Brooks Street Location (1976 -2017)
Shreveport HQ
Ouachita Drop
Shreveport HQ
Ouachita Drop
Our History
The Northwest Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory (NLCL) was established in Shreveport on May 16, 1970, to serve the parishes of Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, DeSoto, Lincoln, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine, and Webster in Northwest Louisiana. The founding of NLCL was spearheaded by Ray Herd, former director of the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab in Baton Rouge, John Richardson, Caddo Parish District Attorney, and Dr. Stuart DeLee, Caddo Parish Coroner. Their collaborative efforts with the Caddo Parish Police Jury and the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement were instrumental in establishing the laboratory.
Brooks Street Location (1976 -2017)
West Monroe Satellite Location (1974 -2023)
Originally located on the sixth floor of the Caddo Parish Courthouse, the space previously housed the Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office. Initial funding was secured through grants from the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement, with administrative oversight by the Caddo Parish Police Jury.
In June 1971, the Louisiana Legislature established the Northwest Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory Commission to maintain and operate the NLCL. This legislation also mandated that district and municipal courts within the commission's jurisdiction impose fees on defendants convicted of certain moving traffic violations to fund the Crime Lab, thereby offering free laboratory services to law enforcement agencies in member parishes.
Subsequent legislation in 1981 and 1992 increased these fees and expanded the types of offenses that incurred them. In 2007, Act 432 was passed, allowing courts to impose fees of $50 for misdemeanors and $150 for felonies. By 1981, additional parishes had joined the commission, extending its reach into Northeast and Central Louisiana. The commission was renamed in 1981 to the North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory Commission to reflect its expanded jurisdiction.
Satellite laboratories were opened in West Monroe in 1974 and in Alexandria in 1976. In June 1976, the main laboratory in Shreveport relocated to 1115 Brooks Street, a renovated property purchased from the Caddo Parish School Board.
A significant milestone in the history of the NLCL System was its initial accreditation by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB) in September 1986 and has retained its accreditation each year since.
Another landmark event was the completion of the North Louisiana Forensic Sciences Center at 1630 Tulane Avenue, Shreveport, LA, in 2017.
The latest milestone for the NLCL was achieved in 2023 when the NLCL successfully sold its West Monroe location and relocated its evidence receiving and return operations to the Ouachita Sheriff's Evidence Facility. This facility is now commonly referred to as the Ouachita "Drop" Facility and provides an ideal location for handling evidence from parishes in Northeast Louisiana.
Our Service Area:
Member parishes of the NLCL Commission are: Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, Desoto, Lincoln, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine, Webster, Caldwell, Catahoula, Concordia, East Carroll, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Rapides, Richland, Tensas, Union, West Carroll, Winn, Avoyelles, Catahoula and Vernon.
The NLCL service area has a population base of 1.1 million. The service area includes: 17 of 40 Judicial Districts, 28 of 105 Louisiana House of Representatives Districts, 11 of 39 Louisiana Senate Districts, and 3 of 7 U.S. Congressional Districts (4th, 5th and 6th).
The NLCL offers services to all law enforcement agencies in the aforementioned parishes. This includes local police departments, sheriff's offices, coroner's offices, fire departments, the State Fire Marshal, State Police, federal agencies (such as the FBI, ATF, DEA), and military bases.
