New Orleans Police Records
New Orleans police records are maintained by the New Orleans Police Department and can be requested through the NOPD Records and ID Division or the city's online public records portal, which lets you submit and track requests any time of day. Whether you need an incident report, a crash report, or historical records dating back more than a century, this guide covers where to go and what to expect.
New Orleans Police Records Quick Facts
NOPD Records and ID Division
The Records and ID Division is located on the first floor of NOPD headquarters at 715 South Broad Street, New Orleans, LA 70119. The public-facing counter is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You can also call the Records line directly at (504) 658-5455 before you visit. The main department line is (504) 658-6080, and the non-emergency line is (504) 821-2222.
Before you drive over, call first. Reports are not always ready as soon as a case is filed. Some incident reports take time to go through review, and certain categories are not released to the public at all. Cases involving minor victims, sexual offenses, undercover operations, or open investigations are restricted. If the report you want falls into one of those groups, it will not be available through the Records window.
When you call or visit, have your information ready. You will need the item number, which is the NOPD case number in the format 2025-XXXXX, along with the date and location of the incident, the names of people involved, and the type of report you are requesting. Having all of this saves time and helps the clerk locate the record quickly.
| Address | 715 South Broad Street, New Orleans, LA 70119 |
|---|---|
| Mailing Address | P.O. Box 56127, New Orleans, LA 70156 |
| Records Phone | (504) 658-5455 |
| Main Line | (504) 658-6080 |
| Hours | Mon-Fri, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. |
| Department Website | www.nola.gov/nopd |
Online Public Records Portal
New Orleans runs its public records requests through NextRequest, an online platform available at nola.nextrequest.com/requests/new. The portal is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so you can file a request at any hour without waiting for business hours to start. You do not need an account to submit, but creating one lets you track the status of your request and receive updates by email.
To submit through the portal, go to the link above and enter the details of your request. Upload any supporting documents if you have them, then select NOPD as the department. Add your contact information and submit. You will get an email confirmation with a tracking number right away. Use that number to follow up if you need to check the status later. The city must respond within three business days under La. R.S. 44:1, though complex requests can take longer.
The Public Records Section, which handles broader city records beyond NOPD, is at 1615 Poydras Street, New Orleans, LA 70112. That office can be reached at (504) 658-5080 and is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Criminal History Records
Louisiana is a closed-record state when it comes to criminal history. Under La. R.S. 15:587, full criminal history records held by the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information (BCII) are not open to the general public. Only authorized agencies, licensed employers in specific fields, and individuals checking their own records can access full background check results.
If you need a background check on yourself, you can request one from the LSP BCII office at 7919 Independence Blvd, Baton Rouge, LA 70806. The phone number is (225) 925-6095, and the office is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The fee is $31 for the search plus a $5 processing charge, totaling $36. Under La. R.S. 15:588, you have the right to review and challenge information in your own file.
NOPD incident reports and arrest reports from open cases are separate from the state criminal history system. Those are governed by the Louisiana Public Records Act. Exemptions under La. R.S. 44:3 apply to records that could interfere with an ongoing investigation or compromise a witness.
Crash Reports
Traffic accident reports from New Orleans can be obtained through the Louisiana State Police online crash report portal. The fee for an online copy is $11.50. There is a 15-day waiting period before most reports become available. If a crash was fatal, the report is not released online at all. Fatal crash reports require an in-person visit and a 60-day wait. You can also find more information about the crash report process at lsp.org/services/crash-reports.
Have key details ready when you search: the date of the crash, the location, and the names of the drivers involved. The report number helps too, if you got one at the scene. Without it, the name and date combination usually works for most searches.
Archived NOPD Records at the Public Library
New Orleans holds one of the most extensive archives of historical police records in the South. The New Orleans Public Library's Louisiana Division maintains NOPD materials spanning decades. The collection includes arrest records from 1881 to 1966, newspaper clippings from 1944 to 1946, homicide reports from 1893 to 1947, and NOPD rosters dating back to approximately 1882 through 1946. These records are not available online and require direct contact with the library's archivist. To inquire about access, email archivist@nolalibrary.org. This collection is useful for genealogy research, journalism, legal history, and academic work. Not all records in the archive are complete, and some may have gaps based on how materials were preserved over time.
What Records Are Public
Louisiana's Public Records Act at La. R.S. 44:1 gives the public the right to inspect and copy records held by government agencies, including law enforcement. The right is broad, but not unlimited. For NOPD, the records most commonly available include initial incident reports for most categories of crime, traffic reports, call logs (through a formal request), and records from closed cases.
Records not available to the public include those from active investigations, records that would identify undercover officers or informants, records involving minor victims, and sexual offense reports. These fall under the exemptions at La. R.S. 44:3. If your request is denied, the agency must tell you which exemption applies.
Orleans Parish Police Records
New Orleans sits entirely within Orleans Parish. The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office also maintains records related to the parish jail and court system. For the full picture of parish-level records, including court filings and detention records, visit the Orleans Parish page.
Nearby Cities
Other cities near New Orleans with their own police records resources include the following.