Crime Statistics
The Illinois State Police compiles and publishes state-wide crime statistics under the Illinois Uniform Crime Reporting Program. According to the Crime in Illinois 2017 Annual Uniform Crime Report Peoria county recorded a total of 7,287 total index crime offenses, suggesting a crime rate per 100,000 of 3,788.7.
A further breakdown revealed theft to be the most frequently reported crime with 4,350 incidents within the year. This was followed by 1,407 burglary incidents and 625 reported aggravated assaults, making assault the most popular of the violent crimes. Also reported were 13 incidents of criminal homicide, 112 rapes and 296 cases of armed robbery, while the least popular of the property crimes, motor vehicle theft was recorded to have occurred at least 431 times in that year.
Criminal Records
All criminal history records of the state of Illinois are collated and managed by the Bureau of Identification of the Illinois State Police Department. While the Peoria County Sheriff's Office is the primary law enforcement of the county, criminal history records and background checks can only be accessed from the State Bureau. However, records provided by the Bureau are state-wide.
How to Get Criminal Records
Interested members of the public may request name-based or fingerprint-based criminal history background checks from the Illinois State Police, Bureau of Identification.
Name-based queries may be processed online using the Criminal History Information Response Process - CHIRP which is managed by the Bureau of Identification. Requestors are required to register online to obtain access to the web portal and proceed to make any indicated payments before conducting the search online.
Fingerprint-based checks can only be submitted through any of the ISP licensed live scan fingerprint vendors. Peoria county residents and requestors may request this service from the Fingerprinting Unit of the Peoria County Sheriff's Office. The requesting party will be required to pay a fee of $40 and present a State of Illinois issued ID. Applicants may make an appointment or request the service at:
Peoria County Courthouse
324 Main Street, Room B-20
Peoria, IL 61602
How to Find the Sex Offender Registry and Other Sex Offender Information
The Peoria County Sheriffs Office maintains a public access Sex Offender Registry which can be used to search for or view registered sex offenders within specific vicinities in Peoria. It can also be used to obtain information about the sex offender's compliance status and online identities. Interested persons may search the registry by name or address of the offender or sign up to receive email alerts regarding sex offenders and their activities within the county.
How to Find Inmate and Jail Information
All jail and inmate information relevant to Peoria County is available for public access on the Sheriffs Office Jail & Inmate Information Page. Interested persons may search the page for information regarding inmate welfare and deposits, inmate property, mail, and commissary. Also, detainee visitation arrangements may be made using the Inmate Visitation Scheduling Page while information about bonds, jails, and warrant fees can be obtained from the Bonding Page
Court Records
Where and How to Get Court Records
The Peoria County Circuit Clerk is the primary custodian and issuer of court records of cases filed and heard in the county. The office provides public access to non-confidential court records via the Peoria County Records Portal which can be accessed remotely by interested members of the public. Persons in search of specific records may search the portal using the Court Records Search Tool. Records may be searched by the name of the defendant, witness or victim or by case file number, however, certified copies can only be obtained by querying the office of the Circuit Clerk at:
Peoria County Circuit Clerk
324 Main Street
Peoria, IL 61602
(309) 672-6000
Location of All Courts in County
Listed below are the locations and contact information of all courthouses in Peoria County Illinois:
Peoria County Circuit Court
Peoria County Courthouse
324 Main Street, Peoria, IL 61602
Phone: (309) 672-6000
Fax: (309) 677-6228
City of Peoria Administrative Hearings
City Hall
419 Fulton Street, Peoria, IL 61602
Phone: (309) 494-8590
Where and How to Find Bankruptcy and Property Records
Peoria county bankruptcy records are maintained by the Central District of Illinois US Bankruptcy Court. Bankruptcy records are public record and are available on request from the clerk of courts office. Interested parties may obtain copies of documents from bankruptcy case file by self-serving using the court's public terminals or by sending a written mail request to the office.
To make mail queries, requestors are required to prepare a written request which should include the name of the requestor, the case number of the debtor and the description of the copies requested. The request may then be mailed or submitted in person to:
100 N.E. Monroe Street
Room 216
Peoria, IL 61602
(309) 671-7035
On the other hand, the Peoria County Recorder of Deeds Office maintains a variety of real property records including deeds, liens, and mortgages which were recorded by its office. Interested persons may access these records using the Recorder of Deeds Index which allows interested members of the public to search for specific document types by the instrument number, the name of the grantor and grantee and the recording date. Alternatively, requests for copies of property records may be directed to:
324 Main Street
Room 101
Peoria, IL 61602
(309) 672-6090
Vital Records
The Illinois Department of Public Health is the central repository for vital records in Illinois and responds to state-wide requests for copies of birth, death, marriage and divorce records. Similarly, the Peoria County Clerk maintains and issues vital records of events within Peoria county. Interested parties may access records from the state department of public health or locally. Requestors may be required to meet some eligibility requirements depending on the record being requested.
Where and How to Get Divorce Records
The Peoria County Circuit Clerk maintains and processes requests for divorce records of divorces granted by the county courts.
Interested persons may access records remotely by searching the Peoria County Records Portal using the names of the divorcees or the date of the filing. However, records obtained using the Court Records Search Tool are not certified. To obtain certified copies of divorce records, requestors are required to send a written request or make in-person requests to:
Peoria County Circuit Clerk
324 Main Street
Peoria, IL 61602
(309) 672-6000
Where and How to Get Marriage Records
The Peoria County Clerk’s Office maintains official records of marriages that were licensed by the county. While copies of marriage records are public record and can be requested by interested members of the public, access to certified copies is restricted to the registrants themselves or persons with a notarized consent from the registrants.
To obtain certified copies of marriage records, interested parties may make in person or mail queries to the Clerks office. This will require completing an Application for Vital Records Search, and submitting the completed form along with the indicated fees and ID requirements to:
Peoria County Clerk
324 Main Street
Room 101
Peoria, IL 61602
Where and How to Get Birth and Death Records
The Peoria County Clerk responds to requests for copies of birth and death records. However, access to these records is restricted to:
- The registrant
- Their parents, legal guardians, descendants and spouses
- Legally authorized persons
- Persons having a stake in the deceased's estate
Interested and verifiably eligible persons may request birth or death records by completing an Application For Vital Records Search which must be accompanied by the stated fees and ID requirements and sent via mail or delivered in-person to:
Peoria County Clerk
324 Main Street
Room 101
Peoria, IL 61602
Requests will be processed within two weeks, and the requested record mailed to the requesters indicated mailing address.
In addition to government agencies, county public records may also be obtained from third-party websites. These non-government platforms come with intuitive tools that allow for expansive searches. Record seekers may either opt to use these tools to search for a specific record or multiple records. Users are able to search third-party websites remotely for multiple records at a time with just the name of the record subject and their last known location, including the city, county, or state. Third-party sites are not sponsored by government agencies. Because of this, record availability and results may vary.
