St. Bernard Parish Police Records

St. Bernard Parish police records come from the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office, which serves the parish from its main facility in Chalmette. Louisiana's closed criminal history law limits access to statewide rap sheets, but local incident reports and court filings remain accessible through proper channels and written requests.

St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office

The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office serves as both the primary law enforcement agency and the operator of the parish detention center. It handles everything from routine patrol in Chalmette and surrounding communities to major felony investigations. Because St. Bernard Parish sits just downriver from New Orleans, the sheriff's office works closely with the Orleans Parish Sheriff and NOPD on cross-parish matters.

Records held by the sheriff's office include incident reports, arrest records, and jail booking information. Not all of these are automatically public; the type of record and whether an investigation is ongoing both affect what can be released. A written request is the best way to start. State law requires a response within three business days. Bring or send as much detail as you have about the incident — date, location, type of call — so staff can locate the report quickly.

Clerk of Court Records

The St. Bernard Parish Clerk of Court handles all civil and criminal filings for the parish court system. Once an arrest leads to charges being filed, the court record begins. That record is separate from the police report. Court records include charging documents, plea entries, sentencing records, civil judgments, and restraining orders. The clerk's office can search its records by name, case number, or date.

The clerk's office is at 1100 Florida Avenue in Chalmette, in the same building complex as the sheriff's office. This makes it fairly straightforward to handle both records requests in a single trip if needed. Call ahead to confirm hours and fees for copies.

Louisiana's Closed Criminal History System

Louisiana keeps its criminal history database restricted under La. R.S. 15:587. The Louisiana State Police BCII manages that database, called LCJIS, and only authorized entities can access it for lookups on other people. This is not unique to St. Bernard Parish — it is a statewide restriction.

What this means in practice: you cannot walk into the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office and ask for a full criminal history on another person. The sheriff's office can confirm certain things — whether a public arrest happened, whether a warrant is outstanding in some cases — but a compiled history is controlled at the state level. Authorized entities like licensed professional agencies, certain employers in regulated industries, and law enforcement can request checks through LSP BCII's fingerprint-based process for $36 ($31 base plus $5 technology fee).

If you want to see your own criminal history record or challenge something on it, La. R.S. 15:588 gives you that right. Reach LSP BCII at 7919 Independence Blvd, Baton Rouge, or by phone at (225) 925-6095.

Making a Public Records Request

The Louisiana Public Records Act (La. R.S. 44:1) is the framework for requesting records from the sheriff's office, clerk, or any other public agency in St. Bernard Parish. Any person age 18 or older can make a request. The agency has three business days to respond. The response can be the record, a written denial with a reason, or a notice that more time is needed for a complex request.

Some records are off-limits. La. R.S. 44:3 protects records related to ongoing investigations, undercover operations, juvenile matters, and a few other categories. If your request is denied, you will receive a written explanation. You can appeal that denial if you believe it was improper.

For St. Bernard Parish, written requests to the sheriff's records division or the clerk of court are the most direct path. Have the details ready: what you need, when the incident happened, names or case numbers if you have them.

Crash Reports

Louisiana State Police crash reports for accidents in St. Bernard Parish are available through the LSP crash reports portal starting 15 days after the crash. The cost is $11.50 per report. Fatal crash reports are not available online; you must go in person after 60 days have passed. If the crash was handled by the sheriff's office or another local agency rather than LSP troopers, you need to contact that agency directly.

DOC and State Records

For records on people incarcerated in Louisiana state prisons, the Department of Corrections public information division is the right contact. People held in the St. Bernard Parish jail on local charges would not appear in DOC records unless they were later transferred to state custody. The LSP background check service and the LSP traffic records unit handle separate record types at the state level and may be useful depending on what you are looking for.

Nearby Parishes

St. Bernard Parish is one of the smaller Louisiana parishes geographically and borders only two others.