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 September 25, 2026.
Winnebago County, Illinois, has about 284,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Winnebago County depends on where the incident happened: the Winnebago 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: Winnebago County public records, Winnebago County arrest records, Winnebago County warrants, Winnebago County inmate search, Winnebago County criminal records, Illinois arrest records and Illinois inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Winnebago 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 Winnebago County that is the Winnebago 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.
The FBI's agency list also places one campus police department and three other agencies in Winnebago County, each with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office
The Winnebago County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 99 violent and 277 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 1,921 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at inmates.winnebagosheriff.com (page title: Winnebago County Sheriff's Office -- Inmate Inquiry), which answered when SearchSystems opened it on September 25, 2026.
Reports from the City Agencies in Winnebago County
The ten cities the FBI lists in Winnebago County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Rockford: 1,325 violent and 3,725 property crimes reported for 2025; 4,728 arrests reported for 2025. The Rockford police department's page is at rockfordil.gov/201/How-to-Obtain-Information-from-the-Rockf, phone 779-500-6451 (verified September 25, 2026).
- Loves Park: 64 violent and 262 property crimes reported for 2025; 539 arrests reported for 2025.
- Machesney Park: 36 violent and 330 property crimes reported for 2025; 636 arrests reported for 2025.
- Roscoe: 7 violent and 53 property crimes reported for 2025; 255 arrests reported for 2025.
- South Beloit: 25 violent and 81 property crimes reported for 2025; 233 arrests reported for 2025. The South Beloit police department's page is at southbeloit.org/police, phone 815-389-3491 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Rockton: 8 violent and 58 property crimes reported for 2025; 338 arrests reported for 2025. The Rockton police department's page is at rocktonpolice.org/index.asp, phone (815) 624-4955 (verified September 26, 2026).
- Winnebago: 1 violent and 21 property crimes reported for 2025; 32 arrests reported for 2025.
- Cherry Valley: 11 violent and 103 property crimes reported for 2025; 201 arrests reported for 2025.
- Pecatonica: 2 violent and 18 property crimes reported for 2025; 11 arrests reported for 2025.
- Durand: 0 violent and 0 property crimes reported for 2025; 5 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: Winnebago County in 2025
The 11 agencies in Winnebago County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 1,578 violent and 4,928 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the 11 agencies in Winnebago County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 8,899 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Winnebago County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Winnebago 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 Winnebago 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 Winnebago 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 Winnebago 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.