Start with the record type before choosing a Chicago database
A Chicago criminal-record search can involve several separate government systems. Cook County courts maintain filed criminal cases and dispositions, Chicago Police maintains Chicago Police arrest and incident records, the Cook County Sheriff maintains county jail custody information, Illinois State Police maintains statewide criminal-history information, and Illinois Department of Corrections handles state-prison custody. Using the correct system first is much faster than searching the same name across unrelated databases.
Chicago criminal information is spread across several agencies
“Criminal records” is not one government file. A Chicago arrest, Cook County court prosecution, county jail booking and Illinois State Police criminal-history transcript are separate records maintained for different purposes.
Criminal court case
Filed charges, hearings, docket information, dispositions and court documents.
Arrest record
Chicago Police adult arrests, arrest reports and incident records maintained by CPD.
County custody
Current information about people held in Cook County Sheriff’s custody.
State criminal history
Statewide criminal-history information maintained by the Bureau of Identification.
State prison record
Information about individuals in Illinois Department of Corrections custody.
Federal prosecution
Federal criminal cases in Chicago are separate and generally accessed through PACER.
Cook County court records are the main source for Chicago criminal cases
Chicago is within the First Municipal District of the Circuit Court of Cook County. The Clerk of the Circuit Court maintains criminal files and public case information for matters filed in Cook County courts.
The Clerk’s Criminal Department handles misdemeanor criminal and quasi-criminal matters occurring in Chicago, along with felony preliminary-hearing records and related criminal services.
Open Cook County Criminal DepartmentHow to look up a Cook County criminal case online
Cook County provides online case-information services for active and historic cases. The Clerk warns that online information is not the official court record and may not always reflect a very recent filing immediately.
Open Cook County Online Case InformationStart with the Clerk’s official case-information page
Use the Clerk of the Circuit Court rather than an unofficial criminal-record aggregator.
Use the case number when available
A case number is more reliable than a common-name search and helps avoid confusing two people.
Review case events and disposition
Look beyond the initial charge. Identify the final disposition and any sentence or later court activity.
Use a courthouse terminal for very recent information
The Clerk advises that a very recent filing or event may appear first on courthouse Public Access Terminals before it appears in the online system.
Request an official copy when proof matters
Online case information is informational. Use the Clerk for official or certified documents.
You can review many Chicago Criminal Department files in person
The Clerk states that a person wishing to review a Criminal Department case file can go to the Court File Request Counter in Room 1006 at the Richard J. Daley Center.
Richard J. Daley Center — Criminal Department
50 W. Washington StreetRoom 1006
Chicago, IL 60602
Criminal Department: 312-603-4641
According to the Clerk, a criminal file filed within the previous four years is generally stored on site and may be viewed on the day requested, unless the file is currently pending in a courtroom.
How to obtain a certified criminal-case disposition in Chicago
A certified disposition is often more useful than a screenshot of an online docket when someone needs official proof of how a criminal case ended.
For a Criminal Department Chicago case, the Clerk says it needs:
- defendant’s name
- date of birth
- date of arrest
- Chicago case jurisdiction
Clerk information: Cook County Clerk — Criminal Department .
Chicago Police has its own public arrest-record search
The Chicago Police Department operates an official Arrest Record Search.
The site currently provides public adult CPD arrest data including information such as:
- arrestee name
- mugshot when available
- age
- listed address
- Central Booking Number
- listed charges
- arrest date and time
- arrest location
- release date/time from CPD facility
- bond information
- police area, district and beat
The CPD public arrest search has important limits
The Chicago Police public arrest-search website currently limits its public results to:
January 1, 2014 forward
The public online arrest-search coverage begins with arrests on or after January 1, 2014.
Adult arrests
The person must have been age 18 or older at the time of the arrest for this public search.
Chicago Police only
The database does not cover arrests made by the Cook County Sheriff, Illinois State Police or surrounding municipal police departments.
CPD also states that when an arrest record is expunged, the corresponding record is removed from its public arrest-search website.
How to request a Chicago Police arrest or incident report
A police report is different from the online public arrest entry. Chicago Police accepts Freedom of Information Act requests for records such as incident reports, arrest reports, criminal-history reports and other qualifying CPD records.
The CPD FOIA request form asks requesters to identify the record using information such as:
- RD number for an incident report
- incident date and location
- arrestee name
- Central Booking Number
- date of arrest
- specific description of any other record sought
Chicago Police Records Division
Customer Service Section3510 S. Michigan Avenue
1st Floor, Unit 163
Chicago, IL 60653
Published counter hours: Monday–Friday, excluding holidays, 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Use the Cook County Sheriff for current jail custody
If the real question is whether someone is currently being held in Cook County, use the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and its Individual in Custody Locator.
Open Cook County Custody LocatorCounty custody information and criminal court information answer different questions. A jail locator can help establish present custody, while the Cook County court file explains the filed criminal case and legal disposition.
Illinois State Police maintains statewide criminal-history information
The Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification maintains the state’s criminal-history record system.
Illinois’ Uniform Conviction Information Act requires conviction information collected and maintained by Illinois State Police to be made available to the public, subject to the law.
Name-based Illinois background checks use CHIRP
Illinois State Police identifies its Criminal History Information Response Process (CHIRP) as the system used for name-based criminal-history inquiries.
Access and authorization depend on the type of user and purpose. ISP’s current CHIRP authentication materials explain that certain CHIRP access is limited to Illinois law-enforcement agencies or organizations operating under a User Agreement with ISP.
Current Illinois State Police UCIA fee schedule
| Request type | Manual / paper | Electronic / Live Scan |
|---|---|---|
| UCIA name-based inquiry | $16 | $10 |
| UCIA fingerprint card | $20 | $15 |
| Illinois Access & Review / Record Challenge | ISP processing fee: No charge | |
The fee schedule above reflects Illinois State Police’s published fees effective October 1, 2026. Fingerprint vendors may charge their own service fee in addition to any state fee that applies.
Use Access and Review to see your own Illinois criminal history
If you want to know exactly what Illinois State Police has associated with your identity, use the state’s Access and Review process instead of relying on repeated name searches.
Visit a qualifying fingerprint provider
ISP says an individual can approach an Illinois law-enforcement or correctional facility or licensed fingerprint vendor during regular business hours for Access and Review.
Submit fingerprints and identifying information
Fingerprints allow ISP to associate the record with the correct person rather than rely on name alone.
Receive your criminal-history transcript
ISP sends the transcript—or a statement that no Illinois criminal history was located—to the address selected under the process.
Use the Record Challenge form if something is wrong
The Access and Review package includes the process for challenging inaccurate information.
What to do if your Illinois criminal history is wrong
Illinois State Police allows an individual to challenge information contained in their criminal-history transcript.
The practical sequence is:
Illinois State Police states that it does not charge a processing fee for Access and Review or Record Challenge submissions.
Illinois prison records are searched through IDOC
If the person’s history includes Illinois state-prison custody, use the Illinois Department of Corrections Individual in Custody Search.
Search IDOC Custody RecordsIDOC also publishes separate services for:
- wanted fugitives
- parolee sex registrants
- community notification of certain early releases
- other correctional information
Use the Illinois sex-offender system only for that specific purpose
Illinois maintains specialized sex-offender information separately from ordinary criminal-case and criminal-history searches.
IDOC provides links to Illinois sex-offender information, while Illinois State Police administers statewide criminal-history and public-safety systems.
Expungement and sealing can change what you see in Chicago record searches
Illinois distinguishes between expungement and sealing. Eligibility depends on the case outcome, offense, sentence and other factors.
The Illinois Supreme Court maintains statewide approved forms for adult expungement and sealing. The forms were updated again in 2026.
Illinois Expungement & Sealing FormsCan remove eligible records
Certain arrests or cases may qualify to be expunged under Illinois law, depending on the outcome and eligibility rules.
Restricts public access
Eligible cases may be sealed from ordinary public access while remaining available to certain agencies as permitted by law.
Federal criminal cases in Chicago require a separate search
Federal prosecutions are not Cook County Circuit Court cases. Chicago is within the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
The Northern District provides a federal case-number lookup utility, while full federal public electronic court records are generally accessed through PACER.
Northern District Federal Record Lookup Search PACERThe Northern District’s lookup asks for:
- Chicago or Rockford location
- case year
- case type such as cr for criminal
- federal case number
Juvenile records are not searched like adult Chicago criminal records
Illinois juvenile records are subject to stronger confidentiality and access restrictions than ordinary adult criminal files.
The Illinois Courts maintain separate statewide juvenile-expungement forms and procedures. Do not assume a juvenile matter should appear in the public CPD adult arrest system or ordinary adult court-search workflow.
Public Chicago records are not automatically an employment background check
A Cook County case search, CPD arrest search or Illinois public conviction inquiry can be useful for public-record research. They are not automatically equivalent to a legally compliant employment or tenant-screening report.
