St. Tammany Parish Police Blotter Records

The St. Tammany Parish police blotter covers incident reports, arrest logs, and public safety records maintained by the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office, which has offices in both Covington and Slidell. The office offers an online public records portal through GovQA, making it one of the more accessible Sheriff's Offices in Louisiana for document requests.

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office (STPSO) operates two main locations. The Covington office is at 701 N. Columbia St., Covington, LA 70433 and can be reached at 985-809-8200. The Slidell office is at 300 Brownswitch Road, Slidell, LA 70458, phone 985-726-7700. Mailing for both goes to P.O. Box 1120, Covington, LA 70434. The Records Custodian is Denise Mancuso. For public records requests, the primary channel is the GovQA online portal at stpso.govqa.us, and requests can also be submitted by email at stpso@govqa.us. This online system allows requesters to submit, track, and receive records electronically, which is a significant convenience compared to parishes that only accept paper or in-person requests.

The STPSO website at stpso.com serves as the main information hub for the office and provides links to the GovQA portal, the inmate roster, and other public safety resources.

The Sheriff's site includes the public records portal link, office contact information, and tools for finding inmates and tracking calls for service in the parish.

Louisiana's public records law at La. R.S. § 44:31 gives every adult the right to inspect and copy public records. The STPSO is subject to this law. Under La. R.S. § 44:32, the office has three business days to respond to a written request with the record, a written denial citing a legal basis, or notice of when the record will be ready.

Police Blotter Records and What You Can Access

The police blotter is a daily log of law enforcement activity in St. Tammany Parish. It covers arrests, calls for service, traffic incidents, and other matters handled by the Sheriff's Office across both the Northshore and Slidell areas. These are public records under La. R.S. § 44:1, which defines public records as any document or electronic file made or kept by a government body in the performance of public duties. You can request blotter entries without giving a reason.

CAD event data, which stands for Computer Aided Dispatch, is also available through the STPSO. This is a log of calls for service that deputies responded to. It shows the time, type of call, and location without the full narrative of an incident report. CAD data gives a broader picture of patrol activity and can be useful when you want to understand what types of incidents occur in a specific area or time period. This level of access is not available at every Louisiana Sheriff's Office, and St. Tammany's willingness to make CAD data public reflects a more open records posture than some neighboring parishes.

Incident reports document specific events in detail. They are public once an investigation ends. Under La. R.S. § 44:3, records tied to open criminal investigations may be temporarily withheld. Once charges are filed or the case closes, the reports generally become available. Crash reports for accidents handled by STPSO deputies are available under La. R.S. § 32:398 once the investigation wraps up.

Note: Juvenile records are not public in Louisiana. Any record where the subject is a minor will be withheld regardless of the type of request or the nature of the incident.

Slidell and Online Access

Slidell is the largest city in St. Tammany Parish and is served by the Sheriff's Office Slidell location at 300 Brownswitch Road. Residents of Slidell can use the same GovQA portal and email system as all other parish residents. There is no separate city-level records process for Slidell. All law enforcement records for unincorporated areas and areas served by the Sheriff are handled through the STPSO. For more information about public safety resources in Slidell, visit the Slidell city page.

The inmate roster on the STPSO website shows who is currently in custody in the parish jail. It is updated regularly and gives a quick way to check custody status without submitting a formal request. The GovQA portal at stpso.govqa.us goes further, allowing residents to submit new requests, track existing ones, and receive completed records electronically. This is one of the more convenient public records systems available through a Louisiana Sheriff's Office.

For records held at the state level, the Louisiana State Police provides services at lsp.org/forms for state-level requests and lsp.org/services/background-checks for background checks covering statewide criminal history data.

How to Submit a Records Request

The easiest way to submit a public records request to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office is through the GovQA portal at stpso.govqa.us. Create an account, describe the records you want, and submit your request online. You can track its status through the same portal and receive records electronically when they are ready. If you prefer email, send your request to stpso@govqa.us. Include your name, the type of record, the date range, any case numbers, and a description of the incident or person involved.

If you prefer to request records in person or by phone, call the Covington office at 985-809-8200 or the Slidell office at 985-726-7700 to get current guidance. The Records Custodian, Denise Mancuso, handles records requests for the office. For mail submissions, send your written request to P.O. Box 1120, Covington, LA 70434.

Standard copy fees are $0.25 per page. Certified copies cost $5.00. Ask the office about any additional fees that may apply to specific record types. Under La. R.S. § 44:32, the office has three business days to respond. A denial must be in writing with the applicable legal reason cited. You can appeal a denial to district court or contact the Louisiana Attorney General's office. The Louisiana State Archives at lsa.org provides further guidance on public records rights and appeals procedures.

Nearby Parishes

St. Tammany Parish is located on Louisiana's Northshore and borders five neighboring parishes across the lake and to the north and west.