Lafayette Parish Arrest Records

The Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure 201 defines an arrest as taking persons into custody. All documents and records generated by law enforcement organizations in Lafayette Parish while carrying out an arrest are considered arrest records. Per Art. 213, a law enforcement agent may make an arrest when someone has committed or is seen committing a criminal offense.

The law enforcement agent must promptly conduct an arrested person to the nearest jail or police station and have the arrestee booked (Art. 228). During a booking process, information showing the arrestee's address, date and time of the booking, list of properties taken from the arrestee, and the circumstances that led to the arrest are taken down.

Jails and police stations must generate and maintain a record of all offenders taken into their custody. However, other government agencies may also maintain an arrest record as part of a person's criminal record. For instance, information concerning the arrest of an individual who has been arraigned in court may be obtained from the Lafayette Parish Court Records.

Are Arrest Records Public in Lafayette Parish?

Yes. The Louisiana Public Records Law permits members of the public to obtain records generated by public agencies within the state. Record seekers are offered the right to request arrest records maintained by relevant law enforcement organizations or custodians.

However, some arrest information is deemed confidential by law and is therefore exempt from public inspection. They include information detailing investigative reports, victims of sexual offenses, juvenile criminal or status offenders, the identity of undercover officers, and the identity of confidential sources, amongst others. Only authorized persons may be allowed to access confidential arrest records.

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Information accessible to the public, which may typically be found in a Lafayette Parish Arrest record, includes the following:

• Suspect's full name
• Suspect's date of birth
• The suspect's physical features, such as gender, race, eye color, hair color, weight, and height
• Date and time the arrest was made
• Date the suspect was booked
• Court date
• Projected release date
• Charges
• Arresting agency
• Incident number
• Cause for arrest
• Bond details.

Lafayette Parish Crime Rate

The Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office maintains a summary of crime statistics within the parish. These statistics provide a culmination of arrest and prosecution data for individuals who have run-in with the law over time. According to the latest Lafayette Parish Crime Statistical Data, 799 crimes were reported in 2020. Assault crimes had the highest number of arrests at 320, theft/larceny had the second highest number of arrests at 277, and assault came in third at 320. Other crimes, such as burglary and motor vehicle theft, had 140 arrests and 44 arrests, respectively.

Lafayette Parish Arrest Statistics

The Louisiana State Analysis Center (LSAC) maintains the collection and distribution of criminal justice data submitted by law enforcement agencies within the state. According to the 2022 arrest statistics provided by the Louisiana State Analysis Center, 19,191 arrests were made in Louisiana for drug abuse violations. This accounted for the highest number of arrests made in the year 2022. 17,173 arrests were made for simple assault, making it the second highest in number, while 16,677 and 13,763 arrests were made for all other offenses and larceny-theft, respectively. Offenses such as aggravated assault, weapons (carrying, possessing, etc.), and disorderly conduct accounted for 6809, 3704, and 3331 arrests, respectively.

Find Lafayette Parish Arrest Records

There are several ways for interested persons to find a Lafayette Parish arrest record. Individuals may contact local law enforcement agencies in person, via phone, or by email to inquire about an inmate. Along with a valid ID, a record seeker may be required to provide the offender's first and last name, date of birth, and a general physical description.

The Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office also provides public information on individuals who are currently incarcerated at the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center. The Sheriff's Office also provides information on persons arrested within 48 hours. Individuals can obtain arrest records by contacting the Sheriff's Office via phone at (337) 232-9211, via email at corrections@lafayettesheriff.com, or in person at any of their facilities. Record seekers may also utilize the Live Jail Database online tool the Sheriff's Office provides. Individuals may look up all incarcerated, recent bookings, and awaiting trial inmate lists. Searches may also be conducted by filling in the subject's full name, birth year, and CCN information.

Persons seeking the record of an arrest made by state or federal agencies in Lafayette Parish may obtain it through the following means:

• For arrests made by state agencies, record seekers may contact the Louisiana State Police to conduct a background check through the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information. Requests may be submitted online, in person, or via mail.
• For offenders arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), arrest record seekers may utilize the US Federal Inmate Locator to search for an arrestee by name or by number.

Free Arrest Record Search in Lafayette Parish

Through the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office's Offender Information page, the public can access information about those currently incarcerated in the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center and those arrested within the last 48 hours and admitted to the facility. To obtain an arrest record for free using the Jail Active Data Environment Systems, fill in the first name, last name, middle initial, year of birth, and criminal case number, and click "Search". An individual may also click on the "Recent Booking" heading to get an overview of all arrests made in the past 48 hours.

Furthermore, record seekers may visit local police departments within the parish. Per CCRP 228, every police station or jail in Louisiana is required to book an offender by entry. It must ensure that the books and booking information are always open for public inspection.

Alternatively, an individual may conduct a free arrest record search online by utilizing the services of third-party websites. Basic searches may typically be conducted for free by providing the first and last name of the subject. However, a fee may be required to conduct an in-depth arrest record search.

