Evanston Jail Roster
Evanston jail roster records show who has been booked into custody after an arrest by local police. The city of Evanston does not have its own jail facility, so all arrests made by the Evanston Police Department result in a transfer to Cook County Jail in Chicago. If you are trying to find someone after an Evanston arrest, you will need to search the Cook County inmate locator. This page explains how to search for Evanston jail roster records, what you can expect to find, and which agencies are involved in the process.
Evanston Jail Roster Quick Facts
Search the Evanston Jail Roster Online
The Cook County Sheriff provides an online inmate locator that covers all of Evanston. You can use it at cookcountyil.gov to search by name. Results show the person's full name, date of birth, charges, booking date, bond amount, and housing location within the jail. This tool updates throughout the day as people are booked in and released from Cook County Jail.
Cook County Jail is the largest single-site jail in the nation. It sits at 2700 S. California Avenue in Chicago and holds close to 5,750 people at any given time. People on the Evanston jail roster who end up here are either awaiting trial or serving a sentence of less than one year. The facility processes tens of thousands of bookings per year from communities all across Cook County, including Evanston.
The Cook County inmate locator at the sheriff's website lets you search for Evanston arrests processed through the county system.
If someone was arrested in Evanston but does not show up on the Cook County jail roster, they may have been released on bond already. They could also be in the process of being transferred. Give it a few hours after the arrest before you check again. The booking process takes time, and the person will not appear on the roster until intake at Cook County Jail is done.
Evanston Police Department and Arrests
The Evanston Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency in the city. The station is at 1454 Elmwood Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201. Call them at (847) 866-5000 for questions about recent arrests. When Evanston officers arrest someone, the person goes through local processing at the police station first. That includes fingerprints, a photo, and a record of the charges. After this step, the person is transferred to Cook County Jail and shows up on the jail roster.
Evanston sits on the shore of Lake Michigan, just north of Chicago. It is home to Northwestern University and has a dense urban layout. The police department handles a wide range of cases from traffic offenses to serious crimes. Regardless of what the charge is, the jail roster path is the same. Local booking at Evanston, then transfer to Cook County for holding.
Note: Evanston police can tell you if they made a recent arrest, but for current custody status always check the Cook County jail roster.
Evanston Jail Roster Public Records
Jail roster data from Evanston arrests is public. Illinois law makes this clear. Under 5 ILCS 140, Section 2.15, arrest reports must include the person's name, age, address, charges, time and place of arrest, and the name of the arresting agency. If the person is in jail, the record also has to show when they were received, discharged, or transferred. Agencies must provide these reports within 72 hours of the arrest.
You can submit a FOIA request to the Evanston Police Department for arrest records. For jail roster records from Cook County, send your request to the Cook County Sheriff's Office at 50 W. Washington Street, Chicago, IL 60602. You can also call them at (312) 603-6444. Not every record is available. Section 7 of the FOIA has exemptions for records that could put someone at risk or compromise security at the jail. But the basic jail roster information like names, charges, and booking dates remains accessible to anyone who asks for it.
State Prison Records for Evanston
The Cook County jail roster only covers people held locally. If someone from Evanston has been sentenced to more than one year in state prison, they go to an IDOC facility. At that point they drop off the county jail roster entirely. You would need to search the IDOC offender search to find them.
IDOC results include the person's name, IDOC number, date of birth, race, sex, current facility, admission date, and projected discharge date. The public can call IDOC at 217-558-2200 for help with searches. Under 730 ILCS 5, the Unified Code of Corrections sets the rules for how state inmate records are maintained. The county jail roster and the state prison database are completely separate systems, so if you cannot find someone from Evanston on one, try the other.
What the Evanston Jail Roster Shows
When you pull up a record from the jail roster for an Evanston arrest, you will see a set of standard fields. These come from the Cook County system since that is where the person is held.
Common fields on the jail roster include:
- Full name of the person in custody
- Date of birth and physical description
- Booking date and time
- All charges filed against the person
- Bond amount if one has been set
- Housing location within Cook County Jail
Some records also show the arresting agency. In this case it would list Evanston Police Department. Court dates may appear as well once the case is scheduled. The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority tracks broader criminal justice data for the state but does not run an individual inmate search. For a single person lookup on the Evanston jail roster, the Cook County locator is the tool you need.
Visiting After an Evanston Arrest
If someone from Evanston ends up on the Cook County jail roster, you can visit them at Cook County Jail. The facility requires a visitor application before the first visit. You must complete and submit this application through the Cook County Sheriff's website. Once approved, you can schedule in-person visits. Attorney virtual visitation is also an option for legal counsel.
Rules at Cook County Jail are strict. You need valid identification. There is a list of prohibited items. Clothing rules apply. Call the jail at (773) 674-7100 before making the trip to confirm visiting hours and that the person is still in custody. The jail can go on lockdown without much warning, and visits may be canceled. Always check first to save yourself a wasted trip to see someone from the Evanston jail roster.
Note: The Illinois Prisoner Review Board handles parole cases if the person has been moved to state prison.
Evanston County Jail Roster
All Evanston arrests go through Cook County for jail and court processing. Visit the Cook County page for full details on the inmate search, visitation rules, and contact numbers.
Nearby Cities
These cities near Evanston also route their jail roster through Cook County. Select one to find out more about searching jail records in that area.