LSUPD becomes source for accident reports
Students who want a copy of an accident report LSUPD documented will no longer have to go downtown to the Louisiana State Police department.
Effective March 1, LSUPD will file all of its accident reports at its station on campus.
This means people who get in an accident that LSUPD responds to now will go to the Public Safety Building for copies of the report.
“This is a tremendous benefit to the University community,” said LSUPD Capt. Ricky Adams. “We’re glad to be able to provide this service.”
In the past, LSUPD forwarded accident reports to the state police. Any person needing a copy of the record would have to either go in person or submit a mail request form to obtain the record.
“Now, people can contact us directly to obtain their accident report,” Adams said. “It makes it more convenient because people can come here, and we can distribute the reports daily.”
For reports two pages in length, it will cost $5. For reports more than two pages, the cost is $7.50. For photographs, persons will be charged $10.
“The fee is to cover the administrative costs to perform the service,” Adams said.
Administrative costs include the additional work for filing, processing and distributing the reports.
Adams said satellite agencies forward reports to the state police. But, as the state is restructuring and reorganizing its department, LSUPD saw an opportunity to change some procedures, he said.
“They saw a need for us to maintain our own records,” he said. “It reduces the amount of paperwork they have to do.”
Capt. Mike Edmonson, Louisiana State Police Technical Support and Criminal Records commander, said other campuses do not compare to LSU and therefore will not receive the same responsibilities.
“The LSU community is like a small town,” he said. “And on the weekends, with a football game, it’s like a major city. It rivals the top five or six cities in the state.”
He said many accidents occur on the University’s spread-out campus, and this is an excellent opportunity for LSUPD to move forward.
“I am completely confident in LSU to provide this service to community members; it’s a well-run police department,” he said.
However, LSUPD still will report any other part of a citation to the state police. For example, if people receive an insurance violation or a ticket for speeding, their tickets will be forwarded to the district attorney for prosecution.
Also, LSUPD will continue to report accident statistics to the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.
LSUPD office personnel will be responsible for handling the distribution and filing of the records at the station.
“The paperwork is really not difficult,” said Loraine Haynes, office coordinator responsible for the new filing. “It’s just dealing with more people. If they follow the hours, it will be easier.”
Suggested hours for picking up a copy of the report are 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. during the week. Also, persons should wait until 10 days after their accident to pick up a report.
Adams said this allows time for officers to complete the investigation, for the administration to review the report and for personnel to file the report.
However, if someone needs an emergency copy, the station will work with him or her on a case-by-case basis.
“We want to be as workable as possible,” Adams said.
LSUPD requires cash, check or money orders to receive a copy of the report.
Diette Courrege