Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
When you enter a name or location in a search box, that query goes to the outside provider that operates the tool. The provider processes the terms and returns its own results. Lancaster County Criminal History does not store or log the words entered in those boxes on its systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
If you send an email or contact submission, the message may be kept long enough to review it and respond. It remains within the organization unless disclosure is legally required.
Data We Gather Automatically
Ordinary technical information reaches the servers when a visitor opens a page. It can include:
- Your device's IP address
- Page-view dates and times
- The referring website, when one is supplied
- Pages viewed and the time spent on them
- Browser name and version
- Operating system and general device type
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files placed on a device. They help show how people use the website, including which pages draw visits and where sessions end. Analytics services turn that traffic into combined reports. You may block cookies in the browser, but some functions may then work differently.
What We Do With This Data
Information is processed only for operating and improving the service. Those uses include:
- Routing a query to the search provider selected by the visitor
- Finding and correcting technical faults
- Measuring which pages are useful and which need improvement
- Keeping pages available and responsive
- Displaying advertising that may reflect visitor interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Lancaster County Criminal History does not host, compile, or sell a database of personal criminal records. Its published material identifies official access routes through the Lancaster County sheriff, local courts, Virginia State Police, and the Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry. The website is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Visitor information is not assembled into a consumer report about another person.
Third-Party Search Partners
Third-party companies supply and operate the search boxes. Information submitted to a box is governed by that provider's own privacy terms, storage periods, and sharing practices. Lancaster County Criminal History cannot control those policies. Read the provider's privacy notice before submitting a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may open Lancaster County government pages, Virginia court systems, law-enforcement sites, registry services, legal resources, or outside search providers. The destination's privacy policy applies after you leave this website. Review it before giving that service personal information.
Some advertising providers may measure activity across websites to select interest-based ads. Their systems perform that tracking under their own policies.
Who Might See Your Data
Lancaster County Criminal History does not sell personal information. A limited set of providers or authorities may receive data when needed:
- Analytics providers measuring traffic and performance
- Search partners processing a query you choose to submit
- Advertising networks placing ads on website pages
- Government or law-enforcement authorities acting under a valid legal demand
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable safeguards are used for information handled by the website. No online system is completely secure, however, so absolute protection and the prevention of every unauthorized access event cannot be guaranteed.
Users Under 18
This website is meant for adults. It does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. A request may be made to delete information if it is found to have been supplied by a minor.
Your Data Rights
Rights depend on the law that applies to the request. Virginia's government-record rules include the Virginia Freedom of Information Act, Va. Code § 2.2-3700 et seq., while dissemination of state criminal-history information is restricted by Va. Code § 19.2-389. Those laws govern official custodians, not a right to obtain government records from this private website. For information held directly here, you may:
- Request a copy of personal information held about you
- Ask that inaccurate personal information be corrected
- Request deletion of personal information
- Opt out of eligible forms of processing
Updates to This Policy
Any revision will appear in this section with an updated effective date. The version posted here controls, so review it when checking current information practices.
Effective date: August 10, 2026