Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or place entered into a search tool is sent directly to the outside provider operating that tool so it can process the request and return results. We do not retain or record those search terms on our systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
When you email us, we retain the message as needed to respond. It remains within our organization unless disclosure is required by law.
Data We Gather Automatically
Our servers may receive routine technical information whenever a page loads, including:
- The date and time of each page request
- Your device's internet protocol address
- Browser type and version
- Operating system and device category
- Pages viewed and time spent on them
- The referring website, when available
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files placed on a device. We use them with analytics services to understand aggregate traffic, such as popular pages and common exit points. Browser controls can block cookies, though disabling them may change how parts of the website work.
What We Do With This Data
- Route a search request to the appropriate partner service
- Diagnose errors and other technical problems
- Measure which content visitors use
- Keep pages available and responsive
- Display advertising that may reflect visitor interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Clay County Criminal History neither maintains nor sells a database of personal criminal records. Its general reference material identifies records held by the Clay County Sheriff, Circuit Court of the Fourth Judicial Circuit, Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification, CHIRP, and Illinois State Police Sex Offender Registry. We are not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and visitor data is not compiled into consumer reports or profiles about other people.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies power the search boxes. Information submitted through a tool is governed by that provider's privacy policy, retention rules, and sharing practices rather than this policy. We do not control those practices. Review the applicable partner terms before submitting a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to the Clay County sheriff, circuit court resources, Illinois agencies, legal-aid organizations, or third-party tools. Once you follow an external link, that destination's privacy policy controls its collection and use of information. Read it before providing personal details.
Advertising providers may use their own systems to follow activity across websites and select targeted advertisements. We do not operate that tracking.
Who Might See Your Data
We do not sell personal information. Limited data may be received by:
- Advertising networks serving material on the website
- Analytics vendors measuring traffic and performance
- Search partners processing a query you submit
- Government or law-enforcement authorities acting under a valid legal demand
How We Protect Your Data
We use customary safeguards for information in our possession. No internet-connected system is completely secure, however, so we cannot guarantee that 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 information, we will remove it promptly.
Your Data Rights
Rights may vary with residence and applicable law. Illinois public-record disclosure is governed by the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140, while dissemination of public conviction information follows the Uniform Conviction Information Act, 20 ILCS 2635. Those laws govern public bodies and official records and do not convert this private website into a government custodian. Subject to applicable law, you may:
- Request deletion of personal data we hold
- Ask us to correct inaccurate information
- Obtain a copy of information maintained about you
- Object to certain forms of processing
Updates to This Policy
We may revise this privacy policy. A revised version becomes available here with an updated effective date, so visitors should review the page periodically.
Effective date: July 20, 2026