Henry County Sheriff's Office

Media Guide for our Activity Blotter
Revised 4-16-2008


REMINDER:  Any criminal charge is only an accusation and the person charged (Defendant) is PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW.

What is the Blotter?

The Henry County Sheriff's Office uses computer software that can produce a list of our daily activity.  We began posting this list to our website in November of  2005.  The option on the menu of our website is "Current Blotter".  Major events handled by the Henry County Sheriff's Office will continue to get their own individual press releases as before, in addition to being listed here.
 
This activity log, or "Blotter", is basically a summary of activity recorded at the Henry County Sheriff's Office Communications Center.  There may be events for which you may want additional information.  See the instructions below for Obtaining Additional Information.  The Blotter provides a list of specific events from which you can pick and choose what you want to investigate further. 

Press reports are archived by week, with previous weeks available in a drop down menu under the Current Blotter.  The Blotter Week runs from Saturday morning (time 00:00) to the following Friday night (time 23:59). The dates shown in the list of Blotters are for the Friday ending that particular Blotter week.


Obtaining Additional Information

In the event that the Blotter is not available, you can still obtain daily Henry County Sheriff's Office activity by calling 309-937-3902 between 8:00 and 8:30 AM on Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.  Major events that are handled by the Henry County Sheriff's Office will continue to get their own press releases as they have in the past.  Major events handled by other agencies are the responsibility of that agency, and we cannot provide any further information on those events unless provided to us by that agency.

Incidents Handled by Henry County Sheriff's Office

To inquire further about an incident handled by the Henry County Sheriff's Office:  obtain the Date, Time, and Call Number of the incident from the Blotter and call the Henry County Sheriff's Office at 309-937-3902, Monday through Friday (except hollidays), between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM.  Calling at any other time may make it more difficult to obtain the desired information.

Incidents Handled by Other Agencies

To inquire further about an incident handled by another agency:  obtain the Date, Time, and Location of the incident from the Blotter and call the agency at the number listed below.  For incidents handled by the Colona Police Dept. you should also obtain the "CPD" Number for that particular call. Keep in mind that many of these agencies do not have someone on duty all the time and, even when an officer is on duty, they may not be in the office.  The best way to contact these agencies is to leave a message at the listed phone number.  The Henry County Sheriff's Office cannot provide any further information.  We don't have routine  access to reports or any other records at those agencies.


Law Enforcement Agency

  Contact Number

Alpha Police Dept

  309-629-9881

Annawan Police Dept

  309-935-6250

Atkinson Police Dept

  309-936-7600

Cambridge Police, Div. of HCSO

  309-937-3902,  8 to 8:30 AM, M-F, Except holidays

Colona Police Dept

  309-792-1511 or 309-949-3091 (be sure to obtain the "CPD" number from the Blotter)

Galva Police Dept

  309-932-3720

Geneseo Police Dept

  309-944-5141

Illinois State Police Dist 7

  309-752-4915

Kewanee Police Dept

  309-853-1911

Orion Police, Div. of HCSO

  309-937-3902, 8 to 8:30 AM, M-F, Except holidays

Woodhull Police Dept

  309-334-2425


Information in the blotter is formatted according to a pre-set pattern.  The format looks like this:
Typical Accident:

Time: 11/09 - 06:29   Call: HCSO:05-056622   Location: RT 78/BLACK HAWK COLLEGE, KEWANEE
ACCIDENT - DAMAGE ONLY
Responding Agencies: HENRY CO-POLICE
Time: 06:33   CAR VS DEER
Disposition: STATE CRASH REPORT TAKEN, DRIVER AWAITING TOW
 
 
Typical Traffic Stop:
 
Time: 11/11 - 08:25   Call: HCSO:05-056819   Location: RT 17 IN FRONT OF, NEKOMA
TRAFFIC STOP
Responding Agencies: HENRY CO-POLICE
ARRESTED - Name: MLECZKO, BOZENA B   Sex: F   Age: 39   
Residing in: NORTHFIELD, IL
Time: 08:25   AUTOMATED Traffic Stop
Disposition: CITED FOR SPEEDING
 

Format broken down line by line:

The entries are in sections identified by the following names:
 
Time - Date and Time of the event, the Call # (either HCSO or CPD), and the Location
Event - A basic one or two word description, may have multiple lines
Persons - any Persons involved, usually lists Arrested persons
Time - Information taken by the Telecommunicator about the call
Disposition - How the call was concluded
 
