Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or place entered into a search tool is sent directly to the outside provider that operates that feature. The provider processes the query and supplies its response. We do not keep or record those search terms on our systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
When a visitor sends an email, 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 automatically receive basic technical information when a page loads, including:
- Page-view dates and times
- The referring website, when one is reported
- Visited pages and the time spent on them
- Device type and operating system
- Browser name and version
- The device's Internet Protocol address
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files saved on a visitor's device. We use them with analytics services to understand traffic in aggregate, such as which pages are often viewed and where visits end. Browser controls can block cookies, although disabling them may change how some site functions behave.
What We Do With This Data
- Diagnosing and repairing technical problems
- Measuring which resources visitors use
- Operating the website and improving load performance
- Displaying advertising that may reflect visitor interests
- Routing a submitted search to the appropriate outside service
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Pendleton County Criminal History does not build, keep, or sell a database of personal criminal records. It publishes general directions to custodians such as the Pendleton County Sheriff, the county's court clerks, the West Virginia State Police Criminal Identification Bureau, and the West Virginia State Police Sex Offender Registry. We are not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Visitor data is not assembled into a consumer report or a record about another person.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies operate the search boxes that may appear on the site. A partner's privacy policy, retention terms, and sharing practices apply to information entered in its tool. We do not control those rules, so visitors should review them before submitting a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to the Pendleton County Sheriff, West Virginia courts and agencies, legal-aid resources, or outside search services. Once a visitor leaves this website, the destination's privacy policy controls the visit. That policy should be read before personal information is shared.
Some advertising providers may use their own systems to follow activity across websites for targeted advertising. We do not operate that tracking.
Who Might See Your Data
We do not sell personal information. Data may be disclosed to:
- Analytics vendors that measure site traffic and performance
- Advertising networks that place ads on the website
- Search providers that process a visitor's submitted query
- Government or law-enforcement bodies when a valid legal demand compels disclosure
How We Protect Your Data
We use standard safeguards for information under our control. No internet system can be guaranteed completely secure, however, and we cannot promise that unauthorized access will never occur.
Users Under 18
This 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 promptly.
Your Data Rights
Rights over personal data depend on the law that applies to the visitor. West Virginia's public-record framework is the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act, W. Va. Code §29B-1-3, while private access to State Police criminal-identification information is limited by the subject-authorization rule in W. Va. Code §15-2-24(d). Those laws govern government-held records and do not turn this private website into a public records custodian. Subject to applicable law, a visitor may:
- Request deletion of personal data
- Ask what personal information we retain
- Object to certain forms of processing
- Seek correction of inaccurate information
Updates to This Policy
We may revise this policy. An updated version becomes available on this page and carries a new effective date.
Effective date: August 11, 2026