Caddo Parish Criminal Court Records

Caddo Parish criminal court records are maintained by the Caddo Parish Clerk of Court in Shreveport and cover all felony, misdemeanor, and traffic cases filed in the 1st Judicial District Court. This page explains how to search, request, and access those records online and in person.

Caddo Parish Clerk of Court

The Caddo Parish Clerk of Court is the official custodian of all criminal court records filed in Caddo Parish. The office is located at 501 Texas Avenue, Room 103, Shreveport, LA 71101, and can be reached by phone at (318) 226-6780. Staff there handle requests for criminal case files, docket sheets, court minutes, and certified copies of judgments and dispositions. Records on file go back to the early 1800s, making Caddo one of the most historically rich courthouse archives in northwest Louisiana.

The Shreveport City Clerk of Criminal Court handles cases originating within city limits and can be reached at (318) 673-5830. If you are not sure which office holds the record you need, call the main Caddo Parish Clerk number first. Staff can direct you to the right division quickly.

Caddo Parish Clerk of Court at 501 Texas Avenue in Shreveport handles all criminal case filings and record requests.

The clerk's office is open weekdays and handles criminal court records dating back to the early 1800s.

How to Search Caddo Parish Criminal Court Records Online

Two main portals give online access to Caddo Parish criminal court records. The first is Clerk Connect, a multi-parish subscription service that covers Caddo Parish civil and criminal case data. Plans are available on a daily, monthly, or yearly basis. Attorneys and high-volume users tend to prefer Clerk Connect because it also supports e-filing, letting them submit documents to the 1st Judicial District Court electronically without a trip to the courthouse.

The second option is eClerks LA, the statewide Louisiana clerks index. This portal gives free basic searches across all 64 parishes. You can look up a name or case number and see whether a criminal record exists in Caddo Parish before committing to a full records request. Free index results do not include document images, but they confirm case existence and basic identifying information.

In-Person Record Requests at the Courthouse

If you need certified copies or documents not available online, you can visit the clerk's office in person at 501 Texas Avenue in Shreveport. Bring the full name of the defendant, the approximate year the case was filed, and any known case number. Staff can pull criminal dockets, charge sheets, motions, and judgment records while you wait or prepare copies for pickup later in the day. Certified copies require payment of standard copy fees at the time of pickup.

Public access computer terminals are available inside the courthouse for self-service searches at no charge. These terminals connect to the same database the clerk staff use and can be a fast way to confirm a case number before ordering copies.

Note: Juvenile records, cases involving sexual offenses, and certain sealed files require a court order before the clerk can release them.

Criminal Court Records and Louisiana Public Records Law

Louisiana's public records law, codified at La. R.S. 44:1, makes most criminal court records open to any adult member of the public. La. R.S. 44:32(A) states that any adult may request access to public records without having to explain why. These rights apply to Caddo Parish criminal court records held by the clerk just as they do to records held by any other public body in the state.

Record retention rules set by La. R.S. 44:36 govern how long the clerk must keep criminal files. Felony case records are permanent. Misdemeanor records must be kept for at least 10 years. Traffic offense records have a 3-year minimum retention period. As a practical matter, Caddo Parish keeps records well beyond these minimums. The archive dates to the early 1800s for some document types.

Expungements are governed by La. C.Cr.P. Art. 971. When a court grants an expungement, the clerk seals the record and it is no longer publicly accessible. If you are looking for a record and cannot find it, expungement is one reason it may not appear in a standard search. The standard fees associated with expungement filings statewide include a $200 clerk fee, $250 bureau fee, $50 DA fee, and $50 sheriff fee.

Caddo Parish DA Criminal Division

The Caddo Parish DA Criminal Division handles felony and misdemeanor prosecutions for cases filed in the 1st Judicial District Court. The DA's office works alongside the clerk to process criminal filings from arrest through sentencing. If you have a question about the status of an active criminal case or a pending prosecution, the DA's office may be able to provide more detail than the clerk's public case index.

The Caddo DA also maintains records related to crime victims, plea agreements, and sentencing recommendations. These internal records are not part of the public court file, but the case outcome as recorded by the clerk is a public record.

Statewide Criminal Record Options

Beyond the Caddo Parish Clerk, Louisiana offers several statewide options for criminal record searches. The Louisiana State Police background check at ibc.dps.louisiana.gov costs $31 and returns a certified criminal history report based on La. R.S. 15:578, which governs the state criminal repository. This is the most comprehensive single-source check available, pulling from all 64 parishes.

The Louisiana DOC Offender Search at doc.louisiana.gov is free and shows current and former incarcerated individuals. The Louisiana Sex Offender Registry is also free and searchable by name or location. For federal charges filed in the Western District of Louisiana, use PACER to search federal court records.

The Clerk Connect portal provides subscription access to Caddo Parish criminal and civil court records.

Clerk Connect also supports e-filing for Caddo Parish, allowing attorneys to submit documents electronically.

What Caddo Parish Criminal Court Records Contain

A typical criminal case file in Caddo Parish includes the charging instrument (bill of information or grand jury indictment), arrest data, bond and release information, all court docket entries, transcripts of hearings, motions filed by defense and prosecution, any plea agreements, and the final judgment including sentence. For felony cases, the file is permanent. You can track a case from the first appearance through final disposition.

Docket entries show every action taken in a case: arraignment dates, continuances, motions rulings, and trial dates. These entries are useful for understanding how a case moved through the system even if you don't need the full document set. The clerk's online portal and public terminals both show docket data in near-real time.

Minutes are a separate record type. The clerk records official court minutes after each court session. These summarize what happened in open court for any given date and case. Minutes are part of the public record and can be requested separately from the case file.

Note: Records of the 1st Judicial District Court for Caddo Parish are distinct from federal records, which are held by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana and searched through PACER.

Cities in Caddo Parish

Caddo Parish is home to Shreveport, the parish seat and the third-largest city in Louisiana. All criminal court cases originating within Shreveport city limits that are prosecuted at the district court level are filed with the Caddo Parish Clerk of Court at 501 Texas Avenue. Bossier City sits just across the Red River in Bossier Parish and is not part of Caddo Parish's court jurisdiction.

Nearby Parishes

Caddo Parish borders five other northwest Louisiana parishes. Each has its own clerk of court and judicial district for criminal case filings.