New Orleans Jail Mugshots
New Orleans jail mugshots are kept by the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, which runs the Orleans Parish Prison at 2800 Perdido Street. Anyone booked in New Orleans goes through OPSO, and the office posts inmate data on its public search tool. The New Orleans Police Department handles arrests across the city, but once a person is booked into the parish jail, the sheriff takes over custody and record keeping. Booking photos, charges, bond amounts, and court dates are all part of the public file that residents can look up at no cost through the OPSO site.
New Orleans Quick Facts
New Orleans Police Arrest Records
The New Orleans Police Department is the main law enforcement agency in the city. NOPD makes arrests across all districts and brings people to the Orleans Parish Prison for booking. The detention center logs every arrest and booking. The department does not hold inmates at its own stations for long. After a quick processing step, the person goes to the parish jail.
| Agency | New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) |
|---|---|
| Address | 1615 Poydras Street, New Orleans, LA 70112 |
| Phone | (504) 658-5080 |
| Website | nola.gov/nopd |
NOPD has eight police districts that cover the whole city. Each district has its own station. Officers from any district can make an arrest in New Orleans, and the person ends up at the same central booking site run by the sheriff. You can call NOPD for booking information on a recent New Orleans arrest, but for jail mugshots and current inmate status, the sheriff's office is the place to check. Each New Orleans arrest creates a booking record with a mugshot. Jail mugshots are part of the public file.
Note: New Orleans jail mugshots are processed through the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office booking system.
Orleans Parish Jail Mugshots Search
The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office runs a free inmate search tool on its site. This is the fastest way to find jail mugshots for anyone booked in New Orleans. The jail roster is free to search online.
The OPSO inmate search at opso.us/inmate-search lets you look up people by name or booking number. Results show basic ID info, arrest charges, bond amount, court dates, and housing assignment. The mugshot search tool supports partial name matching, which helps when you are not sure of the exact spelling. If you enter Williams, for example, the inmate search will also turn up Williamson and other close matches.
The OPSO inmate search page is shown below.
This portal shows current inmates held at the Orleans Parish Prison. It updates as people are booked in or released. The inmate roster updates as new bookings come in. For older jail records, you may need to file a formal jail records request with the sheriff's office.
How to Find New Orleans Jail Mugshots
There are a few ways to look up jail mugshots in New Orleans. The method you pick depends on how recent the jail booking is and what arrest data you already have.
For current inmates, the OPSO online mugshot search is the best bet. It is free and works around the clock. Type the person's last name and you get a list of matches. Click a name to see the full booking record with the jail mugshot, arrest charges, bond, and next court date. The booking data is usually up within a few hours of the jail booking.
For older jail records or cases that are no longer in the live system, you can submit a written request to the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office. Include the person's full name, date of birth if known, and rough date of arrest. Fees for jail record copies run between $0.25 and $1.00 per page. Most mugshot requests take about three business days to process. You can send the request by mail, drop it off in person, or email it to the jail records office.
Louisiana's Public Records Law under La. R.S. 44:1 makes most jail booking records available to the public. There are some limits. La. R.S. 44:3 lists exemptions that can apply to certain law enforcement files, but basic booking data and jail mugshots are generally open for anyone to see. Booking photos and arrest details are kept on file.
Orleans Parish Jail Records
The Orleans Parish Prison is the jail that holds people arrested in New Orleans. It sits at 2800 Perdido Street, not far from the city's courts and government buildings. The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office runs the jail and handles all inmate records.
| Facility | Orleans Parish Prison (OPP) |
|---|---|
| Address | 2800 Perdido Street, New Orleans, LA 70119 |
| Phone | (504) 202-9339 |
| Sheriff's Website | opso.us |
When someone is arrested by NOPD or any other agency in the city, they go to OPP for jail booking. The jail takes the mugshot, records prints, and logs all arrest charges. Bond is set by a judge, usually within 48 hours. Inmates stay at OPP until they post bond, get released, or are moved to a state facility after sentencing.
Families can check on a New Orleans inmate by calling the jail desk or using the online jail mugshot search. Visiting hours and rules are posted on the OPSO site. You can also use the Louisiana Victim Notification System at lavns.org to get alerts when an inmate's jail status changes. These are public jail records available to anyone.
Note: New Orleans inmate records and jail mugshots are filed under Orleans Parish in the statewide booking system.
Statewide Jail Mugshot Search Tools
If you cannot find someone in the OPSO jail roster system, they may have been moved to a state prison or released. The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections runs a statewide inmate locator.
The DPS&C Imprisoned Person Locator at doc.louisiana.gov covers state prisons across Louisiana. It does not show parish jail inmates, but if a person was sentenced and transferred, you can find them here. The search is free.
The DPS&C site lets you search by name or DOC number. Results include the facility, sentence length, and projected release date.
VINELink at vinelink.com is another option for jail mugshot tracking. It tracks offenders across the country and lets you sign up for jail status alerts. This can be useful if you need to know when someone in Orleans Parish gets out of custody.
New Orleans Jail Records Requests
You can get copies of jail booking records from the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office. Under La. R.S. 44:1, these are public jail records. Written requests work best. Include as much arrest data as you can about the person.
Fees are modest. Copies cost between $0.25 and $1.00 per page. The jail records office aims to fill mugshot requests within three business days, though complex searches can take longer. You can send requests by mail, email, or walk them in during business hours. Call OPSO at (504) 202-9339 if you have questions about what booking records they can provide.
La. R.S. 44:700 sets rules for how jail mugshot records can be used and shared in Louisiana. Some commercial uses face limits, but public access to New Orleans jail records for personal use is generally not restricted.
Note: New Orleans jail mugshot requests to the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office are typically processed within three business days.
Nearby City Jail Mugshots
Several cities near New Orleans also have their own jail mugshot and booking records. These are handled by their respective parish sheriff's offices.
Metairie and Kenner are both in Jefferson Parish, just west of New Orleans. If someone was arrested in those areas, check the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office jail roster instead of OPSO for mugshot records.
Orleans Parish Booking Records
New Orleans is in Orleans Parish, and the two share the same boundaries. All jail bookings, mugshots, and arrest records for the city go through the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office. For more on parish-level records, court info, and other resources, visit the full Orleans Parish page.