 
Sections in detail:
 
The first section, "Time", shows the date and time the call was received, the Call Number, and the Location of the call.  All times are in military format: 
 

0000 = Midnight

1200 = 12:00 PM Noon

0100 = 1:00 AM

1300 = 1:00 PM

0200 = 2:00 AM

1400 = 2:00 PM

0300 = 3:00 AM

1500 = 3:00 PM

0400 = 4:00 AM

1600 = 4:00 PM

0500 = 5:00 AM

1700 = 5:00 PM

0600 = 6:00 AM

1800 = 6:00 PM

0700 = 7:00 AM

1900 = 7:00 PM

0800 = 8:00 AM

2000 = 8:00 PM

0900 = 9:00 AM

2100 = 9:00 PM

1000 = 10:00 AM

2200 = 10:00 PM

1100 = 11:00 AM

2300 = 11:00 PM
 
The next section is a basic description of the event.  This will typically be a one or two word description.  There may be subsequent lines below this one if the event was later re-classified.  This usually happens when an event is reported as one type of call and turns out to be something different when assistance arrives.

The next section appears only on events starting on 11-7-2005.  This is labeled "Responding Agencies".  The FIRST agency listed here is the one handling the event.  That agency should be contacted for any questions.  Other agencies that are listed after the FIRST AGENCY are those that assisted with the event.  When "Henry County - Police" is not listed first, we will not have any more information about this event than what is shown.  You will need to contact the listed agency for more information.  (See contact numbers above)  If you have difficulty contacting that agency you can contact us and we will try to help.  Keep in mind, though, that almost all of our town and village emergency services are either part time (in the case of Police) or volunteer (Fire/EMS).

Next will be a list of any persons involved in the event.  This will most often show anyone who was "Arrested".  This will include name, sex, age, and city and state.   
 
After the arrests is another area labeled "Time" which shows the Dispatch information for the call.  This will typically show some details about the call, or may again be a one or two word description. 

The last section is the "Disposition" of the call.  This may also state if the call was handled by another agency.  If the call was handled by another agency, we won't have any further details of the event.  You will need to contact that agency to inquire further.  Numbers for other agencies are listed above.

Common abbreviations:

ATL - Attempt to Locate
DUI - Driving Under the Influence (Alcohol or Drugs)
DWLR - Driving While License Revoked
DWLS - Driving While License Suspended
GOA - Gone on Arrival
HBA - Handled by Ambulance
HBF or HBFD - Handled by Fire Dept
HBO - Handled by Officer
UTL - Unable to Locate

Tips and Hints

Warrants:  A warrant is a court order issued by a Judge and naming a person who is required to appear in court.  Warrants are divided into two general types, criminal and civil.  A criminal warrant results from a criminal case where the States Attorney has filed charges and the person has either failed to appear on a previous charge or has been charged as a suspect in a current case.  A civil warrant results from a civil case where one person has taken another person to court, as in a lawsuit.   A warrant can be issued in civil cases when people fail to appear or don't pay.  Both types of warrants may have a dollar amount set by the Judge that the person can pay to avoid going to jail, called the "Bond" or "Bail" amount.  In most cases, paying (also called posting) the bond amount results in the person receiving a new court date.  In some civil warrants, paying the bond amount satisfies the court and no further appearance is needed.  Also in Illinois, most criminal warrants allow the person to pay 10 percent of the bond amount to avoid jail.  We try to give as many details as possible in the blotter when there is a warrant arrest.
 

Refresh:  Sometimes the Blotter you get on your computer won't be the one you were expecting, or won't appear to be updated.  This can happen when your browser displays an old version of the Blotter page.  To get the most current page, click the Refresh button on your browser.  The Refresh button is typically in the top toolbar and looks like one arrow over another with each one pointing in opposite directions.  Your browser may have other ways of refreshing.  Consult your browser's help file for more information.

Please let us know what you think, and if you have any ideas or suggestions on what to do different.  We also ask your patience while we make this adjustment.

E-Mail: sheriff@henrycty.com
Blotter Information:  309-937-3902
General Information:  309-937-3911
FAX:  309-937-2902
Mail:
Henry County Sheriffs Office
311 W. Center St.
Cambridge, IL 61238