St. Tammany Parish Arrest Records

The Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure defines an arrest as a situation where one person (police or law enforcement official) takes another (suspect/arrestee) into custody. For an arrest to be effective, the person must be actually restrained, which may be imposed by force or wilful submission to the authority of the officer arresting him (LA Code Crim Pro Art. 201).

In St. Tammany Parish, a person may be lawfully arrested if they commit an offense in the presence of the officer or where the police officer has probable cause to believe that the arrested person has committed an act constituting a felony or misdemeanor. An individual may also be arrested when an arrest warrant has been issued by a magistrate of a court in St. Tammany Parish naming them as the defendant in the warrant (LA Code Crim Pro Art. 213).

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office is primarily responsible for generating records of arrested persons in the parish. These records are created during the booking process, which involves capturing fingerprints, photographs, personal and identification information about the arrest, and details of the arrest (date, time, location, charges).

An arrest record serves as the foundation for creating other crime-related parish records, such as the St. Tammany Parish court records and criminal records. These records are all interconnected. When charges are filed in a local court after an arrest, the arraignment, trials, sentencing, appeals, and all other court proceedings are filed and documented in the court records.

Are Arrest Records Public in St. Tammany Parish?

Yes. According to the Louisiana Public Records Law (R.S. 44:1), St. Tammany Parish arrest records are public records; the law ensures that all public documents are preserved and accessible for members of the public to inspect and request copies of records in the custody of government agencies. Additionally, Article XII, Section 3 of the Louisiana Constitution guarantees the right of every individual to examine public documents except where the law expressly states otherwise.

Although both legislations aim to ensure the right to freedom of information in the business of the government that involves public affairs, these laws also strike a balance by imposing restrictions and exemptions to protect records from loss or damage and protect the integrity of the state and safety snd security of persons named in those records from harm that may result from unfettered access to all government records. Information that may be exempt from public disclosure in St. Tammany Parish arrest records are:

• Confidential information
• Records exempt by federal or state law, court order, or the Louisiana Constitution
• Arrest records before a final conviction or guilty plea (this does not include initial reports, booking records, the identity of the suspects, details of the arrest, summons, and citations)
• Records of juvenile offenders
• Records collected by the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information, except for the central registry of sex offenders
• Images, audio, and video recordings from a law enforcement officer’s body-worn camera that violate an individual’s reasonable expectation of privacy
• The name or identity of an undercover police officer

What Do Public Arrest Records Contain?

Public arrest records in St. Tammany Parish will usually contain the following information:

• The initial report of the arrest
• A narrative description of the alleged offense
• The name and identity of all persons who are witnesses to or suspect(s) arrested and charged with the alleged offense (witness information may be excepted from public disclosure in some cases)
• The time and date of the alleged offense
• The location of the offense
• The property or vehicle involved
• Description of injury or damage to persons or property
• The name of the arresting/investigating officer

St. Tammany Parish Crime Rate

Upon analysis of the Crime in Louisiana report by the Louisiana Commission of Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice, 4,498 total offenses were recorded by the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office and metropolitan police departments in 2022. This figure is classified into crimes against persons (946), crimes against property (2,139), and crimes against society (1,413). The most prevalent offenses in St. Tammany Parish for that year were:

• Drug/narcotic offenses - 1,178
• Assault offenses - 850
• Larceny/theft - 754
• Fraud offenses -373
• Burglary/breaking and entering - 279
• Destruction/damage/vandalism of property - 257
• Motor vehicle theft- 161

St. Tammany Parish Arrest Statistics

Based on 2022 arrest statistics for St. Tammany Parish provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the offenses leading to most arrests are drug abuse violations, larceny, simple assault, driving under the influence, aggravated assault, and disorderly conduct. Law enforcement agencies in St. Tammany Parish reported a total of 6,128 arrests in the year 2022. The breakdown of this figure is as follows:

• St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office (3928 arrests)
• Slidell Police Department (1538 arrests)
• Covington Police Department (341 arrests)
• Mandeville Police Department (221 arrests)
• Pearl River Police Department (100 arrests)

Find St. Tammany Parish Arrest Records

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office (STPSO) is the principal agency in charge of creating, maintaining, and disseminating records of persons arrested and incarcerated within its jurisdiction. The STPSO has a Public Records Center where individuals can submit requests for law enforcement/arrest records. Although arrest records are accessible, they are not free. Interested persons should peruse the STPSO’s public records fee schedule in order to determine the cost of the records they may desire.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office equally maintains an online Inmate Roster where one may opt to view information on recently released inmates or current inmates. Here, researchers can view the inmate’s profile, booking number, release and transfer date, identity information, status, charge, and bond amount.

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 1120
Covington, LA 70434

Slidell Administrative Building
300 Brownswitch Rd.
Slidell, LA 70458
Phone: (985) 726-8000

Covington Office
701 N. Columbia St.
Covington, LA 70433
Phone: (985) 809-8200

Free Arrest Record Search in St. Tammany Parish

Researchers may retrieve St. Tammany Parish for free if they visit the records unit of the Sheriff’s Office to view and inspect records in person. They may also obtain arrest information by looking through the STPSO’s inmate roster or criminal case records at the St. Tammany Parish Court Clerk's Office.

Alternatively, researchers may utilize third-party search websites. Although third-party websites are often payment and subscription-based services, some may offer free one-time searches or affordable and low-cost payment plans.

Get St. Tammany Parish Criminal Records

Criminal records are official documents containing records of arrests, prosecution, and convictions. Criminal history records consist of arrest information, indictments, other formal criminal charges, dispositions, sentencing, parole and probation details, and release.

