Crime Numbers
The Illinois State Police (ISP) collates and publishes crime data for all the counties in the state including Winnebago. Its latest reports show that Winnebago recorded 10,384 Part I crimes in 2017. This represents a 7.1% dip in crime rate compared to 2016 and a 17.5% decline compared to the total for 2013.
A closer look at the 2017 crime numbers for Winnebago County reveals that law enforcement agencies recorded 19 homicides, 165 rapes, 462 robberies, and 2,015 aggravated assaults. Reported incidences of aggravated assault include 1,894 burglaries, 5,195 thefts, 553 motor vehicle thefts, and 78 arsons. Compared to 2013 Part I crime figures, homicide (9.5%), rape (1.2%), burglary (28.9%), theft (24.8%), and motor vehicle theft (10.8%) rates fell in 2017. The five-year crime trend for Winnebago County also shows rising robbery (4.5%), aggravated assault (24.4%), and arson (35%) rates between 2013 and 2017.
Criminal Records
The Illinois State Police provides criminal background checks for all the counties of the state. Its Bureau of Identification offers name-based and fingerprint-based criminal record checks. To order a name-based criminal record search, visit the ISP’s CHIRP (Criminal History Information Response Process) web portal. To use this service, citizens have to log in with their State of Illinois Digital IDs. To apply for one, visit www.illinois.gov/pki.
The Bureau of Identification offers fingerprint-based background checks through a number of approved live scan fingerprint vendors. Choose one provider on the list and contact them to schedule a fingerprinting appointment.
The Records Section of the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office maintains all police reports written by the officers of the law enforcement agency. You can view these reports at the Records Office on the 1st floor of the Sheriff’s Office located at:
Winnebago County Justice Center
650 W. State Street
Rockford, IL 61102
Phone: (815) 319-6000
While there is no charge for viewing records, the Sheriff’s Office charges copy fees for copies of police reports. To request an incident or accident report from this agency, download, print, and complete a Freedom of Information Act Request Form. Bring or mail the completed form to the Records Section at the address listed above. The office opens to the public from Monday to Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The Sheriff’s Office charges 15 cents per page for offense reports and $5 for each accident reports. Copies of accident reports requiring a reconstruction of the accident costs $20 each. Purchase copies of accident reports at www.buycrash.com and www.crashlogic.com.
Illinois Compiled Statutes empowers the ISP to establish and maintain a statewide database of registered sex offenders. They also instruct the law enforcement agency to make this database available to the public. Visit the Illinois Sex Offender Information portal to find registered sex offenders living in Winnebago County. Use the Offender Search tool on the web page to search for these individuals by name, city, and zip code. To restrict a search to Winnebago County, select it from the county drop-down list.
The Winnebago County Jail is located at:
Winnebago County Justice Center
650 W. State Street
Rockford, IL 61102
Phone: (815) 319-6000
The Corrections Division of the Sheriff’s Office runs the county jail. To send money to an inmate in this facility, use the TouchPay kiosk located in the lobby of the Winnebago County Justice Center. It accepts cash and credit/debit cards but not coins and $1 bills. Interested parties can also fund an inmate’s account by credit/debit card online at www.TouchPayDirect.com or via phone by calling (866) 232-1899.
Note that a minimum deposit of $25 is required and a maximum of $100 is allowed. Weekly transaction is limited to $200 while maximum number of allowed transactions is five.
Court Records
The trial court in Winnebago County is the Illinois 17th Judicial Circuit Court. It occupies three courthouses. Its main location is Winnebago County Courthouse where it hears civil, traffic, and some criminal cases. Other criminal cases are heard in the Criminal Justice Center location while the Juvenile Justice Center courthouse only hears juvenile cases. Below are the addresses and contact information of the three courthouses:
Winnebago County Circuit Court
Winnebago County Courthouse
400 West State Street, Rockford, IL 61101
Phone: (815) 319-4500
Fax: (815) 319-4571
Winnebago County Circuit Court - Criminal
Criminal Justice Center
650 West State Street, Rockford, IL 61101
Phone: (815) 319-4500
Winnebago County Circuit Court - Juvenile
Juvenile Justice Center
211 South Court Street, Rockford, IL 61101
Phone: (815) 319-4500
The Winnebago County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office maintains the records of these courts. The Clerk hosts the records of these courts online on the FullCourt Enterprise portal. To request copies of court documents, visit or mail the Records Division in Room 101 of the Clerk’s Office at:
400 West State Street
Rockford, IL 61101
Phone: (815) 319-4500
Use the Document Requests webform on the Clerk’s website. The Clerk charges $2 for the first page of copies of court records. Pages 2 – 20 cost 50 cents each while the fee for subsequent pages is 25 cents per page. Besides plain copies, the Clerk also provides certified and exemplified copies of court documents. Certification costs an additional $6 while the fee for exemplification is $12.
Vital Records
The Winnebago County Circuit Court Clerk’s Office maintains all court records for the county including divorce records. To request for copies of a divorce record, contact the Clerk’s Office by vising the address provided above or calling the number listed. You can also submit a request for this record by completing and submitting the Document Requests webform.
Birth, death, marriage, and civil union certificates are provided by the Winnebago County Clerk. To obtain certified copies of any of these vital records, bring a valid ID and visit:
Winnebago County Clerk
404 Elm Street, Suite 104
Rockford, IL 61101
The Clerk also accepts mail requests. Complete a Birth, Death, or Marriage Certificate Request form and send it to:
LORI GUMMOW County Clerk
Winnebago County Administration Building
404 Elm Street, Suite 104
Rockford, IL 61101
Include valid copies of the required IDs as spelled out in the forms as well as a check or money order for copy fees. Make this payable to Winnebago County Clerk. The fee for the first certificate copy of a birth or marriage certificate is $17 while each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time costs $5. The first certified copy of a death certificate costs $21 and each additional copy costs $9.
