Louisiana Arrest Records: How to Find Arrest Records in Louisiana

Arrest records, also part of criminal records, give detailed information about an individual's criminal history. 

This information is mainly kept securely with law enforcement agencies and judicial authorities. 

An individual's arrest record includes information on the person's background, previous criminal charges, and convictions. 

Louisiana is a state in the southeast of the United States on the Gulf of Mexico, and just like every other state in the United States of America, Louisiana has its arrest records. 

Louisiana arrest records contain an official brief detailing the circumstances involved in an individual's alleged and adjudicated criminal conduct in the state of Louisiana. 

Also referred to as a rap sheet, it provides a chronological account of a person's prior and ongoing criminal convictions that have been reported to the parish or state authorities. 

In the following article, we will discuss how you can get access to arrest records in Louisiana.

How to Find Arrest Records in Louisiana:

You can perform Louisiana free arrest records online, via public records websites, such as Backgroundcheck.co. 

These types of websites provide a public records report that includes all records, including arrest records. You can also find Louisiana arrest records in one of the methods that we will discuss. 

These public records Louisiana search methods are especially helpful when you need to find one type of record, such as an arrest record.  

What Makes up Louisiana Arrest Records?

Typically, city courts, district courts, and state correctional facilities compile the data that makes up arrest records in Louisiana. 

In addition, a significant portion of Louisiana arrest records is arranged in online databases that are accessible to the public in the form of a criminal background report, even if the standards for criminal record collection and storage vary across parishes.
 

Some of the details that you can find in an individual's arrest records in Louisiana include:

* The name of the individual that is being investigated
* Photographs for identification
* Fingerprints
* Brief details of the criminal charge

Louisiana Public Arrest Records

It is important to distinguish between arrest and police records. Police records are typically unavailable to the public in Louisiana because it is a closed record state. 

However, while arrest records form part of police records, arrest records do not contain other exclusive police records. 

As such, if the arrest records do not jeopardize ongoing investigations, public requesters may get arrest records from the agency that made the arrest. 

If otherwise, the arresting agency is not required to make the Louisiana arrest record public. 

In Louisiana, the curator of arrest records is the local, parish, or state law enforcement department that made the arrest.

How to Find Louisiana Arrest Records?

To request arrest records in Louisiana, you must pay a specific charge as determined by the state to cover the cost of reproducing the data. 

Although, the arresting agency, in some situations, will provide free arrest records to requesters who ask for a fee waiver. 

In any case, you may search accessible online databases that offer public arrest records. 

However, data from such accessible databases can oftentimes be inaccurate or, at best, only displays partial information. 

Also, the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information provides arrest records to organizations and companies allowed to conduct background checks for employment or official purposes in the state. 

Therefore, if you want to access Louisiana arrest records for an authorized purpose, you might contact licensed background check organizations. 

The Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification offers three options to obtain an official Louisiana arrest record:

The first option is for authorized parties to review Louisiana's arrest records online. 

Arrest records searches based on names cost $26 for an individual inquiry. However, this alternative requires creating an account for this online service. 

Before proceeding with this, new users must obtain prior approval from the Louisiana Department of Public Safety. 

Employers and government organizations located in Louisiana must utilize the Authorisation form to seek access to criminal records. Requesters must also include payment for the request and a disclosure form. 

Finally, the arrest record application packet can then be sent to the Bureau's official business address in a self-addressed envelope.

Individuals can also visit the Bureau to get or evaluate their arrest records. The same conditions hold for individuals as organizations. 

The requester should typically be ready to pay with a money order, cashier's check, or company check. 
 

For processing, the Bureau of Criminal Identification charges $26, and fingerprinting costs $10. Additionally, self-requesters must have a current state-issued photo I.D. or driver's license to process the request.

Third-party applications (on behalf of someone) are also permitted. 

An authorization form, a rap disclosure form, and a set of fingerprints must be ready for self-requesters who cannot visit the Bureau in person. 

A money order, cashier's check, or business check is also to be prepared for payment. 

The applicant must then mail the application packet in a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Bureau's official mail address. 

All forms of mail-in requests typically take 15 to 21 days to process. 

The Official mail address for the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification is found below:

Louisiana State Police
Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information
P.O. Box 66614 (Mail Slip A-6)
Baton Rouge, LA 70896

In Conclusion

Before an individual's details can be found in the Louisiana arrest records, the individual must have been arrested and placed into custody or detention by the state's law enforcement agencies or other authorities in a city or parish within Louisiana. 

To find these records, any of the methods described above works.