Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or place entered in a search box is sent directly to the outside company that operates that tool. The provider handles the query and supplies its result. We do not keep or log those search terms on our systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
An email may be retained long enough to review it and respond. We keep that correspondence within our organization unless disclosure is required by a valid legal obligation.
Data We Gather Automatically
Our servers receive routine technical information when a visitor loads a page, including:
- Page-view dates and times
- The referring site, when one is supplied
- Device category and operating system
- Browser type and version
- Pages viewed and the time spent on them
- The Internet Protocol address used by the device
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files placed on a device. They help show patterns such as popular pages and points where visits end. Analytics providers combine that traffic into reports. A browser can refuse or remove cookies, although disabling them may change how some features work.
What We Do With This Data
- Routing a search request to the selected outside provider
- Maintaining reliable page delivery and performance
- Finding and repairing technical faults
- Learning which reference pages are useful or need revision
- Presenting advertising that may reflect visitor interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Dickinson County Criminal History does not maintain, assemble, or sell a database of personal criminal records. It identifies official routes to the Dickinson County Sheriff's Office, Iowa District Court, the Iowa DCI criminal-history repository, and the Iowa Sex Offender Registry. We are not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Visitor data are not compiled into consumer reports or third-party criminal-history files.
Third-Party Search Partners
Independent companies operate the search tools shown on some pages. Their privacy policies govern any information submitted through a tool. We do not control a partner's retention, use, or disclosure rules, so review those terms before running a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to the sheriff, Iowa courts, state agencies, legal resources, or outside search services. Once a visitor leaves this domain, the destination's privacy terms control. Review them before providing personal information.
Some advertising providers may measure activity across websites to select ads. That processing occurs on the provider's systems.
Who Might See Your Data
We do not sell personal information. Limited data may be available to:
- Analytics vendors that measure traffic and site performance
- Outside search providers that process a submitted query
- Advertising networks that serve page ads
- Government or law-enforcement authorities acting under a valid legal demand
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable security measures are used to protect information in our control. No Internet service can guarantee perfect security, however, and we cannot promise that unauthorized access will never occur.
Users Under 18
The site is intended for adults, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from a person under 18. If such data come to our attention, we will take steps to remove them.
Your Data Rights
Applicable privacy or consumer law may provide rights based on a visitor's residence. The Iowa Open Records Law, Iowa Code chapter 22, governs records held by public bodies rather than data held by this private site. Iowa Code chapter 692 separately controls dissemination and correction of state criminal-history information. For data in our control, you may:
- Request access to personal data we hold about you
- Ask that inaccurate personal data be corrected
- Seek deletion when applicable law permits it
- Object to processing where a legal right to opt out applies
Updates to This Policy
This policy may be revised as practices or legal requirements change. A new version will be posted here and marked with its effective date.
Effective date: July 23, 2026