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 9, 2026.
Monroe 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 Monroe County depends on where the incident happened: the Monroe 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: Monroe County public records, Monroe County arrest records, Monroe County warrants, Monroe County inmate search, Monroe County property records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Monroe 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 Monroe County that is the Monroe 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 Monroe County Sheriff's Office
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 3 violent and 7 property crimes reported for 2024 and reported 164 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at monroecosheriffga.us/offender-search (page title: Offender Search | mcso-html), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on October 9, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Monroe County
The three cities the FBI lists in Monroe County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Waterloo: 0 arrests reported for 2019. The Waterloo police department's page is at waterloopd.org/forms (verified October 1, 2026).
- Columbia: 0 arrests reported for 2020.
- Valmeyer: 0 violent and 4 property crimes reported for 2024; 5 arrests reported for 2024.
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: Monroe County in 2024
The two agencies in Monroe County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 3 violent and 11 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Monroe County with all twelve months of 2024 on file reported 117 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, 618-939-8681, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Monroe County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Monroe 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 Monroe 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 Monroe 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 Monroe 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.