Rapides Parish Felony Records

Rapides Parish felony records are kept at the Clerk of Court in Alexandria, where the 9th Judicial District Court handles all felony cases filed in the parish. The clerk's office is located on Murray Street and offers both in-person access and online search through the RAPID E-Search portal. Criminal records go back to January 1984 in the online index, with case images available from May 2003. This page covers how to find and access Rapides Parish felony records through the clerk's office and online tools.

Rapides Parish Clerk of Court

The Rapides Parish Clerk of Court is located at 701 Murray Street, Suite 102, Alexandria, LA 71301. Phone is (318) 473-8153 and fax is (318) 473-4667. The clerk's website is at rapidesclerk.org. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The Rapides Parish Clerk of Court maintains felony records for all cases filed with the 9th Judicial District Court.

For in-person requests, visit the clerk's office during business hours. Complete a records request form and provide a full name and date of birth, or a case number. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID. Name search fees are $5.00 per name. Copies cost $1.00 per page. Mail requests require a written request, the full name and aliases, date of birth, date range for the search, your contact information, a copy of your ID, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and payment. Under RS 44:31, any person of majority age may inspect public records, and the clerk bears the burden of proving any exemption.

The Rapides Parish Clerk of Court website at rapidesclerk.org covers the RAPID E-Search portal, contact information, and in-person and mail request procedures for criminal and civil records.

RAPID E-Search Portal for Rapides Parish Records

The RAPID E-Search system at rapidesclerk.org/rapidesearch.htm is the primary online tool for Rapides Parish felony records. The system is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except for a brief downtime at 3:00 AM daily for backup and periodic maintenance windows. The criminal inquiry index covers January 1984 to the present. Bills of Information (case images) are available from May 2003 forward.

Three subscription tiers are available. A daily (24-hour) pass costs $20.00 with printing at $1.00 per page. A monthly (31-day) subscription is $60.00 with printing at $0.75 per page. An annual (365-day) subscription costs $600.00 with printing at $0.75 per page. To set up an account: register online, confirm via email link, pay via the cart in the top left menu, and account access activates upon credit card authorization. System requirements include a current browser, Adobe Acrobat or Reader, broadband internet, and cookies and JavaScript enabled.

The RAPID E-Search portal gives subscribers around-the-clock access to Rapides Parish criminal records going back to 1984, with document images available for bills of information filed since 2003.

Rapides Parish Record Retention and What Records Include

Rapides Parish follows specific retention rules for felony case files. Capital felony cases are kept permanently. Non-capital felony cases are retained for 20 years after final disposition. Misdemeanor cases are kept for 10 years. Court dockets and indices are permanent records. These retention periods mean that most felony cases from the last two decades are accessible, but very old misdemeanor files may have been retired from the system.

Felony records in Rapides Parish include the full case file from initial filing through final disposition. Identifying information, arrest details, formal charges filed by the 9th Judicial District Attorney's Office, court hearing records, plea information, and sentencing orders are all part of the record. Records also include civil and probate suit inquiry (from October 1984 with images from March 1994), marriage license inquiry (from January 1865), and traffic inquiry (from January 1990). Redacted copies of many documents are available through the online portal. Certified copies must be requested in person or by mail.

RS 44:3 exempts active case records while criminal litigation is pending. RS 44:9 governs expungement, which removes records from public access but does not destroy them. Under RS 44:32, the clerk charges reasonable fees for copies. In-person inspection of records is generally free; copy charges apply when you want to take documents with you.

Additional Resources for Rapides Parish Felony Records

The eVault LA system provides multi-parish access and is one option for Rapides Parish records depending on participation. The eClerks LA portal is another statewide tool that may index Rapides Parish case information. For comprehensive criminal history reports, contact the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information at (225) 925-6095. The state background check costs $26. The LSP Internet Background Check portal handles authorized agency requests.

Federal felony cases in Rapides Parish go through the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana and are searchable through PACER at pacer.uscourts.gov. The city of Alexandria has its own page on this site with additional local resources for felony records in that area.

The eVault LA system provides additional statewide access to court and land records across Louisiana parishes, including Rapides Parish, and can supplement the RAPID E-Search for certain record types.