Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or place entered in a search box is sent directly to the outside provider operating that tool. The provider processes the request and supplies its results. Benton County Criminal History does not keep or log those search terms on its own systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
An email or other direct message may be retained long enough to answer and manage the exchange. It remains within our organization unless disclosure is required by a valid legal duty.
Data We Gather Automatically
Our systems receive basic technical details when a page loads:
- Page-view dates and times
- The referring website, when available
- Pages viewed and the time spent on them
- Device type and operating system
- Browser name and version
- The device's assigned IP address
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files placed on a device. They help show, in aggregate, which pages receive traffic and how visitors move through the site. Analytics providers assist with that measurement. A browser can block cookies, although some functions may then work differently.
What We Do With This Data
- Diagnosing errors and other technical problems
- Measuring which material visitors use
- Routing a submitted search to the selected partner
- Operating, securing, and improving site performance
- Displaying advertising that may reflect visitor interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Benton County Criminal History does not maintain, assemble, or sell a database of personal criminal-record information. It identifies official routes to the Benton County sheriff, Iowa District Court, Iowa Department of Public Safety Division of Criminal Investigation, and Iowa Sex Offender Registry. The site is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Visitor data is not compiled into a consumer report or a criminal record about another person.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies operate the search boxes. Their privacy policies, retention periods, and sharing rules apply to information entered there. We do not control those practices. Read the provider's policy before sending a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to Benton County offices, Iowa court portals, state agencies, legal resources, or outside search services. Once a visitor follows such a link, the destination's privacy terms govern. Review them before providing personal information.
Advertising providers may use their own systems to measure activity across websites and tailor ads. That processing is controlled by those providers.
Who Might See Your Data
We do not sell personal information. Data may be available to:
- Government or law-enforcement authorities acting under a valid legal order
- Advertising networks serving content on the pages
- Analytics vendors measuring use and performance
- Search providers processing a query submitted to their tool
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable security practices are used to protect collected information. No internet service can promise perfect security, however, and we cannot guarantee that a breach or unauthorized access will never occur.
Users Under 18
The site is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone younger than 18. If a minor's information is identified, a request may be made for its deletion.
Your Data Rights
Applicable law may provide rights concerning personal data. Iowa's public-record framework is the Iowa Open Records Law, Iowa Code chapter 22, and the Iowa Attorney General's open-government guidance gives official access context. Iowa Code chapter 692 governs criminal-history data and dissemination. Those rules apply to public custodians and criminal-history systems; they do not turn this private site into a government records office. Subject to applicable law, a visitor may:
- Object to certain forms of processing
- Request deletion of eligible personal data
- Ask that inaccurate information be corrected
- Request access to personal information held about that visitor
Updates to This Policy
This policy may be revised. A revised version will appear here with an updated effective date, so visitors should review it from time to time.
Effective date: July 23, 2026