Lake County Sex Offender Registry
Lake County maintains a sex offender list for residents in unincorporated areas through the sheriff's office. With over 714,000 people, Lake County sits along the Wisconsin border in northeast Illinois. Sheriff John D. Idleburg oversees sex offender tracking using OffenderWatch, which lets you search by address and sign up for email alerts. If you need to find sex offenders near you in Lake County, the tools on this page will point you in the right direction. The ISP registry and OffenderWatch both cover this county.
Lake County Quick Facts
Lake County Sheriff Sex Offender Registry
Sheriff John D. Idleburg runs the Lake County Sheriff's Office from its headquarters in Waukegan. The office handles sex offender registration for people who live in unincorporated parts of Lake County. Cities and villages in the county have their own police departments that manage sex offender registration within their borders. The sheriff coordinates with all these agencies to keep the Lake County sex offender list current.
The Lake County Sheriff sex offender registry page is the main local resource for looking up sex offenders in the county.
From this page, you can connect to the OffenderWatch system that Lake County uses for sex offender tracking. The page also has info on how sex offender registration works in the county.
You can reach the Lake County Sheriff at (847) 377-4250 or by email at sheriff@lakecountyil.gov. The office is at 25 S Martin Luther King Jr Avenue, Waukegan, IL 60085.
| Sheriff | John D. Idleburg |
|---|---|
| Address | 25 S Martin Luther King Jr Avenue, Waukegan, IL 60085 |
| Phone | (847) 377-4250 |
| sheriff@lakecountyil.gov | |
| Website | lakecountyil.gov |
Find Sex Offenders in Lake County
Lake County gives residents two main ways to look up sex offenders. The first is the Illinois State Police Sex Offender Registry. This free statewide database lets you search for sex offenders by name, address, city, county, or zip code. Results include photos, addresses, and conviction details. It covers all of Lake County along with every other county in the state.
The second tool is OffenderWatch. Lake County uses this system to manage sex offender data at the local level. Through OffenderWatch, you can type in a street address and see which sex offenders live nearby. The system also has an email alert feature. You sign up, pick your address, and get a message any time a sex offender moves in or out of your chosen area in Lake County. This is a popular option for parents and homeowners who want to stay aware of sex offenders near them.
The Illinois Sheriffs' Association supports the OffenderWatch program statewide. Lake County is one of many Illinois counties that participates. Between the ISP registry and OffenderWatch, Lake County residents have strong tools for finding sex offenders in their area.
Lake County Sex Offender Registration
Under 730 ILCS 150, every convicted sex offender in Lake County must register with law enforcement. Where you register depends on where you live. Residents of Waukegan go to the Waukegan Police. People in Highland Park go to Highland Park Police. If you live in an unincorporated area of Lake County, you register at the sheriff's office in Waukegan.
Sex offenders in Lake County must show up in person every 90 days to verify their information. This includes confirming their address and other details on file. If something changes between check-ins, they have 3 days to report it. Sexual predators must check in even more often. Under 730 ILCS 152, all sex offender data must be available for public inspection within 72 hours of registration or any update. That is how the online tools stay current for Lake County sex offenders.
Most sex offenders in Lake County register for 10 years. Life registration is required for certain offenses and repeat offenders. If a sex offender fails to comply with the rules, ISP can extend their registration by another 10 years. This keeps people on the Lake County sex offender list for a long time if they do not follow the law.
Note: Sex offenders who move to Lake County from another state must register within 3 days of arriving.
Sex Offender Alerts in Lake County
Lake County residents have several ways to get alerts about sex offenders. The OffenderWatch email system is the most direct. Once you set it up, you get automatic messages when a sex offender registers near your address. This covers moves in and moves out, so you know when the population of sex offenders in your part of Lake County changes.
The Lake County Sheriff also shares sex offender information through the office website and social media. When a high-risk sex offender moves into the area, the sheriff may put out a special notice. Illinois law allows and encourages this kind of community notification. It is part of what 730 ILCS 152 was designed to do.
Using sex offender registry data to harass or threaten an offender is a crime in Illinois. The law makes the data public so people can protect themselves and their families. It is not meant to be used for retaliation against sex offenders in Lake County or anywhere else.
Cities in Lake County
Lake County includes many cities and villages. Each has its own police department that handles sex offender registration within city limits. The sheriff covers unincorporated areas. Below is the major city in Lake County with a page on this site.
Other cities in Lake County include Highland Park, Lake Forest, Mundelein, Gurnee, Libertyville, and Round Lake Beach. Sex offenders in these cities register with their local police departments.
Nearby Counties
These counties border Lake County. Sex offenders must update their registration within 3 days of moving across county lines in Illinois.