Explore Free Kane County Arrest Records & Bail Process

Look up free Kane County arrest records to gain insight into someone’s character or discover alleged offenses. The right for the public to scour through arrest records from public agencies is possible thanks to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act and the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Citizens can search arrest records via local, county, and state agencies at no cost using various methods – including electronic, mail, and in-person requests.

This resource provides helpful information from official channels to aid and empower patrons searching for records of arrest in Kane County, Illinois.

How To Retrieve Kane County Arrest Records & Mugshots for Free

Citizens may often need to look through arrest records when locating missing persons, such as family and friends.

This also applies to legal counsel who need to locate where their clients are currently in custody. Sometimes, individuals may just be curious and want to confirm if someone’s in a county or city jail.

Anyone, including family, friends, banks, credit agencies, and employers, can look up arrest records because they’re part of criminal data as defined by Illinois Uniform Conviction Information Act – ILCS 2635/3) (from Ch. 38, par. 1603).¹

This makes arrest records in the county available for consumption to the public, with the exception of exempt documents such as juvenile data or documents that may impede an investigation if released to the general public.

Arrest records are also partially made available in the state due to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which allows citizens access to federal documents.² Certain records are exempt from access, including those that infringe on citizens’ privacy and those pertaining to national security.

Before continuing on to find arrest records, patrons must have key information to locate the data they need. At a minimum, they’ll need to know the last and first names of the offender.

Secondly, they must know which county and jurisdiction the subject was arrested in. There are 102 counties in Illinois, so one can see the importance of having this crucial detail. In addition, arrests aren’t limited to county sheriff’s offices; local police departments also execute apprehensions, further increasing the number of agencies that place offenders in custody.

Knowing the subject’s address can be helpful since it points to the likely county of arrest, but individuals can often be placed into custody outside their resident county. Supplying the date of birth (DOB) can help law enforcement agencies find records; in some cases, this information is a requirement.

Lastly, requesters who have a case number in case of court records or arrest numbers may have an easier time locating the arrest data they’re looking for.

In Kane County, the main point of contact to find arrest records would be the County Sheriff’s Office and the County Circuit Court Clerk.

View Arrest Records via the Sheriff’s Office: The Kane County Sheriff’s Office is the main law enforcement agency in the county and is responsible for arresting and maintaining custody of offenders held in the county jail.

The office has an online database of inmates currently in custody and those released within 24 hours—citizens can access this index via a Kane County Inmate Search Tool, which is free for public use.³

Users can search through the instrument using the inmate’s first and last name and the date of custody. The data set drawn from the detainee search shows the following information:

• Full Name of the Detainee
• Mugshot (Photograph)
• Booking & Inmate Number
• Age & Sex
• Jail Date & Time
• Arresting Agency
• Days in Custody
• Detainee Location
• Charges
• Court Location & Next Date
• Bail Amount, etc.

Interested parties can also seek these records by visiting the sheriff’s offices at the address below:

Kane County Sheriff’s Office
37W755 Illinois Route 38, Suite A
St. Charles, Illinois 60175

For questions and to confirm the information on the online database, contact the Kane County Sheriff’s Office by calling 630.232.6840 or emailing [email protected].

Find Arrest Records via the County Circuit Court: The Kane County Circuit Clerk provides a viable alternative to finding arrest records. This is because when someone is taken into custody, a court hearing and a subsequent record will be created to reflect this.

The quickest way to view arrest records will be online using the Kane County Case Search Tool, which is free for public use.⁴

Enter the subject’s name and select Criminal under the ‘Filter by Case Type’ to distill the into arrest records. Other filters include file data, booking number, FBI number, etc.

Information on the case record includes:

• Party Name
• Case Number
• Judicial Officer
• File Date
• Case Type
• Case Status
• Charges
• Bond Amount
• Disposition Events
• Events & Hearings etc.

Additionally, interested parties may acquire copies of arrest records from the Kane County Circuit Clerk in person or via email to [email protected].⁶

If patrons need to know the case number, the clerk will impose a $6.00 charge, and if the data is not on the terminal, there will be a $6.00 fee for every year searched.