The St. Tammany Parish Clerk of Court maintains all criminal records generated in the Parish. Members of the public may request criminal records, including court minutes for misdemeanors, felonies, criminal appeals, criminal history, criminal background sheets, traffic violation cases, and non-support cases. Records of status offenders are not public records.

Complete the “request for copies of criminal records form” and fax it to (985) 809-8779 or mail it to the Parish Clerk of Court. The fee schedule is $1 per page,$5 per certified document, $10 per certified minute entry, plus return postage fees.

Mailing Address:
St. Tammany Parish Clerk of Court
Attn: Criminal Customer Service Department
P.O. Box 1090
Covington, LA 70434

St. Tammany Parish Arrest Records Vs. Criminal Records

Arrest records and criminal records are both criminal justice records. However, they are significantly different. An arrest record simply records the details of a person's arrest and formal charges (if any). It is created after a person has been arrested by a law enforcement officer and taken into custody on suspicion of crime. It is not an indication of guilt; it is simply a record of the arrest. St. Tammany Parish arrest records contain basic information about the suspect, report of the incident, date, time, and location of the arrest, and the arresting agency. Arrest records are public records and can often be accessed for free.

Criminal records, on the other hand, are created when the defendant is found guilty by the judge and jury, convicted, and received sentencing. It is proof that a person who was previously arrested and charged has now been convicted of the crime.

How Long Do Arrests Stay on Your Record?

In Louisiana, records of arrests remain on a person’s public record forever. It does not matter if the person was found not guilty, dismissed by the court, or if charges were never filed. Once created, the arrest record is permanent unless expunged. To expunge a record means to delete a record of arrest or conviction, including all personal and identifying information, from public access. It does not destroy or permanently delete the record.

An expunged arrest record is a confidential document and is no longer subject to public disclosure. It shall not be available to any person or agency except the subject of the record, on order of a competent court after good cause has been established in a hearing, or a member of law enforcement agency, criminal justice agency, or prosecutor upon application in writing, certifying the purpose of the request (LA Code Crim Pro Art. 973)

Expunge St. Tammany Parish Arrest Records

Per Article 976 of the Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure, any person arrested for a felony or misdemeanor offense in St. Tammany Parish may file a motion to expunge the records of their arrest where it did not result in a conviction if they satisfy the following criteria:

• The person was not prosecuted for the offense, and the prosecution for the offense is now statute-barred
• The district attorney chose not to prosecute any offense arising out of the arrest for any reason whatsoever
• The person was charged, the case was dismissed, the defendant was acquitted and discharged, or a motion to quash was sustained.

The above conditions do not apply to persons arrested for driving under the influence and placed in any pretrial diversion program. Such persons shall only be eligible to expunge their arrest records after five years from the date of their arrest for that offense.

Furthermore, a person may file a petition to expunge records of their arrest and conviction where they were convicted of a misdemeanor (CCRP Art. 977) or felony offense (CCRP Art. 978) if the conviction was set aside and the prosecution was dismissed or more than five years (for misdemeanor offenses) and ten years (for felony offenses) have passed since they completed any sentence, period of probation, parole, or deferred adjudication. In addition to that, they must not have been convicted of any felony or misdemeanor offense during the five to ten-year period, and there must be no pending charges.

Once the petition is approved and granted by the clerk of the relevant St. Tammany Parish Court, the court clerk shall serve a notice of the motion of expungement by US mail, fax, or other electronic means to the parish of conviction, the arresting agency, and the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information.

Unlike some other states, courts in Louisiana send notices of the issuance of an expungement order to private third-party entities. Once a third-party entity receives the notice, it is strictly prohibited from disseminating any information regarding the expunged arrest or conviction record. Any company that defaults on this order shall be liable for any damages, court, or attorney fees incurred by the owner of the record whose information was shared (LA Code Crim Pro Art 974).

St. Tammany Parish Arrest Warrants

An arrest warrant is a legal document authorizing the arrest of an individual on reasonable suspicion of committing a criminal offense. It is issued by a magistrate of a St. Tammany Parish court after an applicant submits a sworn complaint alleging probable cause for the arrest. The affidavit must specify the nature, date, and location of the offense; it must also identify the suspect and any injured parties or damaged properties (LA Code Crim Pro Art. 202).

If the magistrate has probable cause to believe the offense was committed and the person against whom the complaint was made omitted it, he shall issue the warrant. The warrant must bear the magistrate's signature and the exact date and time of issuance. For oral declaration of oaths, it must indicate that the oath was administered orally over a phone call.

A St. Tammany Parish arrest warrant must be in writing, in the name of the state of Louisiana; it must state the date and parish of issuance, the name of the person to be arrested (if the name is unknown, the person should be described with reasonable certainty), the offense charged against the suspect, and a command that the person against whom the complaint was laid be arrested and booked. Where the offense is bailable, and the magistrate has the authority to fix bail, the warrant may also specify the bail amount (LA Code Crim Pro Art. 203).

St. Tammany Parish Arrest Warrant Search

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office keeps records of all warrants issued by the 22nd Judicial District Court. Hence, all warrant search queries should be directed to the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Records Department at (985) 809-8242. Interested persons may be able to retrieve information on wanted persons or outstanding warrants by submitting an online request to the Public Records Center.

Do St. Tammany Parish Arrest Warrants Expire?

No. Arrest warrants in Louisiana do not expire; they remain effective until executed. This means the defendant named in the warrant can be arrested months or years after the warrant is issued. Although arrest warrants do not expire, they may be affected by the statute of limitation for the offense, especially in the case of misdemeanors. The statute of limitation does not apply to the warrant but to the charges filed. So long as the charge was filed within two years or the time frame stated by law, it is irrelevant when the defendant is arrested, as the action will not be statute-barred.