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 1, 2026.
Effingham County, Illinois, has about 35,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Effingham County depends on where the incident happened: the Effingham 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: Effingham County public records, Effingham County arrest records, Effingham County warrants, Effingham County inmate search, Effingham County criminal records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Effingham County
The report of an incident is released by the agency that took it; the court and the jail hold their own records of the same event, but not the report.
In Effingham County that is the Effingham 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 Effingham County Sheriff's Office
The Effingham County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 14 violent and 67 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 212 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at inmates.bluhorse.com/Default.aspx?ID=ECJ (page title: Jail Management), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 1, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Effingham County
The three cities the FBI lists in Effingham County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Effingham: 32 violent and 190 property crimes reported for 2025; 566 arrests reported for 2025.
- Altamont: 1 violent and 11 property crimes reported for 2025; 22 arrests reported for 2025.
- Teutopolis: 1,152 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: Effingham County in 2025
The three agencies in Effingham County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 47 violent and 268 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the four agencies in Effingham County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,952 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, (217)347-7741, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Effingham County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Effingham 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 Effingham 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 Effingham 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 Effingham 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.