Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or location entered in a search box is delivered to the outside company that operates that tool. The provider processes the request and supplies its results. We do not keep or log those search terms in our own records.
Messages and Contact Submissions
If you email us, we retain the message as needed to answer it. The message is not shared beyond our organization unless disclosure is required by law.
Data We Gather Automatically
Normal server and analytics functions can collect technical information when a page loads:
- Internet Protocol address
- Browser name and version
- Device class and operating system
- Pages viewed and time spent on them
- Referring website, when supplied
- Date and time of each request
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small device files used to understand traffic patterns, popular pages, and points where visits end. Analytics providers may combine that information into site-level measurements. Browser controls can reject cookies, although a blocked cookie may change how part of the site works.
What We Do With This Data
Collected information supports these operating purposes:
- Maintaining reliable and responsive pages
- Sending a requested search to the chosen partner
- Measuring which resources visitors use
- Finding faults and resolving technical problems
- Displaying advertising that may reflect user interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Polk County Criminal History does not own, compile, or sell a database of personal criminal records. It publishes instructions for reaching the Polk County Sheriff, the Clerk of Superior Court, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the North Carolina Sex Offender and Public Protection Registry. Visitor information is not assembled into a consumer report or a third party's criminal profile. This site is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies power the search boxes. Information entered there is governed by that company's privacy terms, retention choices, and sharing rules rather than this policy. Review the provider's policy before sending a query because we do not direct its data practices.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, North Carolina court systems, other public agencies, legal resources, or a search provider. Once a visitor leaves this site, the destination's policy controls its data handling. Read that policy before providing personal information.
Advertising companies may use their own systems to recognize activity across websites and select ads. That activity occurs under their practices, not ours.
Who Might See Your Data
We do not sell personal data. Limited information may be available to:
- A search provider processing a query a visitor submits
- Analytics companies measuring site use and performance
- Advertising networks serving material on the pages
- A government or law enforcement body acting under a valid legal demand
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable, commonly used security measures protect the information in our control. No internet-connected system can promise complete security, so we cannot guarantee that a breach, loss, or unauthorized access will never occur.
Users Under 18
The site is intended for adults and does not knowingly collect personal information from a person under 18. If we learn that such information was received, we will remove it.
Your Data Rights
Rights can depend on a visitor's residence and the law that applies. North Carolina's Public Records Law in Chapter 132 governs access to records held by public agencies, while G.S. 15A-151 restricts access to confidential expunction information. Those government-record rules do not turn this private site into a public custodian. Where applicable law grants a right regarding data we hold, a visitor may:
- Request access to personal information in our control
- Ask that inaccurate information be corrected
- Seek deletion when the law permits it
- Object to or opt out of certain processing
Updates to This Policy
We may revise this privacy policy as site practices or legal duties change. A revised version will appear here with its new effective date.
Effective date: August 2, 2026