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 28, 2026 and October 4, 2026.
Ford County, Illinois, has about 13,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Ford County depends on where the incident happened: the Ford 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: Ford County public records, Ford County arrest records, Ford County warrants, Ford County inmate search, Ford County criminal records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Ford 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 Ford County that is the Ford 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 Ford County Sheriff's Office
The Ford County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 5 violent and 26 property crimes reported for 2024 and reported 56 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at (217) 379-2324. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at fordcounty.illinois.gov/sheriff (page title: Ford County Jail and Sheriff's Office | Ford County Illinois), phone (217) 379-2324, 235 N. American Street Paxton, IL 60957, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 4, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Ford County
The two cities the FBI lists in Ford County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Paxton: 10 violent and 24 property crimes reported for 2024; 102 arrests reported for 2023.
- Gibson City: 0 arrests reported for 2020.
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: Ford County in 2024
The two agencies in Ford County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 15 violent and 50 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Ford County with all twelve months of 2023 on file reported 154 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) 379-9460, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Ford County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Ford 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 Ford 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 Ford County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at (217) 379-2324. Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 business days, with one 5-day extension.
Is this the official Ford 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.