The cost of copies is $2.00 for the 1st page. $0.50 for 19 pages after that and $0.25 for any page afterward. Inquire about the costs of obtaining copies at the prior email address or view the clerk’s fee table. Citizens may visit the Clerk of the Circuit Court Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, at the address below.

Kane County Clerk of the Circuit Court
540 South Randall Road Street
Charles, Illinois 60174

Retrieve Arrest Records From Local Police Departments: In some cases, citizens can seek arrest data from local jurisdictions such as city police departments. Often, defendants taken into custody by these police departments can be found quicker than at county agencies.

This is because inmates are first held at city jails before proceeding to county jails. The city of Aurora will showcase the search for arrest records at the local level.

The Aurora Police Department (APD) has a Records Division that maintains police data, including arrest documents. Patrons can reach the department via walk-in service, telephone and email communication.

Walk-up requests for local arrest data are performed at the Records Counter at the police headquarters in Aurora Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM (address below). Each certified arrest record check is $5.00. Requests via phone and email are done through 630.256.5720 or [email protected].

Aurora Police Department
Records Division
1200 East Indian Trail
Aurora, Illinois 60505

For questions, contact the APD by calling the telephone number listed above.

In addition to the agencies above, patrons can seek arrest records from third-party vendors such as VINELink. Citizens can utilize these tools these companies provide for free; these vendors draw information from state and county law enforcement agencies.

The methods outlined above serve to seek arrest records that are newly created from recent law enforcement nabs; the section that follows highlights the same agencies when searching for data that is from older apprehensions.

How To Look Up Prior Crimes & Arrests Made in Kane County Illinois

Finding prior criminal and arrest records on someone can serve as an ideal barometer to get an insight into someone’s unlawful history.

While arrest records are not proof of an individual’s conviction for a crime, they provide the searcher some compass in ascertaining someone’s character—particularly if they have repetitive offenses.

Moreover, when someone is arrested in Illinois, a criminal record is created regardless of whether the defendant is guilty.

Arrest records are found in the county sheriff’s offices, the county circuit court and local jurisdictions such as police departments and municipal courts (for petty crimes). Criminal records can also be found in court documents and state law enforcement agencies.

Find Prior Arrest & Criminal Records Through the Courts: As seen earlier, patrons can seek arrest records from the Kane County Circuit Clerk since these are created when offenders have been taken into custody and have a subsequent court appearance. However, those looking to view older prior arrests and criminal records (from court proceedings) can also turn to the courts since this data is permanently created.

The most convenient way would be to use the Kane County Case Search Tool to find prior arrests and criminal records.⁴ See the section above on how to use this free tool.

Patrons who need to acquire copies of earlier criminal and arrest records can do so by emailing [email protected] or visiting the courthouse at the address below Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.⁶ Requesters can find charges for copies in the clerk’s fee schedule.

Kane County Clerk of the Circuit Court
540 South Randall Road Street
Charles, Illinois 60174

Acquire Prior Arrest Records via the Sheriff’s Office: While patrons can seek records of current and recently released inmates online via the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, citizens can also request older arrest documents from the office.

This can be done by performing a Freedom of Information Act request to the sheriff’s office by submitting an FOIA form.⁷ Patrons can make these requests through fax, mail, email, or through in-person requests.

Fax requests should include the requestor’s name, their United States Postal Mail (USPS) address and telephone number and should be sent to 630.513.6984. Email petitions must include the same information and be sent to [email protected].

Citizens can additionally mail or drop off their requests Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM, at the sheriff’s office in St. Charles.

Kane County Sheriff’s Office
Attention: FOIA Officer
37W755 Illinois Route 38, Suite A
St. Charles, Illinois 60175

There are no fees for the first 50 pages of black and white copies; the office will charge $0.15 per page that exceeds this amount. Requests are processed within 5 business days. Contact the Kane County Sheriff’s Office by calling 630.232.6840 or emailing [email protected] for inquiries.

