Vermilion Parish Arrest Records

Vermilion Parish arrest records are kept by the Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office in Abbeville, Louisiana. The sheriff's office runs the parish jail and posts a public inmate roster through the Louisiana Victim Notification System, letting anyone look up current inmates by name. Booking records, initial arrest reports, and related documents are open under state law. This page covers how to find Vermilion Parish arrest records online and in person, which offices hold them, and what rules apply to access.

Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office

The Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Eddie Langlinais, is the main source for arrest records in the parish. The office sits at 101 South State Street in Abbeville, which is the parish seat. This is the same address as the Vermilion Parish Correctional Center, so the jail and the sheriff's main office share the same building. You can call or visit during normal business hours to ask about records or request copies of booking documents.

Louisiana's Public Records Act, found at LRS 44:1, gives any adult the right to inspect and copy public records held by government agencies. The Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office is covered by this law. If you want records that aren't posted online, you can put your request in writing and deliver it to the office. The agency is required to respond within three business days. They can charge for copying but not for the right to look at records.

Booking records and initial arrest reports are specifically public under LRS 44:3. This covers the core document created when someone is arrested and booked. It includes the person's name, date of birth, the charge or charges, and the booking date. These records are public even if the charges are later dropped or no conviction results. You do not need a special reason to ask for them.

Search Vermilion Parish Inmate Roster Online

The Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office posts a live inmate roster through the Louisiana Victim Notification System. The direct address for Vermilion Parish is vermilion.lavns.org. This is a free public tool. You can browse the roster by the first letter of the last name, or search for a specific person by name. Each entry shows basic booking info for anyone currently held at the Vermilion Parish Correctional Center.

The Vermilion Parish inmate roster at vermilion.lavns.org shows current inmates held at the Vermilion Parish Correctional Center, organized for easy name searches.

The roster is provided directly by the sheriff's office through the LAVNS network and is updated as bookings and releases occur at the jail.

VINE, which stands for Victim Information and Notification Everyday, is part of the LAVNS platform. Anyone can sign up for free VINE alerts tied to a specific inmate. The system will contact you by phone, text, or email when that person's custody status changes. You do not need to give your name to register. This service is useful if you need to know when someone is released from the Vermilion Parish jail.

The Louisiana State Police also maintain a statewide database through the Louisiana Automated Victim Notification System. If a person was recently booked and isn't showing on the local LAVNS page yet, you can check the VINE portal at vinelink.vineapps.com for statewide coverage across all Louisiana parishes.

The statewide VINE system at VineLink covers all Louisiana parishes, including Vermilion, and can be searched when a local roster does not show the result you need.

Vermilion Parish Correctional Center

The Vermilion Parish Correctional Center is the parish jail. It is located at 101 South State Street in Abbeville, the same location as the sheriff's main office. The phone number is (337) 898-4400. Anyone arrested in Vermilion Parish and held in custody will be booked through this facility. The booking record created at intake is what becomes the public arrest record available through LAVNS and through direct records requests.

If you are trying to find out whether someone is currently in custody at the parish jail, the LAVNS roster at vermilion.lavns.org is the fastest way to check. For questions about visitation, commissary, or inmate mail, call the correctional center directly at (337) 898-4400 during business hours.

Abbeville and Kaplan Police Records

Two city police departments also make arrests in Vermilion Parish. The Abbeville Police Department is located at 101 South State Street, Abbeville, LA 70510, and can be reached at (337) 893-2511. The Kaplan Police Department is at 301 North Cushing Avenue, Kaplan, LA 70548, phone (337) 643-8600. When these agencies make arrests, the arrested person is typically booked into the Vermilion Parish Correctional Center and will appear on the LAVNS roster.

To get copies of police reports or incident reports from the city departments, you contact the specific department that handled the arrest. Each agency processes its own records requests. For arrests made by the sheriff's office in unincorporated parts of the parish, contact the Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office directly.

Note: City police records and sheriff's office records are kept separately, so you may need to contact more than one agency if you're not sure who made the arrest.

How to Request Vermilion Parish Arrest Records

To get a copy of a booking record or arrest report from the Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office, call (337) 898-4400 or go in person to 101 South State Street in Abbeville. A written request works best. Include the name of the person, the approximate date of arrest, and the type of document you need. The office may charge a small fee for paper copies.

Under LRS 44:1, any adult may request public records from a Louisiana government agency. The sheriff's office must respond within three business days. If they need more time, they must say so in writing. A denial must also come in writing with a reason. Booking records and initial arrest reports are specifically listed as public in LRS 44:3, so these are generally straightforward to obtain.

If you want your own criminal history record from the state, that request goes through the Louisiana State Police under LRS 15:588. The fee is around $46. The full state criminal history database under LRS 15:587 is not open to general public searches, but you can access your own record and request certified copies through that process.

Vermilion Parish Arrest Record Laws

Louisiana law at LRS 44:3 is the main rule for public access to arrest records. Initial arrest reports, booking records, citations, and summons are all public documents. These records are open even before a case reaches trial or results in a conviction. The law does not require you to show a reason. Access is open to any adult.

There are limits. Criminal history data compiled by the state through the Louisiana Criminal History database is restricted under LRS 15:587. You can view public jail rosters and initial booking documents, but running a full background check through state systems requires a lawful purpose under that statute. The parish roster at LAVNS shows current custody, not a full history.

If you believe a record is being wrongly withheld, LRS 44:35 allows you to file a mandamus action in district court to force disclosure. This is rarely needed for standard booking records. Local legal aid organizations in the Vermilion area can help if you run into trouble getting records you have a right to see.

Cities in Vermilion Parish

There are no major cities in Vermilion Parish with dedicated arrest records pages on this site. Records for all communities in the parish, including Abbeville, Kaplan, Gueydan, Erath, and Delcambre, are handled through the Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office at 101 South State Street in Abbeville. Call (337) 898-4400 for help with records for any location in the parish.

Nearby Parishes

Vermilion Parish borders several other parishes in south Louisiana. Each maintains its own sheriff's office and separate records system.