FOIA
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was created to ensure that public entities like the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) operate on an open and transparent level. It allows the media, commercial business, or individuals to request documents and records.
The Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) can only respond to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for records that fall within the Sheriff’s Office’s legal jurisdiction.
Please be advised of the following before submitting a FOIA request:
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Incidents occuring within the City of Freeport are handled by the Freeport Police Department, which is the proper FOIA agency for those records.
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Incidents occuring within the Village of Lena are handled by the Lena Police Department, which is the proper FOIA agency for those records.
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Requests for 911 call recordings, dispatch audio, or other 911-related materials are not maintained by the Sheriff's Office and must be directed to Stephenson County ETSB 911, which is the appropriate FOIA agency for those records.
FOIA requests submitted to the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office for records outside of our jurisdiction may be denied or returned with instructions to contact the appropriate agency.
To submit a Freedom of Information Act request to the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office, please either use the online form available below, or download and complete the FOIA request form found at the bottom of this page in the "downloads" section. Completed FOIA requests should be submitted to the attention of FOIA Officer Alyssa Wales by one of the below listed methods:In-person or mail:
Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office
Attn: Alyssa Wales – FOIA Officer
15 N. Galena Ave. – 3rd Floor
Freeport, IL 61032
Email:
StephensonCountySheriffFOIA@stephensoncountyil.gov
Fax:
ATTN: Alyssa Wales
815-235-8257
Illinois law requires public bodies to respond to or deny FOIA requests within 5 business days. The response time can be extended for an additional 5 business days, as allowed under the law. You may wish to wait 5 to 7 days from the date of the incident or the date you made the report before you contact the SCSO FOIA Officer to obtain a report. Depending on the complexity of the report, it takes on average 3 to 5 days for a report to be completed by the deputy; be approved by a supervisor; and submitted to Sheriff’s Office Command Staff for final review.
Copy Fees:
- First 50 pages are free (black and white)
- $0.15 per page thereafter (black and white)
Please be advised that FOIA is not the appropriate venue to obtain a complete criminal background history. In order to get a complete criminal background report, you should contact the Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification at 260 North Chicago Street, Joliet, IL 60432; (815) 740-5160.
Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office FOIA Request Form