Find Police Records in Orleans Parish

Orleans Parish police records come from two main agencies: the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), which handles city law enforcement, and the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office (OPSO), which runs the parish jail and handles court security. Both agencies have online tools for record requests, and this page covers exactly how to use them to find incident reports, inmate information, background checks, and other public records tied to New Orleans.

New Orleans Police Department Records

The New Orleans Police Department is the main city law enforcement agency. Their main office is at 715 South Broad Street, New Orleans, LA 70119. The general line is (504) 658-6080. For records and identification matters specifically, call (504) 658-5455. Non-emergency calls go to (504) 821-2222. Mail can be sent to P.O. Box 56127, New Orleans, LA 70156.

The Records and Identification Division sits on the first floor of the 715 South Broad location. Walk-in hours run Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. If you need a police report and plan to go in person, bring the item number for the case (NOPD case numbers follow the format YEAR-XXXXX, such as 2025-12345), the date and location of the incident, and names of people involved. It is worth calling (504) 658-5455 first to confirm the report is ready before making the trip downtown.

Some reports are not available right away. NOPD does not release records that involve minor victims, sex offenses, undercover officers, or open investigations. If your request falls into one of these areas, the office will let you know what, if anything, can be released and on what timeline.

There is also a Public Records Section at a separate location: 1615 Poydras Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, reachable at (504) 658-5080. This office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and handles broader public records requests that may include NOPD documentation.

NOPD Online Records Request Portal

NOPD uses an online portal for public records requests. The address is nola.nextrequest.com/requests/new. This portal is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You do not need to be in New Orleans to submit a request.

Here is how the online process works. Go to the portal and enter the details of your request. You can upload supporting documents if needed, though it is not required. Select NOPD as the department. Fill in your contact information so the office can follow up. Submit the form. You will get an email right away with a tracking number. Use that number to check your request status online without having to call the office.

When writing your request, be as specific as you can. Include the item number (case number) if you have it, the date and location of the incident, and the names of the people involved. The more detail you give, the faster the office can locate the right records. Vague requests take longer and may come back with a denial or a request for more information before the search begins.

Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office and Inmate Search

The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office is located at 819 South Broad Street, New Orleans, LA 70119. The main number is (504) 827-8500, and there is a dedicated information line at (504) 827-6777. OPSO runs the Orleans Justice Center (the parish jail) and handles custody matters for the city. Their website is opso.us.

One of the most used tools through OPSO is the inmate query search. It is available online at no cost through the OPSO website. You can search by name, race, and sex. Results show whether a person is currently in custody at the Orleans Justice Center along with booking details and charge information. This tool is useful if you need to find out whether someone was recently arrested and is being held in the parish jail.

For records requests beyond the inmate search, OPSO has an online request portal on their website. Submit your request with the person's name, date of birth, and case number if you have it. Note the purpose of your request. The office processes requests and follows up with what is releasable. Processing time varies depending on the nature and volume of requests. Calling the information line at (504) 827-6777 before you submit can help you understand what to expect.

Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Clerk

Criminal court records for New Orleans are maintained at the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Clerk's Office, located at 2700 Tulane Avenue, Room 104, New Orleans, LA 70119. Their number is (504) 658-9000, and they are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The clerk holds case files for all criminal matters heard in Orleans Parish District Court. These records include the original charges, all filings made by the prosecution and defense, court orders, and the final disposition of each case. Court records are generally part of the public record unless sealed by a judge. If you need to know whether someone was convicted, what charges they faced, or what sentence was handed down, the clerk's office is where that information lives.

You can search by case number or by the defendant's name. There are copy fees for printed documents. The clerk can tell you the current rate when you contact them. For older cases, the search may take longer depending on how records are stored.

Historical NOPD Records at the Public Library

For historical research, the New Orleans Public Library holds archived NOPD records going back well over a century. The collection includes arrest records from 1881 to 1966, newspaper clippings from 1944 to 1946, homicide reports from 1893 to 1947, and department rosters from approximately 1882 to 1946. These are valuable for genealogical research, historical journalism, and legal history work. To ask about accessing these materials, email the library archivist at archivist@nolalibrary.org.

Louisiana Public Records Law

All records requests in Orleans Parish are governed by the Louisiana Public Records Act, La. R.S. 44:1. This law gives any person the right to inspect and copy public records held by state and local government agencies. Agencies must respond within three business days. That response must provide the records, deny the request in writing with the legal basis cited, or give a timeline for when the records will be available.

Exemptions exist. La. R.S. 44:3 spells out what law enforcement can hold back, including open investigations, confidential informant details, and records that would compromise safety or ongoing operations. NOPD and OPSO rely on these exemptions when denying requests, and they are required to tell you which one applies.

Criminal history records are a separate category under La. R.S. 15:587. Louisiana does not make full criminal histories public. They are restricted to law enforcement agencies, courts, and the individuals themselves. This applies even in Orleans Parish, where public records tools are more developed than in most of the state.

Louisiana State Police Background Checks

If you need an official statewide criminal background check that would include any arrests or convictions from Orleans Parish, that goes through the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information at 7919 Independence Blvd in Baton Rouge. Phone is (225) 925-6095. In-person service runs Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The fee is $36 total ($31 base plus $5 technology fee).

Individuals have the right to review and challenge their own records under La. R.S. 15:588. More about the process is at the LSP background checks page. If you need a crash report from an Orleans Parish accident, those are ordered through the LSP crash reports page for $11.50 each, with a 15-day wait for standard reports.

New Orleans City Page

New Orleans is the only city in Orleans Parish that qualifies as a major city. For city-level records information specific to New Orleans, see the New Orleans police records page.

Nearby Parishes

Orleans Parish is bordered by Jefferson, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines. Find police records for those areas below.