Get Lafayette Parish Criminal Records

A criminal record is an official document related to the details of a person's contact with law enforcement agencies. It may also be defined as a collection of an individual's entire criminal history. These may include the individual's arrests, charges, convictions, court proceedings outcome, parole violations, and others.

The Criminal Department of the Lafayette Parish Court of Record's Office to record seekers upon request. Interested persons making a request are required to send information such as the requestor's name, phone number, regular or certified copies, docket number, caption, number of copies, title of documents being requested, mode of payment, and fax number, email or mailing address to CriminalRecordsRequest@lpclerk.com. Individuals may also contact the Criminal Department via phone at (337) 291-6329.

Furthermore, record seekers may utilize the Online Records database provided by the Clerk of Court. Anyone who wishes to access criminal records via this platform must subscribe for a fee of $50 per 30 days of access with a $10 printed-per-minute entry fee for criminal records. The information that may be obtained includes the offense date, case history, service, minutes, and disposition.

Lafayette Parish Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Arrest records in Lafayette parish are documents generated by law enforcement agencies during an offender's arrest. They can be classified as criminal records and are mainly maintained by local law enforcement agencies. Arrest records are generally limited to investigative reports, statements concerning the arrest's circumstances, and general information about the offender. They do not include details regarding court trials, dispositions, and convictions.

However, criminal records provide details about an individual's criminal conviction history. Commonly known as a rap sheet, a criminal record details the list of an individual's contact with the criminal justice system. Arrest records are part of criminal records.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

Arrest records in Louisiana remain indefinitely on an individual's records. No deadline is imposed for removing one's arrest record unless the individual decides to file for an expungement or in a case where the record is sealed. However, there are restrictions on how the government and private businesses can use a person's past convictions against them. Depending on the seriousness of the act, some offenses can be used against an offender for 10 years, others forever, and still others for a different amount of time.

Expunge Lafayette Parish Arrest Records

Per Art. 972, to expunge an arrest record means to remove it and any other information linked to the arrest from public view. Under limited circumstances, records of some arrests and convictions may be expunged according to Louisiana law (Art. 971). Individuals convicted of misdemeanors and felonies may request to have their arrest records expunged.

Eligible individuals include those who have had their conviction set aside, and their prosecution dismissed. A person may also request for an expungement when more than 5 or 10 years have elapsed since the completion of their sentence for a misdemeanor or felony respectively. Individuals entitled to a first-offender pardon can also have their arrest records expunged.

Individuals who are eligible to expunge their arrest records for a felony or misdemeanor offense that did not result in a conviction include:

• Individuals who were not prosecuted for the offense for which they were arrested
• Individuals against whom the prosecution was instituted and whose cases have been resolved through acquittal or the sustaining of the motion to quash.
• Cases where the district attorney declined to prosecute any offense arising out of the arrest
• Cases where the person was found not guilty by a judge and was therefore entitled to compensation for being wrongfully convicted

Individuals seeking to expunge their Lafayette Parish arrest records may contact the Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court to file a motion to expunge a record of arrest. The Clerk will then serve the notice of the motion of expungement to the law enforcement agency that made the arrest, the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information, and the parish district attorney of conviction. A contradictory hearing (Art. 980) is then held where any of the entities mentioned above may object to the motion. If any of these entities file no objection, the defendant may waive the contradictory hearing, and the court will grant the motion to expunge the arrest record. Afterward, a judgment ordering the expungement of the arrest record is served to the entities involved.

Lafayette Parish Arrest Warrants

An arrest warrant is a written order issued by the court, commanding that the individual against whom a complaint has been made be arrested and booked (Art. 203). When an individual makes a complaint by executing an affidavit before a magistrate concerning an offender, the magistrate determines if there is probable cause that the offense was committed. The magistrate then issues a personally signed warrant for the arrest of the offender (CCRP 202).

Arrest warrants are issued in the name of the State of Louisiana. A Lafayette Parish arrest warrant must contain the following information

• The date and municipality where the arrest warrant was issued
• The name of the individual to be arrested or a designated name through which the individual can be identified
• The offense brought against the person who is to be arrested
• The command that mandates the offender to be arrested and booked
• The signature of the magistrate with the title of his office
• The bail amount.

Lafayette Parish Arrest Warrant Search

The Lafayette City Marshal's Office executes all arrest warrants issued by the courts in Lafayette Parish. Members of the public may obtain arrest warrant information by contacting the Marshal's Office via phone or in person, Mondays to Fridays, 8 am to 5 pm. To look up active warrants online, visit the Marshal's Office web page, click on the drop-down menu, and click on "Warrants". A list of individuals with outstanding warrants is made available to the general public.

Alternatively, interested persons may contact the Lafayette City Police Department or the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office via phone or in person after working hours or during the weekends. Individuals may also follow the Acadiana Open Channel television show to obtain information on current outstanding warrants in the parish.

Do Lafayette Parish Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. According to Art. 205 of the Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure, arrest warrants in Lafayette Parish have no expiration date. They remain in effect until they have been successfully executed by apprehension or voluntary surrender of the suspect. A warrant may also cease to be effective when the subject dies.