circuit. Criminal cases from arrests in Macon County go through the circuit court in Decatur. The clerk's office can look up cases by name or number and provide information on filings, charges, hearing dates, and outcomes. Court records give you a complete picture of what happened after an arrest, from the first hearing to the final judgment or dismissal.
At the state level, the Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification keeps criminal history data that may include Macon County arrests. The Uniform Conviction Information Act (20 ILCS 2635/1) makes conviction records from the state police open to the public. The CHIRP system provides digital searches for approved users. Arrest records without a conviction are not available through CHIRP. Those require a FOIA request to the Macon County agency that made the arrest.
Call the Macon County Jail at (217) 424-1327 for information about current inmates and recent bookings. Jail rosters list who is in custody, their charges, and bond amounts.
FOIA Requests for Macon County Arrest Records
Anyone can request arrest records in Macon County through the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. No reason is required. Write a clear, specific request and send it to the FOIA officer at the agency that holds the record. For the sheriff, mail your request to 333 S Franklin St, Decatur, IL 62523. For the Decatur Police Department, contact their records division directly. Each agency has its own FOIA officer.
The law gives agencies five business days to respond to a FOIA request, with a possible five-day extension. Under 5 ILCS 140/2.15, law enforcement must share basic arrest information within 72 hours of an arrest. That includes the person's name, age, address, charges, and the arresting agency. The first 50 pages of records are often free from Macon County agencies. Fees for additional pages are usually small. Being specific in your request helps keep costs down and speeds up the process. Include names, dates, and what type of record you want.
What Macon County Arrest Records Show
A Macon County arrest record includes the full name and date of birth of the person taken into custody. It lists the charges, the date and time of the arrest, and which agency handled it. Booking records from the county jail add a booking number, bond information, mugshot, and intake details. If the case moved to court, the circuit clerk's records show case numbers, hearing schedules, attorney information, plea entries, and the final disposition.
An arrest record does not mean a conviction. Charges get dropped. Cases get dismissed. People are found not guilty. Under the UCIA (20 ILCS 2635/1), the state police only share conviction data with the public. Arrest records from Macon County agencies that did not end in a conviction are available through FOIA but will not show up in statewide searches. Sealed and expunged arrest records are not accessible to the public at all. If you need to seal or expunge an arrest record in Illinois, the Office of the State Appellate Defender has step-by-step guidance.
Macon County Arrest Records Resources
The ISP fee schedule lists costs for criminal history searches at the state level. To see your own full criminal history, go through the Access and Review process at an approved Live Scan vendor. This is the only way for a person to view all arrest records on their file, including Macon County arrests that were never prosecuted.
Arrest authority in Illinois is governed by 725 ILCS 5/107-2. This statute covers when officers can make an arrest and applies to all law enforcement in Macon County. If a FOIA request is denied and you believe it should not have been, the Illinois Attorney General's Public Access Counselor can review the case. The ISP FOIA page also provides forms for requesting criminal history records from the state police.
Cities in Macon County
Decatur is the county seat and the only qualifying city in Macon County with a dedicated arrest records page:
Nearby Counties
Macon County is surrounded by several other Illinois counties, each with its own arrest records system: