Champaign County Arrest Records

Champaign County arrest records document circumstances surrounding a crime suspect’s apprehension by law enforcement. Upon arrest, officers take arrestees to the county jail, the nearest police station, or other holding facility applicable to their respective agencies, where they are booked.

The “booking” process entails the collection of relevant information about the suspect, the alleged charges, and the arrest. Information contained in an arrest record includes physical descriptors of the arrestee (name, age, gender, race, and weight), information about the alleged charges, and details about the arrest (a list of items found on the suspect at the time of arrest, the date and location of the arrest).

After creation, arrest records are transferred between various law enforcement agencies and the criminal justice system for documentation. They constitute criminal records and can be found during a background search. Some of the information in arrest records may be found in Champaign County court records, especially when the arrestee is arraigned.

Are Arrest Records Public in Champaign County?

Yes. Per the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 ILCS 140/2.15), arrest records maintained by law enforcement agencies in any county within the state are subject to public inspection or copying. However, certain statutes exempt special arrest records from public access due to the nature of the information they contain. Arrest records are generally withheld from requesters if they contain information that may endanger law enforcement officers or any party named therein or interfere with an ongoing law enforcement proceeding.

General exemptions to the FOIA, per 5 ILCS 140/7, include identifying information about minor victims or witnesses, social security numbers, identifying information about family members, work addresses, and phone numbers. Exempt records remain visible to parties named on the record, their attorneys, and law enforcement officers.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Per section 2.15(a) of the Illinois FOIA, the following contents of arrest records are public:

• Identifying information about the arrestee, such as name, date of birth, race, height, and photograph
• Details about the offense(s) an arrestee is charged with
• The time and location of the arrest
• Booking details
• Custody status of the arrestee
• The name of the law enforcement agency that made the arrest
• An arrestee’s holding facility
• Bail terms.

Champaign County Crime Rate

Per crime rate data compiled by the Illinois Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program Index, law enforcement agencies in Champaign County recorded 4,426 crimes in 2020. Thefts had the highest occurrence, with a total of 2,392 cases. Other recorded crimes include criminal homicide (12), rape (133), robbery (145), aggravated assault (817), burglary (583), motor vehicle theft (314), and arson (30).

The Champaign Police Department reported the highest number of cases, 2,403, followed by the Urbana Police Department, which recorded 1,085 cases. The Champaign County Sheriff’s Office only recorded 393 crimes. In 2019, the total number of reported crimes was 5,471, indicating a 19.1% decrease in the crime rate. The crime index per 100,000 population in 2019 and 2020 was 2,599.9 and 2,098.4, respectively.

Champaign County Arrest Statistics

According to the UCR report referenced in the preceding header, the total index crime arrests for Champaign County in 2020 was 917. They include arrests for criminal homicides (5), rape (17), robbery (35), aggravated assault (211), burglary (107), theft (488), motor vehicle theft (45), and arson (9). These included arrests made by various law enforcement agencies in the county, including the sheriff’s office. In the said year, the arrest rate per 100,000 population was 434.8. The total index crime arrest recorded in the previous year was 1,595, and the arrest rate per 100,000 population was 758.0. There was a 42.5% rise in the number of arrests between 2019 and 2020.

Find Champaign County Arrest Records

Local police departments and other law enforcement agencies typically maintain a record of all arrests conducted by their officers. These records are public and can be inspected at the agency’s office. Some agencies offer online search features on their websites. While some of these websites are free, certain nominal fees may be required to use others.

Free Arrest Record Search in Champaign County

The Champaign County Sheriff’s Office maintains an online portal where interested persons can search for arrestees held in the county jail. This website is searchable by an inmate’s first and last name. Users of this tool can refine search results by specifying an inmate’s date of birth and booking date. The website also allows users to search for records by an inmate’s booking number.

Alternatively, inquirers may use third-party websites to find basic arrest record information. They are searchable by an inmate’s first and last name. Note that a nominal search fee may be required if an inquirer seeks a detailed arrest report. The online portal discussed in the previous header is free. Also, in-person searches at police stations are typically free unless an inquiry requires duplication of record documents.

Get Champaign County Criminal Records

Champaign County criminal records provide a detailed overview of people’s criminal past, mainly about their involvement with law enforcement agencies and the criminal justice system. They contain information about crime involvements associated with their subjects and their respective outcomes, such as court dispositions, sentences, convictions, charges, bail/bond, and arrests. The sheriff’s office does not provide online criminal record search services on its websites. Interested persons should contact this office Monday through Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, at

Champaign County Sheriff's Office
204 East Main Street
Urbana, Illinois 61801
Phone: (217) 384-1204
Fax: (217) 384-1219
Email: sheriff@co.champaign.il.us.

Under 20 ILCS 2635/1 et seq, also known as the Illinois Uniform Conviction Information Act (UCIA), the Bureau of Investigation is mandated to make information on all criminal history records gathered and maintained by the Illinois State Police (ISP) public. Note that only conviction records are subject to this act. To conduct a name-based record search with this agency, a requester must complete a UCIA request form. This service costs a non-refundable $16.00 search fee and can be used for a statewide search. On the form, the requestor must specify the full name, date of birth, sex, and race of the record’s subject, and submit it by mail to

Illinois State Police
Bureau of Identification
P.O. Box 88727
Chicago, Illinois 60680-1727.

Champaign County Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Although similar, arrest records are different from criminal records. Regardless, a person’s arrest records are part of their criminal record. These record types differ based on the detail of the information they contain. While an arrest record is mostly limited to a particular arrest made by a specific law enforcement agency, the corresponding criminal record includes multiple arrests made by one or more agencies. Notable distinctions between these record types are as follows:

• Arrest records exist for dismissed cases, whereas criminal records only exist when there is a conviction.
• While arrest records can not be used conclusively as an indication of guilt, the existence of criminal records in a person's name usually implies guilt.
• Arrest records do not contain court dispositions and convictions, whereas criminal records contain them.
• Arrest records are generally public (unless sealed or expunged), whereas criminal records are mainly available to select parties.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Arrests stay permanently on a person’s criminal record indefinitely, unless they are expunged or sealed. By expungement, the affected arrest is cleared from a person’s record, whereas sealing hides the affected record. An expungement can only be done if the said arrest did not lead to a conviction or the judge reversed a conviction sentence. If the governor grants an offender clemency for a conviction, the associated arrest records may then be eligible for expungement or sealing.

Expunge Champaign County Arrest Records

Champaign County residents with an arrest record may appeal to a court to have them expunged. Arrest record expungement in Champaign County involves the same procedures as criminal records. In Illinois, an expungement clears arrests from a person’s criminal record as though they never happened, and is different from sealing. When an arrest record is sealed, the affected record is hidden from most of the public but remains accessible to law enforcement agencies and employers legally required to conduct background checks on the record’s subject. To be eligible for a record expungement, a record subject must not have:

• Any pending criminal charges
• Uncompleted probation, parole, or court supervision sentences
• Eligible offenses where the prerequisite waiting period for expungement has not elapsed

Only arrest records associated with misdemeanors and felonies, that did not result in a conviction, are eligible for expungement. Otherwise, a record’s subject may apply for sealing or pardon. Depending on the type of offense named on the record, a record’s subject must wait for two (2) or five (5) years following the completion of court supervision for an offense. Applicable fees for expungement include a court filing fee, criminal record fee, and the Illinois State Police processing fee. Offenses that cannot be expunged include sexual crimes against minors, DUIs, and reckless driving.

To expunge arrest records, eligible record subjects must apply at a court with competent jurisdiction and pay all required fees. The court must be situated in the location where the arrest was made. Depending on the offense involved, the petitioner must fill out specific forms, accompanied by related papers and photo IDs, and submit them to the court clerk’s office. If the expungement petition is successful or unsuccessful, the petitioner will be notified by mail.

Champaign County Arrest Warrants

Arrest warrants are official documents that authorize law enforcement officers to arrest a suspect and are only issuable by a court or judge in the jurisdiction where the crime was committed. To establish grounds for the issuance of an arrest warrant, law enforcement officers must present factual evidence for the establishment of probable cause to incriminate the defendant. Arrest warrants are issued based on sworn testimony or affidavit. Arrest warrants must

• Be in writing
• Outline the nature of the alleged offense
• Specify (if known) the name, sex, and date of birth of the suspect; if these details are unknown, descriptors that can aid the identification of the suspect with reasonable certainty may be used.
• Include the signature and office title of the issuing authority
• If any, it must include the conditions of pretrial release
• Set forth the date, municipality, and county where the warrant was issued
• Set forth the arrest clause

Law enforcement officers are allowed to arrest individuals if they are caught in the act, escape from custody, are guilty of traffic violations, or violate a protective order.

Champaign County Arrest Warrant Search

Active arrest warrants are typically available at the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, at the courthouse that issued them, or at any law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the type of offense in question. The sheriff’s office does not maintain an online database for warrant searches. To inquire about active or expired arrest warrants, interested persons should contact the concerned agency by phone or visit their physical location. Individuals who believe that there is a warrant in their name should have their lawyer conduct the search for them, as they can be arrested on sight if the warrant exists.

Do Champaign County Arrest Warrants Expire?

No, arrest warrants do not expire in Champaign County. They remain active until the person named on the warrant is arrested or the issuing authority recalls or quashes the warrant. Unexecuted warrants become inactive if the person named on the warrant dies. Regardless, officers executing a warrant are required to execute warrants promptly.