Under the Louisiana Public Records Law (LRS 44:1 et al), the public has the right to request certain public records from the Sheriff's Office. While most records are available, there are certain restrictions and exemptions that might preclude an immediate, if any, release of information (e.g. records related to an ongoing criminal investigations, juvenile records, etc).
To make a Public Records Request, you should contact the annually-appointed records liaison. He/she will respond to your request and provide you with information if and when the records you requested will be available. Currently, the Sheriff has designated the following person as the annually-appointed records liaison:
Marla Rowe
Civil Deputy
marla.rowe@claibornesheriff.org
300 Hwy 146
Homer, LA 71040
When making your request, please be specific as to what record you are requesting. You should note that if the record does not exist in the format that you are requesting, the Sheriff is under no obligation to customize or generate forms to fit your needs.
Please note that in order to inspect, copy, or reproduce any public record, the person making the request must be 18 years of age or older.
A public records request allows the person to "view" the record at a place and time designated by the liaison during normal business hours; these hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm, except legal holidays.
If the person wants a copy of the public record, they are allowed to request copies from the liaison. Please note that if you request an electronic version of a record, if it can be provided, it will be provided in a format that will not permit the record to be altered.
State laws also allow the Sheriff's Office to charge reasonable fees for making copies of public records. Currently, documents that fall under the Public Information Act are generally printed/copied and provided to the requestor at a charge of $1.00 cents per copy providing that "copy exact documents" is all the preparation involved in releasing them.
Documents that require redaction from our legal counsel prior to releasing them are charged $3.00 per page. This charge covers the costs of overnight delivery to and from our legal counsel and copying both original files and redacted copies, which is outside our normal course of business.
Record requests for unusually large number of documents that adversely affect the daily operations of the department may require researching, locating, and copying documents after normal business hours and therefore cause overtime. Any costs of overtime will be charged and collected from the requesting individual or entity. The requestor will be notified in writing when the information will be provided and an estimated cost before completing the request.
The Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office has a zero tolerance policy regarding sexual harassment, sexual misconduct or sexual violence involving staff, employees or those in our custody. It is a for of sex discrimination, and is illegal. To report a case of misconduct in any form, you may report to your supervisor or follow the reporting procedure in CPSO Investigations and Complaints. See Louisiana Revised Statute 23:332 and Title VII of the Civic Rights Act of 1964 for further information regarding State and Federal laws.
A. Sexual harassment is any unwanted sexual advances or behaviors that have a negative effect on an individual’s working environment. It can include:
· Sexual requests or demands accompanied by threats
· Verbal remarks or suggestion
· Obscene jokes
· Pinching, patting, squeezing
· Hugging, kissing
· Distributing pornographic material
· Leering
· Stalking
· Attempted rape
· Rape
B. The important point is that the behavior is unwanted and unwelcomed by the individual being harassed, and that it affects the “terms and conditions” of employment.
C. Such conduct and practices are prohibited and will be subject to disciplinary action.
D. An employee who is subjected to discrimination including sexual harassment should report any incident of discrimination promptly to a supervisor or the Human Resource Director. Unanswered complaints should be brought to the attention of the Sheriff.
E. All reported incidents will be investigated and appropriate corrective action will be taken. Every attempt will be made to maintain confidentiality of allegation regarding sexual harassment.
