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 on September 23, 2026.
Fulton County, Illinois, has about 33,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Fulton County depends on where the incident happened: the Fulton 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: Fulton County public records, Fulton County arrest records, Fulton County warrants, Fulton County inmate search, Fulton County criminal records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Fulton 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 Fulton County that is the Fulton 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 Fulton County Sheriff's Office
The Fulton County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it reported 0 arrests for 2020.
Its reports come from its records unit, reached through the office at (309) 547-2277. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at fultoncountyil.gov/officials/elected/the-county-police (page title: Fulton County Sheriff | Fulton County), phone (309) 547-2277, 268 W. Washington Ave., P.O. Box 269, Lewistown, IL 61542, which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 23, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Fulton County
The six cities the FBI lists in Fulton County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Canton: 41 violent and 196 property crimes reported for 2025; 420 arrests reported for 2025. The Canton police department's page is at cantonillinois.org/city-of-canton/departments/police, phone (309) 647-0065 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Farmington: 0 violent and 7 property crimes reported for 2025; 65 arrests reported for 2025.
- Lewistown: 1,152 arrests reported for 2025.
- Avon.
- Fairview: 0 arrests reported for 2021.
- Dunfermline: 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: Fulton County in 2025
The two agencies in Fulton County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 41 violent and 203 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the four agencies in Fulton County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,789 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Illinois Freedom of Information Act Requires
Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act the agency must answer a request within 5 business days, with one 5-day extension, and it may charge copying only after the first 50 pages. The request goes to the agency that holds the report, in writing, and does not have to say why the report is wanted.
Any other county record goes through the county records request page SearchSystems verified, at fultoncountyil.gov/officials/elected/county-clerk/foia-county-clerk (page title: FOIA- County Clerk | Fulton County).
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the State's Attorney, (309) 547-3041, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Fulton County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Fulton 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 Fulton 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 Fulton County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit, reached through the office at (309) 547-2277. Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act the answer is due within 5 business days, with one 5-day extension.
Is this the official Fulton 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.