Louisiana Public Records

To look up someone in jail or prison in Louisiana, the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections inmate locator at https://doc.louisiana.gov/imprisoned-person-locator/ shows current state-prison detainees. For parish jail detainees, contact the local sheriff: Orleans Parish at https://www.opso.us/, East Baton Rouge at https://www.ebrso.org/, Jefferson Parish at https://www.jpso.com/. The Federal BOP locator at https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/ covers federal facilities. The Vinelink victim notification service at https://www.vinelink.com/ also covers Louisiana. Louisiana Public Records Law (La. R.S. 44:1) governs disclosure. Sources: LA DOC (https://doc.louisiana.gov/), Federal BOP (https://www.bop.gov/).

To find court records in New Orleans, LA (Orleans Parish), use the Orleans Parish Civil District Court at https://www.orleanscdc.com/ for civil cases, the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court at https://www.opcdc.org/ for felonies, and Orleans Parish Municipal Court at https://www.nola.gov/municipal-court/ for city-level misdemeanors. Online case search is at https://www.orleanscdc.com/ and https://www.opcdc.org/. The Louisiana Supreme Court is at https://www.lasc.org/. Louisiana Public Records Law (La. R.S. 44:1) governs disclosure. Certified copies of court records typically cost $5 plus $1/page. Sealed/expunged cases are excluded under La. C.Cr.P. art. 982. Sources: Orleans CDC (https://www.orleanscdc.com/), Orleans Parish Criminal District Court (https://www.opcdc.org/).

To obtain a copy of a 911 call you made in Louisiana, contact the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) that handled the call — typically the parish sheriff or city police 911 communications office. File a Louisiana Public Records Law (La. R.S. 44:1) request specifying the date, approximate time, and your phone number. La. R.S. 44:4(48) protects 911 recordings of calls reporting domestic violence or sexual assault, but most other 911 calls are public records. Standard fees: about $1 per minute for audio CDs (or actual cost). The Louisiana State Police Communications Center is at https://www.lsp.org/. Sources: LA Public Records Law (https://www.legis.la.gov/), LSP (https://www.lsp.org/).

To get a copy of a divorce decree in Lake Charles, LA (Calcasieu Parish), contact the Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court at 1000 Ryan Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 (337-437-3550). Divorce decrees become public records once filed under Louisiana Public Records Law (La. R.S. 44:1). Search the Calcasieu Parish online records at https://www.calcasieuclerk.com/. Certified copies of decrees cost about $5 plus $1 per page at the Clerk. Louisiana Department of Health Vital Records does NOT issue divorce certificates — they're only available from the issuing District Court Clerk. Sources: Calcasieu Parish Clerk (https://www.calcasieuclerk.com/), LA Public Records Law (La. R.S. 44:1).

To look up an arrest in Lafayette, LA (Lafayette Parish), contact the Lafayette Police Department at 900 Jefferson Street, Lafayette, LA 70501 (337-291-8600), which releases arrest reports under Louisiana Public Records Law (La. R.S. 44:1). The Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office at 316 W. Main Street, Lafayette, LA 70501 (337-232-9211) maintains a current inmate roster at https://www.lafayettesheriff.com/. The Louisiana State Police record check at https://www.lsp.org/services/criminal-history-records/ provides statewide criminal history. Court charges tied to arrests appear at the Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court at https://www.lpclerk.com/. Sources: Lafayette Parish Sheriff (https://www.lafayettesheriff.com/), LA State Police (https://www.lsp.org/).

Arrest records in Monroe, LA (Ouachita Parish) come primarily from the Monroe Police Department at 700 Wood Street, Monroe, LA 71201 (318-329-2600), which releases arrest reports under Louisiana Public Records Law (La. R.S. 44:1). The Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office at 400 St. John Street, Monroe, LA 71201 (318-329-1200) maintains a current inmate roster at https://www.opso.net/. The Louisiana State Police record check at https://www.lsp.org/services/criminal-history-records/ provides statewide criminal history. Court charges tied to arrests appear at the Ouachita Parish Clerk of Court at https://www.opclerkofcourt.com/. Sources: Ouachita Parish Sheriff (https://www.opso.net/), LA State Police (https://www.lsp.org/).