LAFAYETTE PUBLIC RECORDS

What are Lafayette Public Records?

The Indiana Open Records Law defines Lafayette public records as all materials in recording or writing created, received, stored, amended, or disclosed by public agencies concerning a public activity. Under this definition, public records in Lafayette may exist as printed or handwritten documents, symbols, audio recordings, video tapes, photographs, emails, and SMS. Although the Indiana Code 5-14-3 enables interested persons to request and obtain public records, the Open Records Law exempts certain documents from public access. A majority of the exempted documents contain confidential and sensitive information which may violate the safety or privacy of concerned subjects. In Lafayette City, the following documents are exempt from public access:

• Attorney-client communications;
• Personnel data and similar files, such as salary information and investigations of employee misconduct (if the charges are untrue after due investigations);
• Architectural and official building plans;
• Criminal offender information;
• Medical records;
• Voters’ registration information, such as email address, home address, and other identifying information;
• Information about attorney-client privilege;
• Law enforcement agencies’ investigatory files and procedures;
• Preliminary notes, drafts, inter or intra-agency memoranda which are not used or retained by a public agency in decision-making;
• Minutes of the meeting of public entities closed to the public;
• Voted registration information containing a voter's email address, home address, and phone number;
• Public documents containing information about the identity of informants in a law enforcement investigation;
• Information security records that may reveal vulnerabilities to a public agency's information technology system;
• Juvenile records and information are compiled by law enforcement agencies;
• Trade secrets or negotiations filed with a public agency for licensing purposes;
• Data about pending litigation that involves a public agency or entity.

Public city records may also be accessible from third-party websites. Record seekers may either opt to use these non-governmental platforms to search for a specific record or multiple city records. However, users will need to provide enough information to assist with the search such as:

• The address of the requestor;
• A case number or file number (if known);
• The location of the document or person involved;
• The name of the subject involved in the record (not juvenile);
• The last known or current address of the registrant.

Third-party sites are not sponsored by government agencies. Because of this, record availability and results may vary

Lafayette Crime Statistics

The Lafayette Police Department is responsible for generating a crime statistics report for all documented crimes and arrests in the city. Furthermore, it includes crime statistics in the FBI's annual Uniform Crime Report. According to the FBI UCR, Lafayette City reported a total of 2,740 index crimes, consisting of 352 violent crimes and 2,388 property crimes. A breakdown of the overall figure revealed the following index crime rates: five murders, 38 rapes, 55 robberies, 254 aggravated assaults, 387 burglaries, 1,844 larceny-thefts, 157 motor vehicle thefts, and seven arson.

Meanwhile, the City recorded 3,376 index crimes in 2016. When compared with the 2019 report, the index crime rate decreased by 18 percent. Within a three-year gap, property crimes in Lafayette decreased by 20 percent, whereas there was no noticeable difference in violent crime rates.

Are Lafayette Criminal Records Public?

Lafayette criminal records are mostly accessible to the public. However, public agencies may restrict criminal records containing sensitive or confidential information from public view

For example, juvenile criminal records are often restricted from public access and revealed to only the record subject and other requesters with a legitimate interest in the document. In addition, Indiana state laws may prevent the disclosure of records that may reveal the identity of crime victims, witnesses, and complainants.

Persons or entities seeking to obtain copies of Lafayette criminal records may contact the Tippecanoe County Clerk. As the custodian of all criminal records generated in the county, the County Clerk's Office maintains an online and offline means of issuing criminal records. To get online copies of criminal records, requesters must visit the Tippecanoe County Clerk's online search database and select one of these search options:

• Search by case number;
• Search by name;
• Search by attorney.

How to Obtain Lafayette Police Reports and Arrest Records

The Lafayette Police Department is the designated custodian of all police reports and arrest records documented in the city. In addition, it enables record seekers to request and get Lafayette police reports and arrest records via an online request portal. Record seekers must visit the online request portal and input this data:

• Name of the requester;
• Requester's contact details (address, email, and phone number);
• Type of document requested (police reports, arrest records, or accident reports);
• Date and time of the event;
• Type of incident;
• Case number (if known);
• Date of request.

The Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office is also a custodian of Lafayette criminal incident reports. Interested persons must fill out the Incident Report Request Form and present the completed form at:

The Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office
2640 Duncan Road
Lafayette, IN 47904
Phone: (765) 423-9388 ext #3209.

Lafayette criminal incident reports are available to requesters at the cost of $0.30 for the first page. Additional pages cost $0.05.

How to Find Sex Offender Information in Lafayette City

Record seekers can find sex offenders in Lafayette via a Sex and Violent Offenders Registry maintained by the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office. Sex offenders' details such as the name, sex crime and severity, photograph, and other personally identifying information, are accessible on the online registry. To search for Lafayette sex offenders, requesters may use these search options:

• Search by area;
• Search by name;
• Search by Internet name or email;
• Search by compliance status.

How to Find Lafayette Inmate Records

Record seekers can find Lafayette inmate records online via the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's current inmate listing webpage. Alternatively, the Indiana Department of Corrections maintains an online database of all current and past inmates in Lafayette City Jails. Record seekers may search for inmate information by inputting the inmate's first and last name or offender's number into the database.

How Do I Visit an Inmate in Lafayette City Jail?

The Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office allows professional and non-professional visitors to communicate with inmates via video calls on site or remotely. For onsite video communication, visitors must visit the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office at:

The Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office
2640 Duncan Road
Lafayette, IN 47904
Phone: (765) 423-9388 ext #3209.

