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Police

Show All Answers

1. What is the number to the jail?

The number for the Booking Desk at the jail to inquire about persons in jail is 765-423-1655.
To reach dispatch for the Sheriff's Department the numbers is 765-423-9321.
The number for the Sheriff's Administrative Offices is 765-423-9388.

2. Can you tell me if someone is wanted on warrant?

This information is available in person only at the Lafayette Police Department. It is also available at the Tippecanoe County Courts website.

3. How do I obtain a handgun permit?

Fill out the online application.

Make an appointment to get electronically fingerprinted (currently 1 location in our area with a small fee).

Bring in the fingerprinting receipt and check or money order payable to the City of Lafayette for local fees Monday through Friday between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Valid photo ID must be observed (i.e., Drivers License, State ID, Work ID, etc.).

Proof of residency must be shown (i.e., utility bill, recent mail with current address)

Local fee is $10.00 for 4 year permits, $40.00 for upgrade to a Lifetime Permit on a current license, or $50.00 for a New Lifetime Permit.

For more information, visit the state website.

4. How can I request a street closure for a special event?

You'll first need to fill out a packet available from the Parks and Recreation Department. The entire process takes about 3 weeks long so plan ahead and give yourself time to follow all the steps outlined in the packet.

5. How do I get my vehicle out of impound?

The registered owner or their authorized designee would need to bring in proof of ownership, proof of insurance on the vehicle and a licensed driver is needed so when the vehicle is released from the impound yard we know a licensed driver is responsible for it. The proof of insurance should be an insurance company form, which includes the vehicle covered and the dates for which the policy is in force. We will then give you a release form to take to the impound yard.

6. If the required documents to get my vehicle released are in the impounded vehicle what can I do?

The registered owner or his authorized designee is allowed to go to the impound yard and retrieve those documents (but only those documents) from the impounded vehicle. Those can be brought to the Police Department to obtain the release.

7. To whom may an impounded vehicle be released?

The registered owner can designate another person to get the vehicle release for them but this permission must be either in the form of a power of attorney or a written statement that is witnessed and signed by a Notary Public.

8. Where can I pay the fine for a traffic citation?

All traffic citations issued by the Lafayette Police Department can be paid at the Tippecanoe County Clerk of Courts Office on the 2nd floor of the Tippecanoe County Courthouse.

9. How long can I park in a handicap parking space downtown? I have a handicap license plate/sticker.

All street parking in the downtown area is limited to a certain amount of time: 1 hour, 2 hour, or in some cases other time limits. Any handicap parking space that is situated within any time limit zone is limited to the same length of time as that posted for any other part of the block. For example, if the handicap parking space is located in a 1-hour zone then the handicap space is also limited to 1 hour.

10. Who can get a copy of a crash report?

Anyone can pick up a crash report during the hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

11. Can my kids ride in the bed of my pick-up truck? Can anyone ride in the bed of my pick-up truck?

Anyone under the age of 16 must be buckled, so persons of this age may not ride in the back of a pick-up truck. This practice is extremely dangerous and we do not condone any person riding in the bed of a truck.

12. If my passenger is not wearing a seat belt, can I get a ticket?

Yes, if the passenger not wearing a seat belt is under 16 years old you will get the ticket. If the passenger is 16 or older, then the passenger will receive the ticket.

13. How long can I leave my car parked on the street? I drive it about once every couple of weeks.

City ordinance says vehicles parked on a city street must be moved every 5 days. Otherwise, the vehicle is considered to be stored on the street, in violation of city ordinance.

14. My house has no off-street parking and people sometimes park on the street in "my space" in front of my residence. Is this allowed?

All parking spaces on city streets, unless marked otherwise by an official City of Lafayette sign, are public parking spaces and anyone may park there.

15. I really hate the color and design of our license plate. Can I cover it with some of that nice looking red tinted Plexiglas to match the color of my car?

No, you may not cover your license plate with anything that is colored. A clear cover may be used. Also you may not put anything around your license plate that would negatively affect the ability to view any of the information on a license plate.

16. How dark can I tint my car windows?

The sunscreening material applied to tinted windows should have a solar reflectance of visible light of not more than 25% as measured on the nonfilm side and light transmittance of at least 30% in the visible light range.

17. May I have a handicap parking space installed in front of where I live or where I have a business?

Installation of a handicap parking space must be requested in writing from the Lafayette Parking Commission. The Commission will hear the request at 1 of its regularly scheduled quarterly meetings and issue a decision on it. The requestor must have no available off-street parking and have a legal handicap window tag or license plate.


Once installed, the handicap parking space is available to anyone with proper handicap certification on their vehicle. The space can not be reserved for the requestor's personal use. The handicap parking space will be reviewed every 2 years to determine if the need still exists, and there is no charge to the requestor to have a special parking space installed.

18. How do I register my moped or scooter?

Bring proof of ownership to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) with the Bill of Sale, Certificate of Origin, or Title. If you wish to title your moped, a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) check will be required. This can be done by your local police department or the BMV. Please note that a fee may apply for this VIN check.

If you do not have any paper work for your moped, go to the BMV, as they have all the paper work needed to begin this process. For more information, visit the BMV website.

