Caddo Parish Restores Control and Command With a Safer JMS
Organization Profile
- Location: Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, Shreveport, Louisiana
- Population: 235,000+
- Tyler Client Since: 2014
- Tyler Products/Solutions Used: Enterprise Corrections, Corrections Mobile, Enforcement Mobile
- Tyler Excellence Award Category: Connected Community
When jail staffing is thin and inmate population exceeds capacity, the pressure to maintain control is constant.
Deputies at the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, located in Shreveport, Louisiana, know this feeling well. They work diligently on the frontlines of crowded housing units, managing rapid intake and constant inmate movement — all while working with limited personnel.
In today’s reality of the corrections workforce gap, safety depends less on adding headcount and more on having clear, reliable information when it matters most.
With a focus on officer safety through enhanced operational control, the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office earned a 2026 Tyler Excellence Award.
Caddo Parish’s decision to regain command authority represents a deliberate shift in how the jail operates under pressure. Their approach emphasizes empowering deputies with tools to manage risks confidently. And through those efforts, they demonstrated that safer, more controlled, and efficient jail operations are possible, even in the most demanding correctional environments.
Legacy Systems Increased Risk When Control and Safety Mattered Most
Like many correctional facilities across the country, Caddo Parish faces extreme overcrowding and staffing shortages. They operate a 1,500-bed facility, but they currently house closer to 1,600 inmates. As they relied on an aging legacy green screen with paper-heavy processes, this created friction during intake and inmate movement — exactly when staff needed clarity most.
Working with paper arrest sheets, manual searches, and duplicate jacket records, their intake process was slow. It often left staff working with limited visibility, requiring them to enter data manually and multiple times, which led to rework. Instead of supporting frontline operations, the legacy system added layers of complexity.
“Paper log sheets during intake and security rounds slowed down access to information. This impacted our ability to move inmates efficiently and make quick decisions, raising the potential for safety concerns,” said Robert Montoya, security captain at Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Leadership recognized that continuing this way was unsustainable, and that control, not staffing levels alone, was the real constraint.
Paper Elimination and Digitization Reduced Risk
Despite limited resources, the sheriff’s office saw that modernization was necessary. They moved to a reduced paper environment in a connected jail management system (JMS), which put real-time information in the hands of administrative staff and deputies upon patrol officer arrival.
“With the JMS, the workflow is safer. We search, scan, and move inmates faster and with more confidence,” said Montoya.
Having consolidated paperwork, they’ve also eliminated much of the guesswork. Faster access to accurate data, including inmate data, records, and reports, has given staff greater awareness and safety during required booking checkpoints. “Redundant data entry is gone,” added Montoya. “Arrest data arrives before the inmate. Records are instantly available across classification, records, and jail staff. That alone saves time across stakeholders.”
This digital flow of information has enabled a more predictable and defensible operation. Patrol deputies return to service faster, and booking staff spend more time focused on people, not paperwork, allowing for better daily control.
To regain visibility and confidence during cell checks, movement, and peak volume times, the sheriff’s office is soon implementing mobile devices that enable deputies to conduct security rounds on the go. In an environment where staff must be hyperaware, deputies will be able to scan inmate tags and take immediate action — no desk, no delay.
“We have 180+ inmates in a unit with one deputy. Anything that removes friction improves security,” said Montoya.
With clearer information and fewer unknowns, the jail now operates in a position of confidence, not reaction.
Confident, Safe Jail Operations Restored
Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office’s decision to modernize their workflow displays how agencies can adapt and lead under pressure. Despite overcrowding and staff shortages, Caddo Parish prioritized safety over familiarity and people over paperwork.
“Staying where we were just wasn’t viable,” Montoya reflected. “Our new system doesn’t just save time or improve security standards — it helps us operate the way we need to.”
Placing deputies on a more secure footing moving forward, the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office has restored operational control and visibility. By reducing paperwork and eliminating redundant data entry, they’ve built a workflow where real-time decisions can be made. They’ve reestablished a safer, more connected jail environment — one where deputies are more equipped to maintain authority, manage risk, and lead effectively under pressure.