Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins

Peoria County Jail, in recent years, has restrained its charges for longer durations than other jails in Illinois and far past industry recommendations. There is evidence of a mental health issue in at least 70% of its restraint incidents.

The Peoria County Jail needs some serious work. The county board now has five potential options for how to tackle it — depending on how much money and time they're willing to spend.

An advanced technology coming to Peoria County offers the ability to track stolen vehicles without needing to engage in high-speed pursuits.

Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins says an analysis of options to upgrade the jail facility is nearly complete.

The commercial flight was headed from Joplin, Mo. to Chicago when it landed at the Peoria International Airport around 7 a.m. Thursday, Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins said.

A 13-year-old was taken into custody after allegedly bringing a stolen handgun to Dunlap Valley Middle School.

In a wide-ranging interview with WCBU, Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins discusses how the no-cash bail system has impacted the jail population, addressing infrastructure needs at the facility, and other issues related to county law enforcement.

A little more than a week after implementation of no-cash bail in Illinois, Peoria County State's Attorney Jodi Hoos says the new process is running mostly as expected. She credits that to attorneys, judges and other officials having more than a year to prepare for implementation.

Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins says 55-year-old Eric King was found dead in a unit he was renting out in the 2900 block of Farmington Road.

In a conversation with WCBU reporter Joe Deacon, Peoria County Sheriff Chris Watkins talks about a variety of issues and concerns his office is facing, including the state of their buildings.