Search Louisiana Public Records

How to Look Up Criminal Records in Louisiana

The state’s local and state law enforcement agencies maintain criminal records for the state including arrests. They have two ways for the public to obtain someone’s criminal background report. First, they have a website where people can search via the name for someone. They must set up an account and log in to use the system. The other method is you by downloading a form from their website and ordering a copy through the mail. Either way, if you'd like to do a background check, there is a $26 fee when requesting a copy of someone’s arrest records.

Victims & Offenders by Gender and Race

What Information Does Louisiana Criminal Records Report Include?

Louisiana arrest records will show details about the arrest such as where it occurred, the date of arrest, what agency arrested them, the charges filed, the arresting officer’s information, if any vehicles were involved and the booking details. Additionally, they will include general profile information such as name, age, address, gender, height, weight, and more. Also included will be any other Louisiana warrants, mugshots and booking details including fingerprints and other police and criminal records associated with this person. Typically, they also contain court records related to any arrests, fines, convictions, and sentencing.

Louisiana State Police Report and Mugshots

Are Louisiana State Police Reports Public Record?

Most police reports in Louisiana are public records. Big city and small-town police departments have websites offering instructions on how to obtain a publicly available police report. For example, the Baton Rouge Police Department instructs patrons to visit the Criminal Records Division, Police Headquarters at 9000 Airline Highway Baton Rouge, LA 70815 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. any weekday to obtain copies. They cost $10 for the first page and an additional $1 per page after that. When requesting copies of Louisiana police reports, you may need to supply the address, date and time of the incident and the people’s names who were involved.

Some of the things you will find on the reports are:

• A detailed description of the account of events.
• Any witness statements and their contact information.
• Crime scene photos.
• Contact information for all parties involved.
• The officer’s or troop’s information.
• Names and ages of those involved.
• Vehicle information (make, model, year) for any that were involved.
• Road conditions, weather, and other factors that are pertinent to the case.
• Possibly a diagram of the scene.
• Citations or other violations if issued.

Louisiana Mugshots

Mugshots in Louisiana are easily seen online in various places. They may be found on informational database websites, crime or news outlets, other media sources, and even government and state official law enforcement websites. Most mugshots are taken with a simple gray or plain background, and rarely are they flattering.

Police began using mugshots in the late 1800s when French officer Alphonse Bertillon made it a standard practice during the booking process. In the early days of the U.S., mugshots were used on wanted posters and by the FBI for their Most Wanted List. Mugshots help investigators, witnesses, victims, and the public to identify suspects and criminals, expanding the reach of the law. A mugshot consists of two parts, a front view, and a side view.

Louisiana Arrest Booking Process

Upon arrest, peace officers, according to Louisiana law, must follow a strict process for booking the individual into the law enforcement system. The process is called booking. Some of the items on that list are:

• The officer must take down the person’s name, address and list any property he or she has on them.
• Their personal belongings will be confiscated and held for them for when they are released.
• A medical professional will exam them, and they may also be thoroughly searched.
• The suspect will be fingerprinted, and mugshots will be taken of them.
• An officer will perform a background check to see if the suspect has any outstanding warrants.
• Bail may or may not be set by the judge.

Most arrested people will remain in jail until bail is set and paid, or the judge dismisses them.

Violent Crime Rates for the last 10 years

The crime rate has increased over the past decade in Louisiana, going from 15,720 crimes in 2006 to 16,414 by 3% higher than it was back in 2006. The largest percentage of violent crimes falls into the Aggravated Assault category, with Revised Rape being the least popular crime in the state.

Arrest Law

An LA peace officer may arrest someone according to a legal arrest warrant. They may also arrest someone without a warrant when someone commits a misdemeanor or felony in front of them. If the person has committed a felony but not in front of the officer, they can still arrest them. A peace officer can arrest someone without a warrant when in close pursuit of a suspect. There are very specific laws about a peace officer and when they can and cannot arrest a school employee.

The Arrest Rate in Louisiana

For the last year calculated, 2016, LA experienced 27,830 crimes for the year. The majority of them (18,556) were aggravated assault. Of that total 554 were murders, 3,144 were rapes, and 5,576 were robberies. For that year the entire population of LA was 4,645,670. Their total crime rate per 100,000 residents is 566.1.

State Offender and Victim Age Group Statistics

Most of the violent crime offenders in Louisiana were 20-29 and the largest percentage of violent crime victims were 20-29.

Crime Victim Demographics

Residence Home is the place where the majority of crimes in Louisiana were committed, in most of the crime cases the offender was a relationship unknown.

Louisiana Arrest Records by Type of Crime

The popular arrests for 2017 in Louisiana was for All Other Offenses (except traffic) - 52,605, the same popularity of the arrest type was seen in Alabama, Alaska, and Arizona. The least popularity had Suspicion arrests - with only 19 crimes a year.