Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or location entered in a search tool is sent directly to the outside provider operating that tool. The provider processes the query and supplies the response. McDonough County Criminal History does not retain or log those search terms on its own systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
An email or contact submission may be kept long enough to review it and respond. The message remains within our organization unless disclosure is required by a valid legal obligation.
Data We Gather Automatically
When a page loads, the servers may automatically receive basic technical details about the visit:
- 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. They help measure traffic, popular pages, and where visits end. Analytics providers combine this activity into site-use information. A browser can block cookies, although disabling them may change how some features work.
What We Do With This Data
- Operating the site and maintaining reliable page performance
- Routing a search request to the appropriate partner service
- Measuring which resources visitors use and where improvements are needed
- Diagnosing errors and other technical problems
- Presenting advertising that may reflect visitor interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
McDonough County Criminal History does not maintain, compile, or sell a database of personal criminal-record information. It identifies official routes to records held by the McDonough County Sheriff, the Illinois Circuit Court, the Illinois State Police Bureau of Identification, and the Illinois Sex Offender Registry. The Illinois Uniform Conviction Information Act, 20 ILCS 2635, governs ISP's public conviction product, while the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, 5 ILCS 140, governs requests to public bodies. This privately operated site is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and visitor information is not assembled into consumer reports or third-party criminal files.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies power the search boxes. Information submitted through a tool is handled under that provider's privacy policy rather than this policy. Each provider controls its retention and disclosure practices. Review those terms before entering a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to the McDonough County Sheriff's Office, Illinois court portals, Illinois State Police resources, legal-aid organizations, and outside search tools. Once a visitor follows a link, the destination's privacy policy controls. Read that policy before supplying personal details.
Some advertising providers may measure activity across websites to select ads. That processing occurs on the provider's systems.
Who Might See Your Data
We do not sell personal data. Limited information may be disclosed to:
- Search partners that handle queries you run on our site
- Analytics services we use to track traffic and performance
- Ad networks that place ads on our pages
- Law enforcement or government bodies when a valid legal order requires it
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable security practices are used to protect collected data. No Internet-connected service can guarantee perfect security, however, and we cannot promise that unauthorized access or a breach will never occur.
Users Under 18
The site is intended for adults and does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone younger than 18. If we learn that a minor supplied personal data, we will delete it.
Your Data Rights
Rights may vary with the law that applies where a visitor lives. Illinois FOIA concerns records held by public bodies and does not turn this private site into a government records office. Regardless of location, you may:
- Ask for a copy of what we have on file about you
- Have us fix information that is wrong
- Request that we erase your data
- Opt out of certain kinds of data processing
Updates to This Policy
This privacy policy may be revised. Any new version will appear here with an updated effective date, so visitors should review the policy periodically.
Effective date: July 20, 2026