Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or location entered in a search tool is sent directly to the third-party company operating that tool. The provider processes the query and supplies its results. We do not retain or record those search terms on our systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
An email sent to us may be kept long enough to review and answer it. We keep the message within our organization unless disclosure is required by law.
Data We Gather Automatically
When a page loads, the server automatically receives certain technical information about the visit:
- Page-view dates and times
- Your device's assigned IP address
- Browser name and version
- Operating system and device category
- Pages viewed and the length of each visit
- The referring website, when one is available
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files placed on a device. We use them with analytics services to combine traffic information, identify popular pages, and understand where visits end. A browser can be set to reject cookies, although doing so may change how some website features work.
What We Do With This Data
- Routing a search request to the selected partner service
- Operating the website and maintaining acceptable load times
- Finding and correcting technical failures
- Measuring which pages visitors use most
- Displaying advertising that may reflect visitor interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Northampton County Criminal History does not maintain, assemble, or sell a database of personal criminal records. It publishes general directions to records held by the Northampton County Sheriff's Office, the Eastville court clerks, the Virginia Department of State Police, and the Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry. Virginia Code § 19.2-389 limits dissemination of criminal-history information from the state repository. This site is not that repository or a consumer reporting agency, and visitor data is not compiled into consumer reports or third-party criminal files.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies provide the site's search boxes. Information submitted through a box is governed by that provider's privacy policy rather than this policy. The provider decides how long to retain its data and when to share it, and those choices are outside our control. Read the applicable partner policy before entering a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to the sheriff, Virginia court portals, state agencies, legal-aid organizations, or outside search services. Once a visitor follows an external link, the destination's privacy terms govern the visit. Review those terms before providing personal information.
Some advertising companies may measure activity across websites to select targeted ads. That processing takes place on the advertiser's systems, not ours.
Who Might See Your Data
We do not sell personal information. Limited data may be available to:
- Analytics providers that measure traffic and site performance
- Search partners processing a query submitted through their tools
- Advertising networks serving ads on the website
- Government or law-enforcement bodies acting under a valid legal demand
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable, standard security practices are used to protect collected data. No internet-connected system is completely secure, however, so we cannot guarantee that an unauthorized disclosure or 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 delete it.
Your Data Rights
Applicable privacy and consumer-protection laws may provide rights over personal data. Virginia's Freedom of Information Act, Virginia Code § 2.2-3700 et seq., governs access to records held by covered public bodies, while Virginia Code § 19.2-389 restricts dissemination of state criminal-history information. Those statutes do not turn this private website into a Northampton County or Virginia records custodian. Where applicable, you may:
- Request access to personal information kept about you
- Ask that inaccurate personal information be corrected
- Seek deletion of personal data when the law permits
- Decline certain forms of data processing when an applicable law provides that choice
Updates to This Policy
This policy may be revised. Any revised version will appear on this page with its new effective date, and the posted version will describe the practices then in effect.
Effective date: August 10, 2026