This is a private reference service, not a government office. It cannot confirm custody, confirm a release, accept or post bond, pull official booking records or photos, or change an agency file. Questions about a person or a record must go to the Macon County Sheriff's Office, the arresting police department, the court, or the state or federal custodian that holds the record.
Where Macon County Records Are Held
Macon County Sheriff's Office
333 South Franklin Street
Decatur, IL 62523
Main: 217-424-1321
Corrections, 24 hours: 217-424-1341
Records: recordsinformation@sheriff-macon-il.us
FOIA: foiainformation@sheriff-macon-il.us
Official office hours are listed as 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. The county and sheriff pages differ on the closing time, so call before an in-person visit.
Use the routing below for the record type you need. The county jail inquiry is a live public interface, but its update timing and post-release display period are not published. A phone answer and a roster screen can differ when custody is changing, so note the date and time of each check.
- Current county custody or a recent booking: start with the Macon County Inmate Inquiry. It accepts a name, subject number, booking number, date range, custody filter, and housing facility selection. For a time-sensitive answer, call Corrections at 217-424-1341. The sheriff's mobile app may provide another route to the inmate search, but its listing does not promise a separate photo feed.
- Booking record, booking photo, or a correction request: use the sheriff's FOIA page and its request form. Describe one event with the name, arresting agency, date, booking number, or subject number. The form says a response is generally made within five working days, subject to extensions, exemptions, redactions, and applicable costs. Illinois FOIA's arrest-report provision, 5 ILCS 140/2.15, and its exemptions in 5 ILCS 140/7 may affect what is released, so ask for the specific basis when a field is withheld.
- Wanted or warrant question: the Sheriff's Most Wanted page describes the local Crime Stoppers tip channel, which is not a live warrant database. For current status, contact the sheriff or ask the Circuit Clerk about the relevant case. Do not approach or try to detain a person named in a wanted notice.
- Decatur incident or police-held record: contact the Decatur Police Department at 707 W South Side Drive, Decatur, IL 62521, 217-424-2711. Crime Analysis is listed at 217-424-2723. Use the Decatur FOIA form for a specific report or picture. The city's delayed incident map is not a booking roster or photo source.
- Mount Zion incident or picture request: contact the Mount Zion Police Department at 410 W Main Street, Mount Zion, IL 62549, 217-864-4012. Its FOIA form allows a request for pictures and states a five-working-day response expectation, with redactions for private, juvenile, or exempt material. A county jail photo may still belong to the sheriff.
- Forsyth records or a contract-policing question: the village says its police service is contracted to the sheriff. Use the Forsyth police page and sheriff assistance line, 217-424-1311, for routing. Use the village FOIA page for village-held records, and the sheriff FOIA route for a county jail booking record or photo.
- Court outcome or a different custody system: use the Macon County Circuit Clerk for case events and disposition. For sentenced state custody or parole, use the Illinois DOC search. For federal or immigration custody, use the BOP locator or ICE locator. These systems are not interchangeable with the Macon County jail inquiry.