Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or place entered in a search tool is sent directly to the outside provider operating that tool. The provider processes the request and supplies its results. We do not retain or log those search terms on our systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
We may retain an email or other direct message long enough to respond and keep the related correspondence. It remains within our organization unless disclosure is required by a valid legal obligation.
Data We Gather Automatically
Our servers receive basic technical details when a visitor loads a page:
- 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 to help measure how people move through the website, including popular pages and common exit points. Analytics providers combine this traffic information for reporting. A browser can reject cookies, although some website functions may then work differently.
What We Do With This Data
- Operating the website and maintaining reasonable load times
- Routing a query to the selected outside search provider
- Measuring which material visitors use most often
- Finding and correcting performance or technical faults
- Displaying advertising that may reflect browsing interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
We do not keep, assemble, or sell a database of personal criminal records. The published material identifies official Ottawa County and Michigan custodians, including the sheriff, trial courts, Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center, and Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry. Visitor data is not turned into a third-party dossier or consumer report, and we are not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies power the search boxes. Information submitted there is governed by the selected provider's privacy policy, retention rules, and sharing practices. Those choices are outside our control, so review the provider's terms before sending a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to Ottawa County offices, Michigan agencies, courts, legal-aid resources, or private search providers. Once a visitor leaves this website, the destination's own privacy terms apply. Check them before disclosing personal information.
Advertising companies may use their systems to measure activity across websites and tailor ads. We do not operate that cross-site tracking.
Who Might See Your Data
Personal data is not sold. Limited information may be available to:
- Outside providers that process a visitor's chosen search
- Analytics vendors measuring traffic and site performance
- Advertising networks serving ads on the website
- Government or law-enforcement bodies acting under a valid legal demand
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable, commonly used safeguards protect the information under our control. No internet service can guarantee perfect security, so a breach or unauthorized access cannot be ruled out.
Users Under 18
The website is intended for adults, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from a person under 18. If such information is identified, a request may be made for its deletion.
Your Data Rights
Applicable Michigan and federal privacy or consumer-protection law may provide rights concerning personal data. Michigan's Freedom of Information Act governs public bodies, not this private website, while the Bureau of Criminal Identification Act controls dissemination of Michigan criminal-history information by its official custodians. Subject to the law that applies, a visitor may:
- Request access to personal information held about them
- Ask that inaccurate personal information be corrected
- Seek deletion when the governing law permits it
- Decline certain processing where an opt-out right applies
Updates to This Policy
This policy may be revised as practices or legal duties change. A replacement version will appear here with its new effective date.
Effective date: July 28, 2026