Useful Chicago criminal-record locations
Richard J. Daley Center
50 W. Washington StreetChicago, IL 60602
Criminal Department file review: Room 1006.
Phone: 312-603-4641
Central Bond Court
2650 S. California AvenueRoom 111
Chicago, IL 60608
Chicago Police Records Division
3510 S. Michigan Avenue1st Floor, Unit 163
Chicago, IL 60653
Published customer counter hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., excluding holidays.
Domestic Violence Courthouse
555 W. Harrison StreetChicago, IL 60607
Cook County Clerk publishes weekday court-service information for this location.
Map: Richard J. Daley Center criminal-record location
The Daley Center is the main Clerk location referenced for Chicago Criminal Department case-file review and certified Chicago dispositions.
Chicago criminal-record search tips that save time
Recent arrest? Start with CPD or jail custody
Court information may lag behind a very recent arrest. Check the arresting agency and custody system first.
CPD only covers CPD arrests
A Cook County Sheriff or suburban police arrest will not appear just because it happened in Cook County.
2013 arrest? Don’t rely on the CPD web search
CPD’s public online arrest database starts with arrests on January 1, 2014.
Save the case number
Once you identify the right Cook County case, the case number makes later clerk requests much easier.
Very new filing?
Use a courthouse Public Access Terminal when the online case information has not updated yet.
Need proof?
Obtain a certified disposition instead of relying on a screenshot or third-party summary.
Your own statewide record?
Use ISP Access and Review with fingerprints rather than trying to infer your complete history from public searches.
State prison vs county jail
IDOC covers state corrections. Cook County Sheriff’s custody locator is the right place for county detention.
Federal case?
Switch to the Northern District of Illinois and PACER. Federal cases are not Cook County Circuit Court files.
Common questions about Chicago criminal records
1. Where can I search Chicago criminal court cases?
Start with the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County’s online case-information system. Chicago criminal matters are generally handled within the First Municipal District, although case type and location can affect where the file is maintained.
2. Can I search Chicago Police arrests online?
Yes. Chicago Police operates an official public Arrest Record Search for qualifying adult CPD arrests occurring on or after January 1, 2014.
3. Does the Chicago Police arrest search include Cook County Sheriff arrests?
No. CPD states that its public arrest search covers arrests made by Chicago Police and does not include arrests by the Cook County Sheriff, Illinois State Police or surrounding municipalities.
4. Does a Chicago arrest record prove someone was convicted?
No. An arrest is not proof of guilt. Search the Cook County court case and read the final disposition to determine how the prosecution ended.
5. How do I find someone in the Cook County jail?
Use the Cook County Sheriff’s Individual in Custody Locator. It is separate from the Chicago Police arrest-search database and from Illinois Department of Corrections state-prison records.
6. How do I obtain a certified Chicago criminal-case disposition?
Contact the Cook County Clerk’s Criminal Department. For Chicago cases, the Clerk says it needs the defendant’s name, date of birth and date of arrest to provide a certified disposition.
7. Can I review a Chicago criminal case file in person?
Yes. The Clerk says Criminal Department files can be requested at Room 1006 in the Richard J. Daley Center. A valid photo ID is required to review the file.
8. How do I see my own Illinois criminal history?
Use the Illinois State Police Access and Review process. Fingerprints are submitted through a qualifying law-enforcement, correctional or licensed fingerprint provider so ISP can produce your identity-specific criminal-history transcript.
9. What if an Illinois State Police record is wrong?
Complete Access and Review and use the Record Challenge process included with your criminal-history transcript. ISP provides a written response describing any correction made or explaining when it determines that no correction is necessary.
10. Where do I search a federal criminal case filed in Chicago?
Search the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and PACER. Federal prosecutions are separate from Cook County Circuit Court criminal cases.
Official sources to continue your search
- Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County — Online Case Information
- Cook County Clerk — Criminal Department
- Cook County Clerk — Criminal Division
- Chicago Police Department — Arrest Record Search
- Chicago Police Department — Public Records
- Cook County Sheriff’s Office
- Cook County Sheriff — Individual in Custody Locator
- Illinois State Police — Criminal History
- Illinois State Police — Name-Based Background Checks
- Illinois State Police — Access and Review Your Record
- Illinois State Police — Current Criminal History Fee Schedule
- Illinois Department of Corrections — Individual in Custody Search
- Illinois Courts — Expungement and Sealing
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois — Federal Record Lookup
- PACER — Federal Court Case Search