Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office (Louisiana) - Divisions - Special Services

Special Services

• Crime Lab – The Southwest Louisiana Criminalists Laboratory is a regional crime lab that serves a five parish area (Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron and Jefferson Davis). The crime laboratory employs eight full time analysts, an evidence custodian, and a director and provides services such as chemistry, DNA, Blood Alcohol/Toxicology, Latent Prints, Firearms, Questioned Documents, and Physical Evidence.

• Aviation Unit – The mission of the CPSO Aviation Unit is to provide aerial support for the organization’s patrol, investigative and administrative needs and to support other public agencies in Southwest Louisiana to secure a safer environment for the commerce and well-being of the citizens. All of the CPSO pilots are volunteers, highly qualified, and all live in Calcasieu Parish. Most all of them have military, law enforcement or search and rescue flight experience. They all hold either a commercial or airline transport pilot certificate.

• Forensic Investigations (FIU) – the careful and scientific examination of physical evidence is well recognized as a critical element in law enforcement efforts to conduct successful criminal investigations and prosecutions. The FIU was formed to bring a high level of expertise to the investigations conducted by the Sheriff's Office and all other agencies in need of assistance and all members are required to attend hundreds of hours of training in every aspect the field.

• Evidence – responsible for the intake and custody of all evidence and property and is an integral part of the daily functions of the entire Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office. The Evidence Department maintains the physical chain of custody for criminal investigations. The Evidence custodians work daily with investigators, lab analyst and the District Attorney's office concerning evidence issues and also maintain a constant inventory on all of the approx. 50 thousand items that are currently being stored.

• Farm – the CPSO farm comprises more than 80 acres and plays an important role in the function of the entire office by providing a place for inmates to work in a structured environment. The farm grows a multitude of vegetables of which some are utilized in the correctional centers and also sold to the public and they also sell firewood and hay to the public.

• Photographic Services – this department serves more than 25 different agencies and serves as the hub for multimedia services for the entire southwest Louisiana area. Personnel have specialized training in photography, video, and audio equipment and continuously research technology in order to stay up to date. Some of the services performed are digital and 35mm film processing, video enhancement, video and audio duplication, etc.

• Vice Division – the CPSO Vice Division consists of a group of specialized Detectives that handle cases involving organized crime, prostitution, gambling, child pornography, internet pornography, prescription fraud, unlawful sales of tobacco and alcohol, and misrepresentation of age. They also work daily with the Louisiana State Police and I.C.E. (Immigrations & Custom Enforcement) regarding investigations involving internet child pornography and also work very closely with local pharmacies and physicians to combat the ongoing problem with narcotic prescriptions.

• Reserves – consisting of over 70 deputies, CPSO Reserve deputies work side by side with other divisions of the CPSO by working patrol, stakeouts, and also on the waterways. The CPSO Reserve program is based on some very simple concepts. “Promote citizen involvement in law enforcement. Project and protect the integrity and professionalism of the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office while assisting the fellow members of our parish along with the visitors from other areas.”

• Narcotics – Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office Drug Enforcement / Combined Anti-Drug Task Force (C.A.T.) The Drug Enforcement Department of the Sheriff’s Office is the largest member agency in the C.A.T. Task Force. All of the local law enforcement agencies within Calcasieu Parish have combined resources and work together to fight the war on drugs. The task force is divided up into three teams, Undercover Operations, Knock and Talk Investigations, and the third team targets those individuals and organizations moving quantities of narcotics and currency through Calcasieu Parish, via interstate, airport, bus terminal, etc. Narcotic sniffing dogs are a great tool which is used in detecting the presence of illegal narcotics as well as currency used in the illicit drug trade.