Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or location entered in a search tool is sent directly to the outside provider that operates that tool. The provider processes the request and supplies its response. We do not keep or log those search terms on our own systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
We retain a message or email long enough to respond and manage the communication. It remains within our organization unless disclosure is required by a valid legal obligation.
Data We Gather Automatically
When a page loads, ordinary server and analytics systems may collect 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 measure traffic, popular pages, and common exit points. Analytics providers combine that activity into performance reports. You may block cookies through browser controls, although a disabled cookie can change how some features behave.
What We Do With This Data
- Route a search request to the selected partner service
- Diagnose errors and maintain reliable page performance
- Measure which resources are useful and which need improvement
- Operate, secure, and load the website efficiently
- Display advertising that may reflect visitor interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
We do not host, compile, or sell a database of personal criminal records. McDowell County guidance points readers toward the proper police agency, McDowell court clerk, West Virginia State Police Criminal Identification Bureau, West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and West Virginia State Police Sex Offender Registry. Visitor data is not assembled into a report about another person. We are not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies power the search boxes. Information sent through a tool is governed by that provider's privacy policy, retention schedule, and sharing rules rather than this policy. We do not control those practices. Review the provider's terms before submitting a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to McDowell court pages, West Virginia agencies, official statutes, legal resources, or outside search services. Once you leave this website, the destination's privacy terms control. Read them before providing personal information.
Some advertising providers may measure activity across websites to select ads. That process occurs on the provider's systems.
Who Might See Your Data
We do not sell personal information. Limited data may be available to:
- Analytics providers that measure use and performance
- Search partners that process a query you choose to submit
- Advertising networks that serve content on the pages
- Government or law-enforcement bodies acting under a valid legal demand
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable technical and organizational safeguards protect the information we handle. No internet service can guarantee perfect security, so we cannot promise that unauthorized access or a breach will never occur.
Users Under 18
The website is intended for adults, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone younger than 18. If we learn that a minor supplied such data, we will remove it.
Your Data Rights
Rights can vary with a visitor's location. West Virginia public-record privacy protections include exemptions in the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act, while W. Va. Code ยง15-2-24(d) restricts private dissemination of a WVSP criminal history. Those laws govern government records rather than the ordinary visitor data described here. Subject to applicable law, you may:
- Request correction of inaccurate personal information
- Ask what personal data we hold about you
- Object to certain processing where the law permits
- Request deletion subject to legal and operational limits
Updates to This Policy
We may revise this policy as practices or legal duties change. A revised version will appear here with an updated effective date.
Effective date: August 11, 2026