The Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory is a part of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Since its inception in 1937, the Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory has been committed to providing the highest quality of professional forensic services to the State of Louisiana. This commitment includes applying sound scientific principles in all analyses, being responsive to our customers, conducting our operations in a fair and objective manner, and being a leader in advancing forensic science.

The mission of the laboratory is to assist local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies in Louisiana in the investigation of criminal activity by providing accurate and timely scientific analysis of physical evidence and reporting the results of those analyses to appropriate entities in the criminal justice community. Forensic scientists at the laboratory perform scientific examinations of evidence and can provide assistance in the actual collection of evidence at crime scenes when requested.

Laboratory personnel also provide expert testimony in criminal court on their findings when requested. Analyses performed at the laboratory are often the definitive factor in proving the guilt or innocence of persons charged with criminal acts.

The Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory is currently accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) to their testing accreditation program, which requires conformance to the ISO/IEC 17025 International Standards and any supplemental requirements, including the FBI's DNA Quality Assurance Standards (QAS). The Crime Lab is accredited in the forensic science testing disciplines of seized drugs, fire debris, impressions, biology (DNA), friction ridge (latent prints), toxicology, firearms and toolmarks, scene investigation (crime scene), bloodstain pattern analysis, and fracture match.

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Lab Facts

• • Lab receives over 18,000 separate requests for analysis each year.
  • Laboratory staff train law enforcement officers in all phases of evidence processing and crime scene investigation.
  • Staff members belong to professional organizations including:
    • American Academy of Forensic Sciences
    • Association of Firearm and Toolmarks Examiners
    • American Society for Testing and Materials
    • Louisiana Association of Scientific Crime Investigators
    • Southern Association of Toxicologists
    • Society of Forensic Toxicologists
    • Southwestern Association of Toxicologists

Customer Information

• • Test methods are available upon request and selected by the Lab as appropriate.
  • Submission of evidence implies agreement to testing methods and necessary deviations.
  • Customers will be notified of any service changes.
  • The Lab may subcontract services; submission implies acceptance.
  • Reports may omit performance dates or sampling details unless specifically requested.
  • If an item is unsuitable for testing, the Lab may choose not to proceed without consulting the customer. A disclaimer will be included in the report if required testing proceeds despite the deviation.