Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or location entered into a search box is sent directly to the outside company that operates that tool. The provider processes the query and supplies its results. Polk County Criminal History does not keep a separate log of those search terms.
Messages and Contact Submissions
An email or other direct message may be retained long enough to review and answer it. We keep that correspondence within the organization unless disclosure is required by law.
Data We Gather Automatically
Normal server and analytics logs can collect technical details when a page loads:
- Page-view dates, times, and visit length
- The referring website, when one is supplied
- Browser name and version
- Device category and operating system
- The device's assigned IP address
- Pages opened during the visit
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files placed on a device. They help measure aggregate traffic, including which Polk County record pages receive visits and where sessions end. Analytics providers assist with that measurement. A browser can reject or remove cookies, although blocking them may change how some features work.
What We Do With This Data
- Diagnosing errors and other technical problems
- Maintaining site availability, speed, and security
- Passing a submitted query to the selected search partner
- Measuring which content is useful to visitors
- Displaying advertising that may reflect inferred interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Polk County Criminal History does not host, sell, or compile a database of personal criminal records. Its content identifies official routes through the Polk County sheriff, Iowa District Court, DCI, and the Iowa Sex Offender Registry. Visitor information is not assembled into a file about another person or into a consumer report. This website is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies supply the search tools. A query submitted through one of those boxes is governed by that provider's privacy policy and retention practices. We do not control how the partner stores, uses, or shares the input. Review its policy before submitting information.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to Iowa courts, Polk County offices, state agencies, outside search services, or legal resources. Once a visitor follows an outbound link, the destination's policy applies. Read that policy before giving the external service personal information.
Advertising providers may use their own technology to measure activity across websites and select ads. Their systems, policies, and controls govern that tracking.
Who Might See Your Data
We do not sell personal information. Limited data may be available to:
- Analytics vendors that measure performance and traffic
- Search partners that process a query submitted to them
- Advertising networks that serve content on a page
- A government body or law enforcement agency acting under a valid legal order
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable administrative and technical safeguards are used for information under our control. No internet service can guarantee perfect security, so transmission or storage of data always carries some risk.
Users Under 18
The website is intended for adults and does not knowingly collect personal information from a person under 18. If such information is identified, it will be removed after an appropriate request.
Your Data Rights
Applicable Iowa and federal law may provide rights concerning personal data. Iowa Code chapter 22 governs access to official public records, while chapter 692 controls state criminal-history dissemination. Those laws govern government records and do not make this private site their custodian. Subject to identity verification and applicable law, a visitor may:
- Request access to personal information held about the visitor
- Ask that inaccurate personal information be corrected
- Seek deletion where retention is not required
- Opt out of processing when an applicable right permits it
Updates to This Policy
This policy may be revised as services or legal requirements change. A new effective date will appear here when an updated version is posted.
Effective date: July 23, 2026