Reviewed and updated October 9, 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 between September 23, 2026 and October 4, 2026.
Brown County, Illinois, has about 6,300 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Brown County depends on where the incident happened: the Brown 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: Brown County public records, Brown County arrest records, Brown County warrants, Brown County inmate search, Brown County criminal records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Brown 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 Brown County that is the Brown 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.
Reports from the Brown County Sheriff's Office
The Brown County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 0 violent and 1 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 2 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at 217-773-2061. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at browncoil.org/officials/sheriffs-office (page title: Sheriff’s Office | Brown County, IL | Mt. Sterling, IL), phone 217-773-2061, 200 Court St., Room 1 Mt. Sterling, IL 62353, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Brown County
The one city the FBI lists in Brown County with a reporting agency of its own:
- Mount Sterling: 0 violent and 0 property crimes reported for 2025; 2 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.
How Many Reports: Brown County in 2025
The two agencies in Brown County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 0 violent and 1 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Brown County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 4 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Brown County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Brown 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 Brown 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 Brown County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at 217-773-2061. Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 business days, with one 5-day extension.
Is this the official Brown 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.