Louisiana Warrant Search: How to Find Arrest Records in Louisiana

A person who's recently been involved in a criminal offense may be able to avoid an arrest on the spot or the immediate aftermath. 

The police may need more time to get to the facts of the matter, with a promise to come back later once they've fully connected the dots. And once they do, they may obtain a warrant to whatever effect they seek to execute, such as an arrest or search of your property.

The possibility of a warrant issued against you will put you at the risk of an unannounced visit to your home or office by the Police or a law enforcement officer. 

This could be problematic in more ways than one for you. In such situations, it is crucial to remain in touch with the inquiry, and a good move is to check if you have any warrants issued against you.

This article discusses in detail the measures you can take to find warrants issued against you in Louisiana. 

Finding these warrants is the first step to take before challenging them in a bid to tender them invalid and avert an encounter with the police. 

What Is A Warrant In Louisiana?

As per the Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure (CCPR), an authorized judicial officer has the exclusive power to issue warrants in the state. 

These judicial officers—judges, magistrates, or the Justice of the Peace are responsible for the issuance of the warrants. But before issuing the warrants, they must first be convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the action which the warrant seeks to achieve is justifiable and relevant to a criminal inquiry.

This burden lies in the hands of law enforcement officers who must provide the judge or magistrate with "Probable Cause" to support the necessity for the warrant. 

They must prove that a person or their property has a role in an infraction and that bringing them to custody is key to their investigations. You can find warrants issued in Louisiana at any of the sources discussed below. 

At the Courts

If you've ever been involved in a trial at the courts, you should have your case record available in print or electronic databases at the affected court. 

And if the court issued any warrants against you at the time, you can find a copy of the warrant by running a search against your name, birth date, or case docket number at the relevant case directory.

Managing this case directory is usually the responsibility of the court clerk, and they may charge you a fee to grant you access to the record database. 

You can immediately move to challenge the warrants if you find any active ones. 

Background Check

In Louisiana, you can find warrants issued against you by running a criminal background check at the state's Department of Public Safety. 

This service is managed by the Louisiana State Police (LSP) to allow persons living in the state to view their personal criminal history. Requesters are made to fill "right to review" and "right to disclosure" forms before access to the database is granted.

A name-based record search at the Louisiana State Police's Computerized Criminal History (CCH) database should produce any warrants issued in your name. 

On the other hand, a fingerprint search, costing $36 at the LSP, is more direct and thorough. Both options should help you find any settled or active warrants, and you can look forward to recalling them or rendering them invalid before they can be executed. 

Law Enforcement Agencies

Many of the law enforcement agencies (especially the Sheriff's Office) in Louisiana provide various avenues for finding warrants issued under their jurisdiction. 

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office allows people to run a background check at its official website, and can the capacity to produce outstanding warrants issued against the search subject. 

Then there's a database of issued warrants available for viewing on the website of the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office.

These counties, along with several others, mainly allow you to perform your search after providing a name, age, and offender number or by displaying a warrant roster on their website. 

In counties where these databases are not available online, you can mail your warrant request to the records division of the affected County's Sheriff. 

This is while making sure to include your relevant personal information and the requisite application processing fee in your application packet. 

Third-Party Websites

Third-party websites provide a direct route that can be taken by anyone in search of warrants issued in Minnesota. This is so they can rely on their impressive database of public records—court, arrest, and criminal records, three of which are key to running background checks. 

A background record check run against a person's name and location can return their active or settled warrants, featuring as part of their criminal history.

The search results may be narrowed down if you can provide additional information about the subject. 

In essence, the results are pooled from the search subject's history with law enforcement in the state, particularly through their court records, court records being key to the active warrants that may be found.