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.
Whiteside County, Illinois, has about 55,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Whiteside County depends on where the incident happened: the Whiteside 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: Whiteside County public records, Whiteside County arrest records, Whiteside County property records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Whiteside 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 Whiteside County that is the Whiteside 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 Whiteside County Sheriff's Office
The Whiteside County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 19 violent and 106 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 117 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit.
Reports from the City Agencies in Whiteside County
The eight cities the FBI lists in Whiteside County with a reporting agency of their own:
- Sterling: 37 violent and 166 property crimes reported for 2025; 395 arrests reported for 2025.
- Rock Falls: 38 violent and 215 property crimes reported for 2025; 232 arrests reported for 2025.
- Morrison: 8 violent and 18 property crimes reported for 2025; 22 arrests reported for 2025.
- Fulton: 2 violent and 22 property crimes reported for 2025; 40 arrests reported for 2025.
- Prophetstown: 0 arrests reported for 2023.
- Erie: 8 arrests reported for 2024.
- Albany: 0 arrests reported for 2019.
- Tampico: 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: Whiteside County in 2025
The five agencies in Whiteside County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 104 violent and 527 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the six agencies in Whiteside County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,958 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.
A defendant who has been charged gets the report through the case: the State's Attorney, 815-772-5194, handles discovery for pending cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Whiteside County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Whiteside 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 Whiteside 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 Whiteside 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 Whiteside 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.