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Shreveport council approves two-year lease with North Louisiana crime lab after extended use of facility
Summary
After a lengthy exchange about a prior $400,000 city payment and whether that payment implied rent-free occupancy, the City Council approved a two-year lease authorizing the mayor to sign with the North Louisiana Criminalistic Laboratory Commission; the lease is reported at $90,000 per year.
The Shreveport City Council voted to authorize Mayor Arceneaux to execute a two-year lease with the North Louisiana Criminalistic Laboratory Commission, approving the measure unanimously after an extended discussion about the lab’s prior funding and occupancy.
Council members and lab representatives spent nearly an hour on the issue before the vote. Councilman James Green summarized the council’s position: “I don't think we can afford to lose the crime lab here.” Chief Smith, speaking for the Shreveport Police Department, said the partnership has been beneficial for investigations: “Until our new headquarters is built, CSI will be moving back home. So until then, we have no place to go.”
The discussion revisited a previous city payment of $400,000 that lab representatives described as an emergency infusion during 2021 that later became tied to a cooperative endeavor and a 24-month lease signed April 8, 2022. Council members said they were not aware that the 2021 assistance would result in a lease obligation. “I had no idea that it would turn out to be a lease,” Councilman Green said, describing why some members felt unclear about the original terms.
Lab representatives told the council the facility serves 29 parishes, with Caddo Parish accounting for roughly 25% of the lab’s caseload. They said the lab previously occupied the space under a contract that expired Feb. 28, and they proposed a lease option for the city’s crime scene unit at about $90,000 annually. The lab representative said he would prefer the city to maintain its presence but that the lab could re-let the space if the city declined.
Members described the arrangement as important to local prosecutions and public safety because the on-site lab equipment and daily contact with forensic scientists have improved turnaround times and the police unit’s technical skills. Several councilmembers urged efforts to secure more stable state-level funding for the lab’s long-term sustainability.
By vote, the council approved the lease authorization (Resolution 4). The motion was moved by Councilman Butcher (recorded elsewhere in the transcript also as “Boucher”) and seconded by Councilman Taliaferro; the clerk recorded the measure as passing 7–0.
What happens next
The approved resolution authorizes the mayor to sign the lease documents. Council members said the city will continue conversations about longer-term funding and legislative changes to stabilize lab financing at the state level. Councilmembers also encouraged the lab to seek broader parish support and legislative remedies to reduce reliance on emergency city infusions.
Sources: Council discussion and roll-call votes during the March council meeting.
