How to Request a Louisiana State Police Background Check

A Louisiana State Police background check goes through the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information (BCII), the state’s central criminal records repository. Depending on what you need it for, you will either submit a personal Right to Review or an authorized agency request, pay between $26 and $39.25, and in most cases have your fingerprints captured electronically at an IdentoGO location. Walk-in requests at LSP headquarters are no longer accepted.1Louisiana State Police. Fingerprints and Background Checks The Louisiana Department of Corrections does not run these checks and refers everyone to LSP.2Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. Public Information

Pick the Right Type of Check First

Before you pay anything or schedule fingerprinting, be clear about which check you actually need. The wrong one wastes the fee and doesn’t satisfy the requirement.

Right to Review (For Yourself)

Under La. R.S. 15:588, you can view, obtain a certified copy of, and challenge the accuracy of your own criminal history record held by BCII.3Justia. Louisiana Code RS 15-588 – Right of Individual Access This is the option to use when you want to see what shows up before a job application, verify accuracy, or find errors that need correcting. A Right to Review is a personal verification tool. It is not designed to be handed to an employer or licensing board as proof of a clean record.

Authorized Agency or Employer Check

La. R.S. 15:587 governs how BCII releases criminal history to third parties. Eligible recipients include criminal justice agencies, licensing boards, state departments such as Health, Education, and Children and Family Services, and the state fire marshal’s office. Private employers can also obtain conviction records directly from BCII, but only if the applicant has signed a written consent authorizing the release.4Justia. Louisiana Code RS 15-587 – Duty to Provide Information

What comes back depends on who is asking. An employer check returns conviction records only. Checks run for childcare, healthcare, or education licensing may reach further, including pending charges, because the statutes governing those fields authorize deeper searches.

Name-Based or Fingerprint-Based

Name-based searches match on name and date of birth. They are quicker but produce false matches, especially with common names. Fingerprint-based searches tie the record to your physical identity and remove the ambiguity. Most licensing boards, childcare positions, and law enforcement roles require fingerprints for that reason. If you have a choice, fingerprints are the more reliable route.

What It Costs

Fees turn on whether you are checking your own record or someone is checking on you with authority to do so.

BCII accepts money orders or cashier’s checks made payable to the Department of Public Safety. Personal checks and cash are not accepted. When fingerprinting carries a separate fee, pay it with a separate money order or cashier’s check.

How to Submit the Request

Fingerprinting Through IdentoGO

IDEMIA, operating as IdentoGO, is the contracted vendor for statewide electronic fingerprinting in Louisiana and a certified FBI channeling agent.6IdentoGO. Louisiana Services If your employer or licensing board requires fingerprints, you will schedule through IdentoGO’s online portal rather than visit a law enforcement office. Locations use live scan (digital) equipment that transmits prints electronically and speeds up processing.

Before you schedule, get the correct service code from your hiring agency or licensing board. That code tells IdentoGO which check to run and where to send the results. LSP directs applicants to use the IdentoGO network for routine fingerprint scheduling.1Louisiana State Police. Fingerprints and Background Checks Bring a valid government-issued photo ID; the technician will need it to verify who you are.

Mail-In Requests

For a Right to Review or other requests that don’t require electronic submission, you can mail the forms and payment to BCII. The mailing address is Louisiana State Police, BCII-LCJIS, Post Office Box 66614, Box A-6, Baton Rouge, LA 70896.1Louisiana State Police. Fingerprints and Background Checks

Download the Right to Review Authorization and Disclosure forms from the Louisiana State Police website, complete every field legibly, and include your payment. If a fingerprint card is required, use a standard FBI FD-258 card completed by a local law enforcement agency or a certified technician.

Submissions get rejected for predictable reasons: missing signatures on disclosure forms, illegible handwriting, an omitted Social Security number, or the wrong payment type. Checking those details before mailing avoids weeks of back-and-forth.

Processing Time and Results

Fingerprint-based background checks can take up to 21 days. Electronic submissions through IdentoGO tend to move faster than paper fingerprint cards, since they skip the manual data entry step. BCII processes requests in the order received.

For the electronic Right to Review, BCII provides a digital access link to your results. That link stays active for 30 days before it expires.1Louisiana State Police. Fingerprints and Background Checks If you asked for results by mail, the response goes to the address on your application and contains either a summary of your criminal history or a confirmation that no record exists in the state database.

Fixing Errors on Your Record

La. R.S. 15:588 gives you the right to challenge the accuracy of any information in your BCII record and seek corrections.3Justia. Louisiana Code RS 15-588 – Right of Individual Access Errors are more common than people expect. BCII compiles its records from reports sent in by arresting agencies and courts across the state, and things slip: dismissed charges still showing as open, convictions attributed to the wrong person, or missing disposition information that makes a resolved case look active.

To start a challenge, complete the Right to Review process first so you can see exactly what BCII has on file. Once you identify the error, submit corrected documentation or court records to BCII. If you were acquitted, had charges dropped, or completed a sentence that should have triggered an update, gathering the relevant court paperwork before you file will move things along.