19. How do I obtain a copy of a police report?

A request for documentation form needs to be completed. These may be obtained by coming to the Lafayette Police Department Records between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The request will be reviewed consistent with State/Federal statutes and the requester will be notified within a week if the report may be released.

If the information from the report is needed for insurance purpose, upon receiving a request for this purpose and payment of $5 by check or money order payable to The City of Lafayette, then Records will provide a summary letter, which we refer to as an "Insurance Letter." This letter will provide all necessary information needed by an insurance company so that a claim may be filed with the victim's insurance company.


Requests for police reports can be made by filling out the . Production of Document Request Form (PDF).

20. How do I obtain a criminal background check for employment?

You must complete a records check form at the Lafayette Police Records Section, 20 North 6th Street between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. You must have a valid form of identification when you submit the request for the record check.

The completed request will be available for pick up after 24 hours. A fee of $7 payable to the City of Lafayette must be presented to Records at the time the records check is picked up.

This records check will only pertain to arrests made by this department and this department may release no juvenile arrests, by state law. To obtain a more complete criminal background check contact the Indiana State Police in Indianapolis . They will obtain a set of your fingerprints and a thorough search of the Central Repository System will be completed.

For fees and complete procedures you will need to contact the Indiana State Police Post in West Lafayette, Indiana or the Indiana State Police Central Records at 100 North Senate in Indianapolis, IN.


The Release of Information Form for the records check for LPD cannot be submitted electronically. It must be presented in person or mailed to LPD headquarters. The form is available to print and complete before bringing it in. complete before bringing it in.

21. Can I file a report directly with a detective for investigation?

No, you may not file a report directly. All complaints are assigned to patrol officers who conduct preliminary investigations and reports. Depending upon a variety of factors those initial reports may be assigned to a detective for a follow-up investigation but you should not assume your complaint will automatically be seen by a detective.

22. I have been a victim of a crime that happened out of town but I have not made a report yet. Can I report that crime to the Lafayette Police?

The Lafayette Police can only make reports and investigate crimes and incidents that occurred within our jurisdiction. If an incident occurred somewhere other than within the city limits of Lafayette, you will be referred to the agency having jurisdiction.

23. My car was broken into and the officer did not take any fingerprints. Wouldn't that have solved the case?

Fingerprints would not necessarily solve the case. There must be latent prints recovered from the scene of sufficient quality for comparison and the suspect's prints must be on file. That means no identification will be possible if the suspect has never been arrested and processed.

24. My garage was broken into and the officer found some fingerprints. Why hasn't the burglar been arrested yet? Can't you just enter the prints into the computer and find out who they belong to?

Just because a suspect fingerprint is located does not necessarily mean they can be identified. The recovered fingerprint must have identifiable characteristics sufficient for comparison. Then the suspect's prints must be on file. If the suspect has never been arrested and processed, their prints won't be on file.

25. When the burglar broke into my business he cut himself and left blood all over the counter. Can you do a DNA test and find out who did this crime?

The Indiana State Police lab can test the blood to come up with a genetic profile and check it through CODIS (combined DNA Index System) of known convicted offenders. The suspect's DNA must be on file from a conviction that mandates the blood draw and the person has to have been sent to the Indiana Department of Corrections (DOC) for this to occur. If the convicted person serves time in the county jail or in community corrections, the blood draw never happens. There has to be a known standard in CODIS to make an identification.

Another issue is the DNA backlog for the initial genetic profile to be obtained from the crime scene blood. Recently the lab reported a 5,800 case backlog and the lab works on crimes against person cases prior to property crime cases. A property burglary could take years to get a DNA profile from crime scene blood.

26. Can you tell me if someone is in jail or what their bond is?

All questions pertaining to jail and inmates should be directed to the Tippecanoe County Sheriffs Department at 765-423-1655.

27. What usually happens to someone when they get arrested?

The arrest process varies according to the specific situation. Some people go directly to jail. Some people come to LPD for questioning, breath tests, drug examinations or other further investigation. Some people go to the hospital on their way to jail due to their state of intoxication or for injuries related to the crime they committed.

28. How is a jailed person's bond determined?

The judges of our county have determined a bond schedule that the jail uses to determine the bond amount. The amount is determined by the type of crime and number of crimes that were committed. Some crimes are only eligible for bond after a mandatory fixed jail term (i.e., public intoxication requires 12 hours of incarceration to make sure the person is sober when they are released, domestic abuse related charges also carry a 12 hour minimum hold time before release, and OWI charges have minimum hold times related to the arrested person's blood alcohol content).

29. How do I get a garage sale permit?

Garage sale permits are available in the Utility Billing Office for $1.00 each.  Per City Code, residents are allowed to hold no more than two garage sales per calendar year.

30. Where can I find the sex offender registry?

There are 2 sex offender registries in the State of Indiana. One is maintained by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and the other is maintained by the Indiana Sheriff's Organization. The Indiana Sheriff's Registry will provide you with an address and photo of the offenders in our area.
This information is also collected and displayed on the CrimeReports website.

31. Who can answer my questions about visitation or child custody?

Solutions to problems involving civil law must often be resolved in court and thus most questions can be best answered by an attorney.