Use the Sheriff's Individual in Custody Locator. It covers every person held at the Cook County Department of Corrections.

1. Open the locator and accept the terms.
2. Type the person's full first name and full last name. Both are required, and nicknames won't work.
3. Or, if you have it, type the booking number with no dashes (for example, 20250043394).
4. Click Submit and open the matching record.

The record shows the booking number, the division where the person is housed, and visiting details. Write down the booking number. You need it for money, mail, phone accounts and visits.

A new arrest can take hours to appear. The person may still be at a police station or waiting in the courthouse lockup for First Appearance court. Try these steps:

• For a Chicago arrest, search the Chicago Police Adult Arrest Search. It lists adult arrests by the Chicago Police, with charges and the district.
• Call the jail's automated line at 773-674-5245 or the main line at 773-674-7100 (call either).
• The Records Office at 773-674-6321 can give a booking number.
• If the person was released, the name drops off the locator.

Yes. VINELink for Illinois shows whether a person is in custody and where. Free alerts by text, email or phone can tell you when that status changes. It is not only for victims; anyone may use it. VINE also has free apps for iPhone and Android.

No booking photos (mugshots) show on the Sheriff's locator. Illinois law, in 5 ILCS 140/2.15, says what arrest facts police must share, and it limits police and sheriffs from posting booking photos on social media, except in cases such as a wanted person or a danger to the public. Reporters can ask the Sheriff's Office or the arresting police for a photo. ICE photos require a request on ICE's FOIA records page. Federal booking photos are not given out, though the U.S. Marshals Service may release one for a person on the run.

The Cook County Department of Corrections is one of the largest single-site jails in the country. It covers several blocks around 2700 S. California Ave. in Chicago. Housing changes often, so always check the locator. The main buildings are:

• Division 1, 2700 S. California Ave.: the oldest building, from 1929. It holds maximum-security men.
• Division 2, 2700 S. California Ave.: dorms for minimum and medium-security men.
• Division 3 Annex: dorms for women of all security levels (it used to be the Residential Treatment Unit).
• Division 6, 2801 S. Sacramento Ave.: medium and minimum-security men. Its annex has a separate page.
• Division 9, 2834 W. 31st St.: medium and maximum-security men, plus discipline and protective custody units.
• Division 10, 2950 S. California Ave.: general population men; it once held medical and mental health units.
• Division 11, 3015 S. California Blvd.: a large building for men of all security levels, with a cooking job-training program.
• Division 16: program housing, such as the Mental Health Transition Center.
• Cermak and the Residential Treatment Unit (Division 8), 2700 S. California Ave.: medical and mental health housing.

Division 4 is closed. The Sheriff's division page has more detail.

1. Get on the list. The person in custody must add your name to their visiting list.
2. Apply. Fill out a Visitor Application through the locator. A background check follows; allow about seven business days.
3. Schedule. Book an in-person visit at the Sheriff's visit scheduler. Family video visits use Microsoft Teams with an email-linked account; our video visit guide explains the setup.
4. Check the day. Each division has its own schedule by housing unit. Many units have no visits on Thursday and Friday.

Bring a current photo ID that shows your address and matches your application. Children 17 and under need an approved parent or guardian with them. Only small clear bags are allowed, and visitors are scanned or patted down. Visitors can be turned away for things like an open criminal case, a warrant, or a protective order involving the person. Questions: Visitor Information at 773-674-8225 or 773-674-8194 (call either). More tips are on our visiting guide.

You need the exact name and booking number. Our money guide lists each approved way to send funds online, by phone or in person. Deposits can take one to two business days to post. The money pays for calls and commissary items such as snacks and hygiene goods.

You can also mail a money order or cashier's check in the person's exact name, with their booking number, to: Cook County Department of Corrections, [name and booking number], 2700 S. California Ave., Chicago, IL 60608. Never mail cash.

People in custody can call out to approved numbers. They can't receive calls. Families set up a prepaid account with the company that runs jail calls. Our jail phone guide walks through each step. All calls except those with lawyers are recorded.

Every envelope needs the name and booking number at the top of the address, then: Cook County Department of Corrections, 2700 S. California Ave., Chicago, IL 60608. The Sheriff's mail rules say what is allowed. Our mail guide covers common mistakes. For electronic messages, see our email and text guide.

Cermak Health Services, part of Cook County Health, gives medical, dental, pharmacy and mental health care to everyone in the jail. For a health question about a person in custody, call the jail's help line at 773-674-5245. The Cermak main line is 773-674-7488. Because of privacy laws, staff may not share details without the person's permission.

Then they are home, not in a jail division, but the Sheriff still tracks them. They wear a GPS ankle bracelet and must follow the judge's movement rules. The 24-hour program line is 877-326-9198.

