Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or place entered in a search tool is sent directly to the outside provider that operates it. That company processes the query and supplies its results. We do not keep or log those search terms on our systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
We retain an email message when needed to respond. It remains within our organization unless disclosure is required by a valid legal duty.
Data We Gather Automatically
Our servers receive routine technical details whenever a page loads:
- Page-view times and the pages viewed
- Device type and operating system
- Browser name and version
- The device's assigned IP address
- Visit length for each page
- A referring website, when one is provided
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files saved on a device. We use them with analytics services to understand aggregated traffic, including popular pages and common exit points. Browser controls can block cookies, although doing so may alter how some site features behave.
What We Do With This Data
- Routing a query to the selected search partner
- Diagnosing errors and other technical faults
- Operating the site and maintaining its performance
- Measuring which material visitors use
- Displaying advertising that may reflect visitor interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Hamilton County Criminal History does not maintain, assemble, or sell a database of personal criminal records. It publishes general instructions for reaching the Hamilton County Sheriff, Iowa District Court, the Iowa DPS/DCI Records and Identification Unit, and the Iowa Sex Offender Registry. We are not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Visitor data is not compiled into consumer reports or into criminal-record profiles about other people.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies operate the search boxes. Information submitted there is governed by that provider's privacy policy, retention rules, and sharing practices, not solely by this policy. Read the partner's terms before sending a query because we do not control those systems.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to Hamilton County offices, Iowa court portals, state agencies, legal-aid resources, or outside search tools. Once a visitor follows a link, the destination's privacy rules govern that visit. Review them before providing personal data.
Some advertising providers may track activity across websites for targeted advertising. Their systems perform that tracking.
Who Might See Your Data
We do not sell personal information. Limited data may be received by:
- Advertising networks that serve material on the pages
- Analytics vendors that measure use and performance
- Search providers that process a submitted query
- Government or law-enforcement bodies acting under a valid legal order
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable, standard safeguards protect collected data. No internet-connected service is completely secure, however, and we cannot guarantee that a breach will never occur.
Users Under 18
This site is intended for adults and does not knowingly collect personal data from anyone younger than 18. If we learn that a minor supplied personal information, we will remove it.
Your Data Rights
Rights can vary with a visitor's location and the law that applies. Iowa Code chapter 22 governs access to Iowa government records, while Iowa Code chapter 692 governs dissemination and challenges involving state criminal-history information. Those laws do not turn this private site into a government custodian. Subject to applicable law, you may:
- Request deletion of data where the law provides that option
- Ask what personal information we retain about you
- Seek correction of inaccurate retained information
- Opt out of processing where an applicable law creates that right
Updates to This Policy
This policy may be revised. An updated version will appear here with a changed effective date, so visitors should review it periodically.
Effective date: July 23, 2026