Onsite video visits must not exceed 20 minutes, and visitors must schedule an appointment at least a day before visitation. Furthermore, visitors must adhere to the visitation schedule for onsite video visits:

• Weekdays: 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
• Wednesday & Thursday: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
• Sunday: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., and 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Visitors must register on the GTL website for remote video visitation and make an appointment at least a day before the planned visit. Note: visitors who provide inaccurate information during registration might lose visitation privileges for a year. Most importantly, visitors must follow the jail facility’s rules during visitation.

What are Lafayette Vital Records?

Vital records in Lafayette City consist of all documentation of life events within the city. Life events, such as birth, marriage, death, and divorce, are recorded, stored, and updated by public agencies at the local and state level. Although vital records are public records, record custodians may restrict access to the documents to eligible applicants. In addition, public agencies may require proof of identification from requesters. The Tippecanoe County Clerk's Office is the designated custodian of divorce and marriage certificates. On the other hand, the Tippecanoe County Health Department, via the Vital Records Division, is responsible for maintaining and issuing Lafayette birth and death certificates.

Where and How to Obtain Lafayette Divorce Records

Lafayette City divorce certificates are under the purview of the Tippecanoe County Clerk's Office. The Clerk's Office provides access to divorce records via online or offline request methods. To request Lafayette divorce records in-person, record seekers must contact the Tippecanoe County Clerk's Office at:

301 Main Street
Courthouse - 2nd Floor
Lafayette, IN 47901.
Phone: (765) 423-9326

On the other hand, record seekers may search for divorce records using the Tippecanoe County Clerk's court records search portal. Furthermore, record seekers may search for divorce records on the search portal using these options:

• Search by record subject's name;
• Search by case number;
• Search by attorney.

Where and How to Get Lafayette Marriage Records

The Lafayette County Clerk's Office is the designated custodian of all marriage licenses generated in Lafayette City. Persons interested in receiving a Lafayette marriage certificate must fill out an online marriage certificate request form. The County Clerk's Office will attend to the request and issue the search result to requesters via mail or in-person. Requesters must visit the County Clerk's Office to receive Lafayette marriage certificates in person at:

301 Main Street
Courthouse - 2nd Floor
Lafayette, IN 47901.

The Indiana State Library maintains an index of all marriage records from 1958 to 2018 via an online database. Record seekers can find marriage information events within this period by inputting the record subject's names into the search box on the database.

Where and How to Find Lafayette Birth Records

Tippecanoe County's Vital Records Division maintains and provides birth certificates for births documented in the county. Thus, record seekers must direct all requests for Lafayette birth certificates to the record custodian. More importantly, only eligible persons can get copies of birth documents from the Vital Records Office. According to the Vital Records Office, the following persons are eligible to receive Lafayette birth records:

• The registrant (must present a valid photo);
• Parents listed on the birth certificate (must present a valid photo ID) ;
• Family relations of the registrant (grandparent, sibling, child, and grandchild) (must present a valid photo ID and birth certificate);
• Current spouse (must show a valid photo ID and proof of marriage);
• A legal guardian of the registrant (must present a valid photo ID and guardianship documents).

Furthermore, record seekers may apply for birth records in person or through mail. To receive Lafayette birth certificate in person, record seekers must present a valid photo ID at:

629 North 6th Street
Suite A
Lafayette, IN 47901
Phone: (765) 423-9221 ext 4
Fax: (765) 423-9797

To apply for birth certificates via mail request, record seekers must mail in the birth record application form, a valid proof of identification, and a money order or check to:

Tippecanoe County Health Department
Attn: Vital Records Staff
629 North 6th Street
Suite A
Lafayette, IN 47901.

It costs $10 to get a copy of a birth certificate at the Vital Records Division.

Conversely, the Indiana Department of Health allows eligible applicants to order Lafayette birth certificates via mail orders. To get the document via mail, record seekers must follow these steps:

1. Print and fill out the State Form 49607;
2. Attach a photocopy of a valid photo ID;
3. Include a check payable to Indiana State Department of Health;
4. Mail the documents to:

Indiana State Department of Health
Vital Records
2 North Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204

The first copy for a birth certificate costs $10, while additional copies cost $4 per page.

Where and How to Get Lafayette Death Records

Interested persons or entities can get Lafayette death certificates from the Vital Records Division of the Tippecanoe County Clerk's Office. Death records are accessible to interested persons via mail or in person requests. Furthermore, the Vital Records Division will only release death certificates to the following applicants:

• Parents listed on the deceased's birth certificate (must present a valid photo ID) ;
• Family relations of the registrant (grandparent, sibling, child, and grandchild) (must present a valid photo ID and birth certificate);
• Current spouse (must show a valid photo ID and proof of marriage);
• Legal guardian of the registrant (must present a valid photo ID and guardianship documents);
• Funeral director.

Record seekers may obtain Lafayette death certificates in-person at the Tippecanoe County Clerk's Office:

629 North 6th Street
Suite A
Lafayette, IN 47901
Phone: (765) 423-9221 ext 4
Fax: (765) 423-9797

For mail-in orders of death certificates, eligible applicants must mail in the death record application form, a valid proof of identification, and a money order or check to:

Tippecanoe County Health Department
Attn: Vital Records Staff
629 North 6th Street
Suite A
Lafayette, IN 47901.

It costs $10 to get a copy of a birth certificate at the Vital Records Division.

Conversely, the Indiana Department of Health maintains all death records generated in Lafayette City. To receive the document via mail, record seekers must follow these steps:

1. Print and fill out the State Form 49607;
2. Attach a photocopy of a valid photo ID;
3. Include a check payable to Indiana State Department of Health;
4. Mail the documents to:

Indiana State Department of Health
Vital Records
2 North Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Requesters must pay $10 to receive a death certificate from the Indiana Department of Health. Additional copies of the documents cost $4.