Case Name: STATE of Louisiana v. Fred J. NETTLES; STATE of Louisiana v. Thomas CONOVER
Court: Louisiana Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1979-10-08
Citations: 375 So. 2d 1339
Docket Number: Nos. 64359, 64358
Parties: STATE of Louisiana v. Fred J. NETTLES. STATE of Louisiana v. Thomas CONOVER.
Judges: SUMMERS, C. J., dissents.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 375
Pages: 1339–1344

Head Matter:
STATE of Louisiana v. Fred J. NETTLES. STATE of Louisiana v. Thomas CONOVER.
Nos. 64359, 64358.
Supreme Court of Louisiana.
Oct. 8, 1979.
Rehearings Denied Nov. 1, 1979.
William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Barbara Rutledge, Asst. Atty. Gen., Harry F. Con-nick, Dist. Atty., Leon A. Cannizzaro, Jr., Asst. Dist. Atty., for plaintiff-relator.
Loyola Law School Clinic, William J. O’Hara, III, Supervising Atty., New Orleans, Joseph LaHatte, Student Practitioner for defendant-respondent Thomas Conover.
George S. Hesni, New Orleans, for defendant-respondent Fred J. Nettles.

Opinion:
CALOGERO, Justice.
The question presented here is whether a trial court judge in this state has the authority to order expunged a felony arrest record where the charge has not resulted in conviction. We granted writs upon application of the state in these two cases, and consolidated them for argument.
Respondent Fred J. Nettles was arrested and charged with four felony offenses on August 18, 1978: accessory to an armed robbery (R.S. 14:25, 14:64), possession of marijuana with intent to distribute (R.S. 40:966), and the illegal possession of cocaine and illegal possession of opium, each with intent to distribute (R.S. 40:967). About forty days later the charges were refused by the Orleans Parish District Attorney's office.
Respondent Thomas Conover was arrested on November 7,1974 for violation of R.S. 40:966 (possession of marijuana) a misdemeanor, and R.S. 40:967 (possession of biphetamines) a felony. He volunteered for and was accepted into the district attorney's diversionary program and three days thereafter the charges were refused by the district attorney. Respondent thereafter successfully completed the district attorney's diversionary program.
On March 14 and 26 of 1979 the magistrate judge, Section "M" of the Criminal District Court for the Parish of Orleans granted the motions of Nettles and Conover to have the records of their arrests expunged.
The full statutory basis for permitting expungement of criminal arrest records in this state is found in R.S. 44:9. That statute permits expungement of the record of arrest for violation of a municipal ordinance or of a state misdemeanor statute if the time limit for prosecuting has expired or proceedings instituted have been disposed of by dismissal, sustaining of a motion to quash, or acquittal.
Respondents' arrests (for felonies) are clearly not covered by the foregoing provisions. Nonetheless, they rely on R.S. 44:9(E) which was added by Act 570 of the Louisiana Legislative Session of 1978, and which provides that "no court shall order the destruction of any record of the arrest and prosecution of any person convicted of a felony, including a conviction dismissed pursuant to Article 893 of the Code of Criminal Procedure." (emphasis provided)
Respondents argue that the Legislature's mandating that felony arrests which result in conviction are not to be expunged, impliedly sanctions expungement of felony arrests which do not result in convictions. While the argument is not frivolous we conclude that it is without merit.
The Legislature has simply not specifically sanctioned expungement of felony arrest records. And we are not persuaded that the Legislature intended to sanction ex-pungement of felony arrests which do not result in conviction simply by the arguable implication which flows from their having expressly prohibited expungement of arrest records of a person arrested and convicted of a felony. Without statutory authority the courts are without power to expunge Nettles' and Conover's arrests. R.S. 44:9 does not grant such authority and we are not aware of any other Act which does so.
Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Article 228 charges peace officers making an arrest to record the name of the person arrested and the offense charged against him. The record of the arrest is a matter of public record. In the absence of statutory authority, a court's privilege to expunge matters of public record is one of exceedingly narrow scope, Rogers v. Slaughter, 469 F.2d 1084 (5th Cir. 1972). Only under extraordinary circumstances may a court order records made under statutory authority to be destroyed or expunged. See Mulkey v. Purdy, 234 So.2d 108 (Fla.1970).
Respondents rely upon our recent decisions in State v. Sims, 357 So.2d 1095 (La.1978); State v. Bradley, 360 So.2d 858 (La.1978) and State v. Boniface, 369 So.2d 115 (La.1979). That reliance is not well-placed.
Bradley decided that R.S. 44:9's not including as expungeable, arrests for driving while under the influence, while including as expungeable all other misdemeanor arrests, violates the equal protection clauses of the Louisiana and United States Constitutions. That case does not apply here where the arrests are for felonies.
Sims did direct the expungement of a felony arrest record within the narrow confines of a case involving Article 894 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and its liberal provision for setting aside misdemeanor convictions. The defendant pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana. The felony charge of possession with intent to distribute was dismissed as an overcharge, and the felony arrest was expunged. Counsel for the State argues that Sims was decided incorrectly. The argument is not frivolous. Nonetheless, we are not called upon here to reconsider Sims.
Nor is State v. Boniface controlling here. In Boniface the arrestee was arrested for possession of marijuana in 1969, a felony offense. The charge was nolle prossed. In 1977 at the time the arrestee filed suit to have his arrest record expunged, possession of marijuana was a misdemeanor. Although Boniface did not meet the literal requirements of the statute this Court held that in light of the change in social attitudes concerning his offense, no justifiable end would be served by refusing to apply R.S. 44:9 to expunge an arrest for violation of a state statute which had been changed to a misdemeanor, merely because the offense was once classified as a felony.
Respondent urges in the alternative that even if our statutes do not permit expungement of felony arrests the equal protection clauses of the United States and Louisiana Constitutions (14th amendment of the United States Constitution and Arti- ele I, Section 3, 1974 Louisiana Constitution) establish a basis for the expungement of felony arrests which do not lead to convictions. There is no merit to this contention.
Retention of arrest records serve important state interests which outweigh an individual arrestee's right to privacy. Walker v. Lamb, 254 A.2d 265 (Del.Ch.1969). The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals held in Herschel v. Dyra, 365 F.2d 17 (1966) cert. den. 385 U.S. 973, 87 S.Ct. 513, 17 L.Ed.2d 436 that unless the legislature of Illinois required the Police Department of Chicago to expunge arrest records where there was no conviction, that the police department was "duty-bound to compile and retain arrest records of all persons arrested." Id. 365 F.2d at 20. The Court in Herschel held that the execution of that policy did not violate an arrestee's right to privacy. Arrest records are useful in uncovering criminal conduct, aid in setting bond, and facilitate the work of correctional institutions. Menard v. Mitchell, 328 F.Supp. 718 (D.C.1971). Law enforcement agencies are granted broad discretionary powers concerning the information they retain, but this discretion is limited by the United States and Louisiana Constitutions under certain circumstances. See Rogers v. Slaughter, 469 F.2d at 1085.
Respondents Nettles and Conover have made no showing that their cases fall within the narrow exceptions to the rule that courts may not order the destruction of public records sanctioned by statute without express statutory authority.
Respondents also claim that there is no rational basis for allowing the state to keep and disclose records of arrest for felonies when the state has accorded the right of expungement for misdemeanor arrests which do not lead to convictions. Respondents' contention is not valid. Neither the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment nor Article I, § 3 of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974 prevents the state from according different treatment to different classes. It is only when those classifications are not justified by valid state interests that a denial of equal protection may be found. Reed v. Reed, 404 U.S. 71, 92 S.Ct. 251, 30 L.Ed.2d 225 (1971); Succession of Robins, 349 So.2d 276 (La.1977). Felonies are far more serious offenses than misdemeanors. The State clearly has a valid interest in keeping arrest records of felony offenses, while allowing less serious misdemeanor arrests to be expunged.
