Reviewed and updated October 7, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest and crime counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026. Every office link was opened and checked against the office's own site on September 23, 2026.
Cook County, Illinois, has about 5.2 million residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Cook County depends on where the incident happened: the Cook County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county, the agency that reports for the city inside a city. This guide names each agency, where its records page is and what the Illinois Freedom of Information Act requires of it.
This guide covers which agency, the sheriff's reports, the cities' reports, how many reports, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: Cook County public records, Cook County warrants, Cook County inmate search, Cook County criminal records, Cook County court records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Cook County
A crime, incident or collision report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, and that agency releases it, not the court, the jail or the prosecutor.
In Cook County that is the Cook County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county and for any city that contracts with it for police service, and the agency that reports for a city where the city has one of its own.
The FBI's agency list also places 14 campus police departments and 15 other agencies in Cook County, each with a records office of its own.
The Elgin Police Department, the Buffalo Grove Police Department, the Deerfield Police Department and eight more are each listed by the FBI across several counties including Cook County, so their arrests are not broken out for Cook County here.
Reports from the Cook County Sheriff's Office
The Cook County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 876 violent and 1,399 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 3,038 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its custody page, at cookcountyil.gov/service/locate-inmate (page title: Locate an Inmate), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Cook County
The 118 cities the FBI lists in Cook County with a reporting agency of their own, the largest twelve first, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Chicago: 11,417 violent and 80,265 property crimes reported for 2025; 32,759 arrests reported for 2025. The Chicago police records page is at chicago.gov/city/en/depts/cpd/supp_info/cpd_foia.html (verified September 25, 2026).
- Cicero: 181 violent and 826 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,628 arrests reported for 2025.
- Schaumburg: 52 violent and 1,262 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,950 arrests reported for 2025.
- Evanston: 87 violent and 1,802 property crimes reported for 2025; 857 arrests reported for 2025. The Evanston police records page is at cityofevanston.org/departments/police/reports/police_reports.php, phone 847-866-5000 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Arlington Heights: 32 violent and 574 property crimes reported for 2025; 467 arrests reported for 2025.
- Palatine: 56 violent and 461 property crimes reported for 2025; 727 arrests reported for 2025.
- Skokie: 99 violent and 1,675 property crimes reported for 2025; 869 arrests reported for 2025.
- Des Plaines: 63 violent and 463 property crimes reported for 2025; 376 arrests reported for 2025.
- Orland Park: 5 violent and 576 property crimes reported for 2025; 556 arrests reported for 2025. The Orland Park police records page is at orlandpark.org/departments/police/request-police-report (verified September 25, 2026).
- Oak Lawn: 41 violent and 782 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,359 arrests reported for 2025. The Oak Lawn police department's page is at oaklawn-il.gov/departments/police_department/police_to_citizen_p2c.php (verified September 25, 2026).
- Mount Prospect: 31 violent and 438 property crimes reported for 2025; 838 arrests reported for 2025.
- Berwyn: 88 violent and 873 property crimes reported for 2025; 509 arrests reported for 2025.
A city on that list is reported separately whether the officers are the city's own or the sheriff's under contract; the FBI's list does not say which.
The rest: Tinley Park, Oak Park, Hoffman Estates, Glenview, Park Ridge, Streamwood, Wheeling, Hanover Park, Calumet City, Northbrook, Elk Grove Village, Niles, Burbank, Lansing, Wilmette, Oak Forest, Chicago Heights, Morton Grove, Melrose Park, Rolling Meadows, Elmwood Park, Maywood, Blue Island, Park Forest, South Holland, Dolton, Harvey, Evergreen Park, Brookfield, Homewood, Matteson, Alsip, Lemont, Bellwood, Franklin Park, Palos Hills, Bridgeview, Westchester, Country Club Hills, La Grange, Prospect Heights, Norridge, Hickory Hills, Chicago Ridge, Midlothian, Forest Park, Western Springs, La Grange Park, Lincolnwood, Hazel Crest, Richton Park, Winnetka, Northlake, Justice, Palos Heights, River Forest, Schiller Park, Markham, Summit, Worth, Barrington, Crestwood, Lyons, River Grove, Riverdale, Sauk Village, Flossmoor, Lynwood, Riverside, Harwood Heights, Glencoe, Glenwood, Hillside, Broadview, Inverness, North Riverside, Stickney, Calumet Park, Orland Hills, Countryside, Willow Springs, Northfield, Posen, Berkeley, South Barrington, Palos Park, Olympia Fields, Robbins, Stone Park, Hometown, Barrington Hills, Indian Head Park, Burnham, South Chicago Heights, Rosemont, Dixmoor, Kenilworth, Thornton, Merrionette Park, Phoenix, Hodgkins, East Hazel Crest, Forest View, Bedford Park, Golf and McCook.
How Many Reports: Cook County in 2025
The 98 agencies in Cook County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 15,071 violent and 110,656 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the 100 agencies in Cook County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 71,187 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Illinois Freedom of Information Act Requires
The Illinois Freedom of Information Act sets the rules: an answer within 5 business days, with one 5-day extension, at a charge of copying only after the first 50 pages, from the agency that holds the report.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the State's Attorney, (312) 603-1880, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Cook County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Cook County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 business days, with one 5-day extension.
How long does an agency in Cook County have to answer?
Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, within 5 business days, with one 5-day extension. It may charge copying only after the first 50 pages.
How do I get a report from the Cook County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 business days, with one 5-day extension.
Is this the official Cook County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.