Prairie State Wire

FOIA Request to Mercer County Sheriff's Department regarding 2023 arrest records on September 24, 2025.

The Prairie State Wire has submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Mercer County Sheriff's Department in Illinois. The request, sent on September 24, 2025, seeks access to all arrest records from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023. The requested data includes detailed information such as the arrestee's name, sex, race, age, date of birth, and citizenship status. Additionally, the request asks for booking IDs, dates of arrest, booking photos, names of arresting officers, types of crimes committed, locations and dates of these crimes.

As part of our role in providing comprehensive news coverage on local governmental affairs and holding public institutions accountable, we emphasize the importance of accessing public records. This transparency is crucial for informing the public and ensuring accountability within government operations. In line with this mission and given our status as a media organization involved in disseminating information to the public, we have requested a fee waiver.

The requestor is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy. This non-profit organization assists media companies and advocacy groups in investigating governmental agencies by utilizing Freedom of Information and Sunshine Laws. More information about their work can be found on their website: https://stopsecrecy.org/about/.

We look forward to receiving this information in an electronic format as it will greatly aid in our reporting efforts. As always, we remain open for any questions or clarifications regarding this request.