Decree
For the foregoing reasons the rulings of the trial court granting respondents' motions to expunge their felony arrest records are reversed and the rulings vacated.
REVERSED; RULINGS VACATED.
SUMMERS, C. J., dissents.
TATE, J., dissents and assigns reasons.
. Louisiana Revised Statute 44:9 provides:
"A. Any person who has been arrested for the violation of a municipal ordinance or for violation of a state statute which is classified as a misdemeanor may make a written motion to the district court for the parish in which he was arrested for expungement of the arrest record, if:
(1) The time limitation for the institution of prosecution on the offense has expired, and no prosecution has been instituted; or
(2) If prosecution has been instituted, and such proceedings have been finally disposed of by dismissal, sustaining of a motion to quash, or acquittal. If the court finds that the mover is entitled to the relief sought, for either of the above reasons, it shall order all agencies and law enforcement offices having any record of the arrest, whether on microfilm, computer card or tape, or on any other photographic, electronic or mechanical method of storing data, to destroy any record of arrest, photograph, fingerprint or any other information of any and all kinds of descriptions. The court shall order such custodians of records to file a sworn affidavit to the effect that the records have been destroyed and that no notations or references have been retained in the agency's central repository which will or might lead to the inference that any record ever was on file with any agency or law enforcement office. The original of this affidavit shall be kept by the court so ordering same and a copy shall be retained by the affiant agency which said copy shall not be a public record and shall not be open for public inspection but rather shall be kept under lock and key and maintained only for internal record keeping purposes to preserve the integrity of said agency's files and shall not be used for any investigative purpose. This Subsection does not apply to arrests for a first or second violation of any ordinance or statute making criminal the driving of a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcoholic beverages or narcotic drugs, as denounced by R.S. 14:98.
B. Any criminal court of record in which there was a nolle prosequi, an acquittal, or dismissal of a crime set forth above shall at the time of discharge of a person from its control, enter an order annulling, cancelling, or rescinding the record of arrest, and disposition, and further ordering the destruction of the arrest record and order of disposition. Upon the entry of such an order the person against whom the arrest has been entered shall be restored to all civil rights lost or suspended by virtue of the arrest, unless otherwise provided in this section, and shall be treated in all respects as not having been arrested.
C. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section to the contrary, the provisions of this section shall in no case be construed to effect in any way whatsoever the practices and procedures in effect on July 29, 1970, relating to the administration of the implied consent law.
D. Whoever violates any provision of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than two hundred fifty dollars or by imprisonment of not more than ninety days, or both, if the conviction is for a first violation; second and subsequent violations shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars or imprisonment of six months, or both.
E. No court shall order the destruction of any record of the arrest and prosecution of any person convicted of a felony, including a conviction dismissed pursuant to Article 893 of the Code of Criminal Procedure."
. Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Article 228 provides:
"It is the duty of every peace officer making an arrest, or having an arrested person in his custody, promptly to conduct the person arrested to the nearest jail or police station and cause him to be booked. A person is booked by an entry, in a book kept for that purpose, showing his name and address, the offense charged against him, by whom he was arrested, a list of any property taken from him, and the date and time of booking. Every jail and police station shall keep a book for the listing of the above information as to each prisoner received. The book shall always be open for public inspection. The person booked shall be imprisoned unless he is released on bail."
. The federal courts have held that where mass arrests are made without legal justification or where "hippies" or other unpopular groups are arrested solely to harass them, the courts possess inherent power based on the United States Constitution to order the expungement of arrest records. Hughes v. Rizzo, 282 F.Supp. 881 (D.C.1968); Washington Mobilization Committee v. Cullinane, 400 F.Supp. 186 (D.C.1975).