Obtain Prior Criminal & Arrest Data Through Local Agencies: Citizens may seek prior arrest information through the Records Division of the Aurora Police Department (APD). Patrons can visit the police station headquarters to run an arrest record check for $5.00 Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM, at the address below.

They may also call 630.256.5720 or email the department at [email protected].

Aurora Police Department
Records Division
1200 East Indian Trail
Aurora, Illinois 60505

Citizens can also make a Freedom of Information Act request for police reports through the city clerk’s office by making a FOIA request through the portal. They may also do so by mailing or faxing the FOIA request form and sending it to the address below:⁸

City Clerk’s Office
3770 McCoy Drive
Aurora, Illinois 60504

Fax: 630-256-3299

Acquire Criminal Records via the Illinois State Police: Interested parties can acquire prior criminal and arrest records from the Illinois State Police – Bureau of Identification. Pursuant to 20 ILCS 2635/1 et seq, criminal conviction records can be disseminated to members of the public.¹

This state agency performs name-based and fingerprint-based background checks.

Name-based checks are available through the Criminal History Information Response Process (CHIRP); users must first acquire a digital ID from the Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) before using the portal. Payments can be made via credit card, and check costs are in this fee table.

Fingerprint checks are transmitted electronically to the Illinois State Police (ISP) via a Live Scan fingerprint vendor.

Call the Illinois State Police at 815.740.5160 Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 3 PM, or email [email protected] for questions and inquiries. Citizens may also contact the DoIT for questions about acquiring the digital ID at 217.524.3648 or [email protected].

Upon finding an offender in a county or city jail, family and friends can take several steps to get them out of custody, particularly if a bond amount has been posted on court records.

How Do I Post Bail for Someone Arrested in Kane County?

Family and friends anxious to have loved ones released from custody from the Kane County Sheriff’s Office County Jail can do so by posting bail.

This can only happen once a bond amount has been set by the Kane County 16th Judicial Circuit and if there aren’t any other prior outstanding warrants from other agencies—if this is the case, the detainee will be released to the other agencies.⁹

To bond out a detainee in Kane County, citizens must first verify the exact bond amount and ensure that the inmate is still in custody; this can be confirmed using the Detainee Search Tool.^{10, 3}

Bonds can be paid in cash or via a credit or debit card, which is handled by CourtMoney, an outside agency contracted by the law enforcement agency. Cash bonds, which must be in exact change, are paid 365 days a year, between 7 AM to 10:30 PM, and petitioners must present a valid form of ID when posting bail.

Bond amounts are non-refundable, and there’s an additional $100.00 processing fee for bonding out detainees. Individuals with an active order or protection or those listed as victims of the case for which the offender is being held cannot post bond on their behalf.

The process can take several hours; call the detention center at ​630.232.6677 or ​630.208.2083 after hours.

Kane County Adult Justice Center
37W755 Illinois Route 38
Saint Charles, Illinois 60175

Often, and particularly for severe crimes, the bond amount can be too high for many individuals to afford. In this scenario, patrons may solicit the services of a bail bonds agent. They’ll post bail on behalf of their client and will charge 10-20% of the total bail amount, which won’t be refunded to the client.

Citizens can find bail agents online, over the phone or in person. The Kane County Circuit Clerk lists state-approved companies that can provide surety bonds for civil cases.

They will walk the client through the process and deal with the formalities to get the detainees out of custody. Bond agents will require information about the detainee, such as their full name, date of birth, and the arrest location.

They may also require some form of collateral, which may be real estate, bank accounts, vehicles, jewelry etc. Sometimes, bond agents may offer payment plans for their services if the client doesn’t have the full money upfront.

Bail can also be posted through local jurisdictions like the city police department. For example, the Elgin Police Department advises citizens that they can complete posting bonds at the police information desk or outside their holding facility (address below). With any questions, inquirers are encouraged to call 847.289.2650.

Elgin Police Department
Holding Facility
151 Douglas Avenue
Elgin, Illinois 60120-5570

Anyone can search for Kane County arrest records through local, county, and state agencies, mostly for free; this article provides helpful links to official government agencies to aid patrons searching for jail records.