Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or place entered in a search tool is sent directly to the outside company that operates that tool. The provider processes the request and supplies the response under its own practices. Prince William County Criminal History does not keep a separate log of those search terms.
Messages and Contact Submissions
Messages sent by email may be retained long enough to answer and maintain the related correspondence. We keep them within the organization unless disclosure is required by a valid legal duty.
Data We Gather Automatically
When a page loads, the server may receive routine technical details about the visit:
- The IP address assigned to your device
- Which browser you are using and its version
- Your device type and operating system
- The pages you visited and how long you stayed on each
- The site that sent you here, if any
- Timestamps for each page view
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files placed on a device. They help show, in aggregate, which pages visitors use and where a visit ends. Analytics providers assist with that measurement. You can block cookies through the browser, though doing so may change how some website functions behave.
What We Do With This Data
Information received through ordinary website use supports these limited operating purposes:
- Routing a submitted search to the correct partner service
- Finding and correcting performance or technical faults
- Understanding which pages visitors use most
- Operating the website and keeping pages responsive
- Displaying advertising that may reflect visitor interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Prince William County Criminal History does not maintain, assemble, or sell a database of personal criminal records. Its reference material identifies official channels such as Prince William court clerks, the Police Records Section, the Virginia Department of State Police Civil & Applicant Records Exchange, and the Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry. The website is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and visitor data is not compiled into consumer reports or third-party criminal files.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies power the search boxes. Information submitted through a box is governed by that provider's privacy policy, retention terms, and sharing rules. Those choices are outside our control, so review the provider's policy before sending a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to Prince William County offices, Virginia court portals, state agencies, legal resources, and outside search services. Once you follow an external link, the destination's privacy policy applies. Read it before supplying personal data.
Advertising providers may also measure activity across websites to select ads. That processing occurs through their systems and policies.
Who Might See Your Data
We do not sell personal information. Data may still be available to a limited set of recipients:
- Search partners that handle queries you run on our site
- Analytics services we use to track traffic and performance
- Ad networks that place ads on our pages
- Law enforcement or government bodies when a valid legal order requires it
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable security measures are used to protect information in our control. No online system can guarantee absolute security, so we cannot promise that loss, misuse, or unauthorized access will never occur.
Users Under 18
The website is intended for adults, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from a person under 18. If such information has been provided, a request may be made for its deletion.
Your Data Rights
Depending on your residence and the law that applies, you may have additional rights concerning personal data. The Virginia Freedom of Information Act, Va. Code § 2.2-3700 et seq., governs qualifying government records, not data held by this private website. Virginia also limits government dissemination of CCRE criminal-history information through Va. Code § 19.2-389. Subject to applicable privacy and consumer-protection law, you may:
- Ask for a copy of what we have on file about you
- Have us fix information that is wrong
- Request that we erase your data
- Opt out of certain kinds of data processing
Updates to This Policy
This policy may be revised as practices or legal duties change. A revised policy will appear here with its current effective date.
Effective date: August 10, 2026