Sheriff’s Office

The Bureau County Sheriff’s Office is committed to safeguarding the lives and property of residents of Bureau County and responding to public concerns in a manner which promotes communities and neighborhoods free from the fear of crime.

The Bureau County Sheriff’s Office employs a strategy for accomplishing its mission by preserving the peace, preventing crime, apprehending offenders, facilitating problem solving community partnerships, enforcing laws, providing secure and humane detention for persons lawfully entrusted to our care and displaying empathy and respect for the dignity of all individuals.

Sheriff James Reed

After serving in law enforcement since 1990, lifelong Bureau County resident James Reed, was elected in 2014 to the office of County Sheriff. Since taking office, Sheriff Reed and his staff have worked to consolidate the efforts of law enforcement agencies throughout Bureau County in order to improve the efficiency of the county’s criminal investigations and the effectiveness in which they are prosecuted.

In a continuous effort to ensure the safety of his deputies and the county’s residents, Sheriff Reed has been working closely with the County Board to improve radio communications and update equipment that is essential to the operations of his Office. His top priorities are to improve and expand efforts in combating the current drug issues in our community and provide proactive and progressive law enforcement to the citizens of Bureau County.

Department Staff and Capabilities

In order to effectively serve the county, the Bureau County Sheriff’s Office employs a force of 39 sworn deputies and support personnel, consisting of 20 patrol deputies, covering the county’s 875 square miles, and 19 corrections deputies, safely managing the inmate population housed in the County Jail.

The office has a K9 team consisting of a Belgian Malinois, named Maro, and his handler, Deputy Kyle Rokey, which specializes in drug detection and officer protection, as well as search and tracking efforts.

In the event of high-risk situations outside the realm of normal police operations, such as serving felony/search warrants or responding to active hostile individuals, Bureau County Deputies along with those from neighboring Putnam County and the Princeton Police Department form the Illinois Valley Special Response Team (SRT).

This specialized officer unit undergoes intense training year around in order to develop the unique skill-sets required and employ the special tools needed to effectively and safely respond to a wide assortment of the most dangerous law enforcement duties.

Bureau County Jail

The Bureau County Jail is located in Princeton, Illinois and is staffed and operated by the Sheriff’s Department. Our facility serves to house those held on criminal charges awaiting trial or convicted and sentenced up to 364 days in jail. Those receiving sentences in excess of a year are transferred to the Illinois Department of Corrections for the completion of their prison term. The inmates remanded or incarcerated in the County Jail have no recreational facilities; however they are offered the opportunity to correct their problems through their own ambitions and professional support.

Contact the jail by e-mail directly at jail@bureaucounty-il.gov.