History of the NLCL

The crime lab was opened in May of 1970 by Ray Herd, in conjunction with the Caddo Parish Police Jury, Caddo Parish District Attorney, John Richardson, and Caddo Parish Coroner, Dr. Stuart DeLee, as the Northwest Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory, serving 10 parishes of northwest Louisiana. 

Ray Herd had formerly been the director of the Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory in Baton Rouge.  By 1981, additional parishes from the northeastern and central parts of the state had joined the Laboratory Commission, the laboratory governing body. Branch labs were opened in West Monroe in 1973, and Alexandria in 1976. 

In 1981, legislation was passed to create the North Louisiana Criminalistics Commission to maintain and operate  the North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory, as the successor to the Northwest Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory Commission, bringing the total number of parishes served to 26. Since that time the parishes of Avoyelles, Catahoula, and Vernon have joined the Commission, bringing the number of parishes served to 29.

Member parishes of the NLCL Commission are: Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, Desoto, Lincoln, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine, Webster, Caldwell, Concordia, East Carroll, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Rapides, Richland, Tensas, Union, West Carroll, Winn, Avoyelles, Catahoula and Vernon. 

The NLCL service area has a population base of 1.1 million.  The service area includes: 17 of 40 Judicial Districts, 28 of 105 Louisiana House of Representatives Districts, 11 of 39 Louisiana Senate Districts, and 3 of 7 U.S. Congressional Districts (4^th, 5^th and 6^th).