Tazewell County Arrest Records
Tazewell County arrest records are maintained by the Tazewell County Sheriff's Office and several local police departments across the county. With a population near 130,000, Tazewell County sits in central Illinois just south of Peoria. The county seat is Pekin, where both the sheriff's office and the circuit court are located. Arrest records in Tazewell County come from the sheriff, city police in Pekin, East Peoria, Morton, and other communities. Several methods exist for searching these records under Illinois public access law.
Tazewell County Quick Facts
Tazewell County Sheriff's Office
The Tazewell County Sheriff's Office is at 101 S Capitol St, Pekin, IL 61554. The phone number is (309) 353-3211. The sheriff covers law enforcement in unincorporated parts of the county and runs the Tazewell County Jail. Booking records, charges, bond details, and jail intake data are all held at the sheriff's office. The records staff can assist with requests and direct you to the right source if another agency made the arrest.
Tazewell County has multiple police departments within its borders. Pekin, East Peoria, Morton, Washington, and other communities each have officers who make arrests and keep their own records. Because of this, arrest records in Tazewell County may sit with any one of these agencies. The county sheriff's jail often holds people arrested by city police, so jail records at the sheriff's office may show arrest data from multiple agencies. Always check which agency handled the arrest before filing a records request.
How to Search Tazewell County Arrest Records
The Tazewell County Circuit Clerk keeps court records for the 10th Judicial Circuit, which also covers Peoria County. When an arrest moves to the court system, the circuit clerk's records show filings, charges, hearing dates, and case outcomes. Contact the clerk's office in Pekin for case lookups. Court records provide more context than a booking record because they track the entire case from start to finish.
For jail and booking information, call the Tazewell County Sheriff's Office at (309) 353-3211. Ask about the jail roster for recent arrest records and current inmates. Some counties in Illinois post their jail roster online, making it easy to check who is in custody and what charges they face. The sheriff's office can tell you what is available for Tazewell County specifically.
The Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification holds statewide criminal history data that may include Tazewell County arrests. Public conviction data is available under the Uniform Conviction Information Act (20 ILCS 2635/1). The CHIRP system provides name-based searches for approved users. Arrest records without a conviction attached are not in CHIRP and need a FOIA request to the local agency.
FOIA Requests in Tazewell County
The Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/1) gives anyone the right to request arrest records from Tazewell County agencies. Write a request and send it to the FOIA officer at the agency that made the arrest. For the sheriff, that address is 101 S Capitol St, Pekin, IL 61554. For city police departments, contact them individually. No reason needs to be given for the request.
Agencies have five business days to respond. A five-day extension is possible for large or complex requests. Section 2.15 of the act requires law enforcement to release basic arrest information within 72 hours. This includes the arrested person's name, age, address, charges, and the arresting agency. To keep costs down and get a faster response, be specific. Include names, dates, and exactly which records you need. Many Tazewell County agencies will provide the first 50 pages for free, with per-page fees after that.
What Tazewell County Arrest Records Show
A Tazewell County arrest record contains the name, date of birth, and address of the person who was arrested. It shows all charges, the arrest date and time, and the agency responsible. Booking records from the county jail include a booking number, bond amount, and release details. Court records add case numbers, attorney names, hearing schedules, and the outcome of the case.
Keep in mind that an arrest does not mean a conviction. Many arrests in Tazewell County lead to dropped charges or dismissals. Under the UCIA (20 ILCS 2635/1), only conviction data from the state police is freely available to the public. Local arrest records without a conviction are accessible through FOIA. Sealed and expunged records cannot be obtained by the public. If you need help with sealing or expunging an arrest record, the Office of the State Appellate Defender has information on how to start that process in Illinois.
Resources for Tazewell County Arrest Records
The ISP fee schedule lists costs for state-level criminal history searches. Anyone who wants to see their own full record in Illinois can go through the Access and Review process at an approved fingerprint vendor. This will show all arrest records tied to your fingerprints, including those from Tazewell County that never went to court.
Illinois arrest authority falls under 725 ILCS 5/107-2, which applies to all officers in Tazewell County. The ISP FOIA page has forms for requesting records from the state police. If a Tazewell County agency improperly denies your FOIA request, the Illinois Attorney General's Public Access Counselor handles appeals.
Cities in Tazewell County
Pekin is the county seat and the only qualifying city in Tazewell County with a dedicated arrest records page on this site:
Nearby Counties
Tazewell County borders several other central Illinois counties, each with its own sheriff's office and arrest records process: