Bureau County Sheriff

Sheriff John E. Thompson

Bureau County Jail
22 Park Ave West
Princeton, IL. 61356
Phone: (815) 875-3344
Fax: (815) 875-2452

Bureau County residents Dial "911" from any land line or cellular telephone for all emergencies.
Please direct all Non-emergency police issues to (815) 875-3344, Ext. 0, where an operator will be able to contact or dispatch local police departments 24 hours each day.

Bureau County Sheriff is the highest law enforcement authority in the county; however, incorporated municipalities, regardless of their sizes, are responsible for primary law enforcement within their jurisdiction. Therefore, the Bureau County sheriffs department generally concentrates its police functions on unincorporated areas. In addition, many small municipalities pay the Bureau County sheriff's department a portion of their law enforcement funds for the sheriff to act as their primary law enforcement: usually either overnight, which allows the local police department to operate with local officers during the day; or full-time, relieving the village of needing its own police department.

In addition to providing policing, the Bureau County sheriff's department controls the county jail, guards the courthouse, acts as the process server for court documents such as summonses, and oversees evictions, even inside municipalities with their own police forces.

Bureau County sheriffs office also performs routine patrol functions such as traffic control, accident investigations, and transportation of prisoners. the Bureau county Sheriffs department performs criminal investigations and engages in specialized law enforcement activities. Bureau County sheriffs office also has a mounted patrol at their disposal.

Bureau County Sheriff enlists the aid of local neighborhoods in working to prevent crime. The National Neighborhood Watch Program, sponsored by the National Sheriffs' Association, allows citizens and law enforcement officials to cooperate in keeping communities safe.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

Requests for information from the Office of the Sheriff require written submissions to:

Contact: Sheriff John Thompson (FOIA officer)
Address: 700 South Main Street
City: Princeton, Illinois 61356