West Central Reporter

FOIA Request to Hancock County Sheriff regarding 2023 arrest records on September 24, 2025.

The West Central Reporter has submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Hancock County Sheriff in Illinois. The request, sent on September 24, 2025, seeks access to all arrest records from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023. The media organization is asking for these records in an electronic format and requests specific data points if available.

The requested information includes the name, sex, race, age, date of birth (DOB), and citizenship of each arrestee. Additionally, the request asks for the booking ID, date of arrest, booking photo, names of arresting officers, type of crime committed, location of the crime, and date of the crime.

As part of their role in gathering and reporting news to the public, West Central Reporter emphasizes that access to public records is crucial for holding public institutions accountable and ensuring transparency. They have also requested a fee waiver as a media professional.

The requestor is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy—a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies through FOIA and Sunshine Laws. More information about this coalition can be found on their website at https://stopsecrecy.org/about/.

Our team will continue to keep you updated as we gather and report news related to this request and other matters of public interest. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further clarification regarding this matter.