1. Officers take the person to the district station (or a central lockup) to be booked, fingerprinted and searched.
2. The person may make phone calls to family or a lawyer soon after arriving.
3. Some go home from the station with a ticket or court date.
4. Everyone else stays in the station lockup and is brought to the Leighton courthouse for First Appearance court, usually the next day.
5. If the judge orders detention, the Sheriff books the person into the county jail.

To learn which district covers an address, use the Chicago Police district finder. Police headquarters is at 3510 S. Michigan Ave. (312-746-6000).

Each station has a lockup. Call the district that made the arrest:

• 1st District, Central: 1718 S. State St. – 312-745-4290
• 2nd District, Wentworth: 5101 S. Wentworth Ave. – 312-747-8366
• 3rd District, Grand Crossing: 7040 S. Cottage Grove Ave. – 312-747-8201
• 4th District, South Chicago: 2255 E. 103rd St. – 312-747-7581
• 5th District, Calumet: 727 E. 111th St. – 312-747-8210
• 6th District, Gresham: 7808 S. Halsted St. – 312-745-3617
• 7th District, Englewood: 1438 W. 63rd St. – 312-747-8223
• 8th District, Chicago Lawn: 3420 W. 63rd St. – 312-747-8730
• 9th District, Deering: 3120 S. Halsted St. – 312-747-8227
• 10th District, Ogden: 3315 W. Ogden Ave. – 312-747-7511
• 11th District, Harrison: 3151 W. Harrison St. – 312-746-8386
• 12th District, Near West: 1412 S. Blue Island Ave. – 312-746-8396
• 14th District, Shakespeare: 2150 N. California Ave. – 312-744-8290
• 15th District, Austin: 5701 W. Madison St. – 312-746-8303
• 16th District, Jefferson Park: 5151 N. Milwaukee Ave. – 312-742-4510
• 17th District, Albany Park: 4650 N. Pulaski Rd. – 312-742-4410
• 18th District, Near North: 1160 N. Larrabee St. – 312-742-5870
• 19th District, Town Hall: 850 W. Addison St. – 312-744-8320
• 20th District, Lincoln: 5400 N. Lincoln Ave. – 312-742-8714 or 312-742-8715 (call either)
• 22nd District, Morgan Park: 1900 W. Monterey Ave. – 312-745-0570
• 24th District, Rogers Park: 6464 N. Clark St. – 312-744-5907
• 25th District, Grand Central: 5555 W. Grand Ave. – 312-746-8605

More than 100 towns in the county have their own police. Each holds people at its own station until court. Some of the largest departments, with their non-emergency lines:

• Evanston Police: 847-866-5000. Cases usually go to the 2nd District, Skokie courthouse.
• Skokie Police: 847-982-5900. Cases usually go to the 2nd District, Skokie courthouse.
• Arlington Heights Police: 847-368-5300. Cases usually go to the 3rd District, Rolling Meadows courthouse.
• Schaumburg Police: 847-882-3534. Cases usually go to the 3rd District, Rolling Meadows courthouse.
• Cicero Police: 708-652-2130. Cases usually go to the 4th District, Maywood courthouse.
• Oak Park Police: 708-386-3800. Cases usually go to the 4th District, Maywood courthouse.
• Orland Park Police: 708-349-4111. Cases usually go to the 5th District, Bridgeview courthouse.
• Harvey Police: 708-331-2131. Cases usually go to the 6th District, Markham courthouse.

The Cook County Sheriff's Police patrol areas without a town police force. Sheriff non-emergency: 773-674-7710.

No public warrant search exists. The Clerk's Case Look Up can show a warrant on an open case. You can also call the Clerk's Criminal Department at 312-603-4641. Our court guide explains other ways to check.

Search the Clerk's Case Look Up, or call the Clerk's court date line at 773-674-9255. Our court guide lists every courthouse with its address and phone, and our bail and release guide explains First Appearance hearings.

Use the Illinois Department of Corrections search. Search by name or IDOC number. New transfers may take a few days to show.

Search the Federal Bureau of Prisons locator. Many federal prisoners waiting for trial in Chicago are held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC Chicago), 71 W. Van Buren St., Chicago, IL 60605 (312-322-0567). Their cases are in the federal court at 219 S. Dearborn St.

The jail does not hold anyone for ICE because of the Illinois TRUST Act. ICE may arrest a person elsewhere. People are often processed at the ICE facility at 1930 Beach St., Broadview, and then moved to detention centers in other places. The ICE Online Detainee Locator finds adults in ICE custody; enter an A-number, or else a name with the birth country. ICE Chicago Field Office: 872-351-3990.

Youth are held at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center, 1100 S. Hamilton Ave., Chicago (main line 312-433-7102). Because youth files are confidential, no public search lists them.