Police jury amends public‑records practice: president to be notified and DA's office to continue handling requests

The district attorney's office described the parish's public‑records process and recommended a policy change to improve transparency. Under current practice, requests are routed through the DA's office to ensure proper redaction and response within the statute's three‑day notice window. The DA recommended amending the policy so that, upon receipt, each request is emailed immediately to both the DA's office and the police jury president.

"I would just suggest you amend that policy to say immediately forward the request... to the district attorney and the president of the police jury," the DA said, explaining that including the president in initial notification would keep the elected leader apprised of requests that might later require policy or public‑interest decisions.

Jurors asked whether the president is the official custodian of records; staff clarified that the clerk of court is the official custodian for recorded parish documents but that Mary (parish secretary) normally organizes requests for operational records. Jurors agreed to amend the public‑records policy to require immediate notification to the DA and the poll jury president and to include a workflow so the president can decide whether to notify the full jury for significant requests.

Next steps: staff will draft a resolution amending the public‑records policy to add notification to the DA and the police jury president and provide guidance on which requests trigger broader notification.