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Privacy Policy

This policy describes the information collected during a visit, the reasons it may be used, and the limited circumstances in which another service may receive it. By using the Polk County Criminal History website, you accept these practices.

Data You Give Us Directly

Search Queries

A name or place entered in a search tool is sent directly to the outside provider that operates that tool. The provider processes the query and supplies its results. We do not keep a separate log of those search terms.

Messages and Contact Submissions

An email or other direct message may be retained long enough to answer and maintain the related correspondence. It remains within our organization unless disclosure is required by law.

Data We Gather Automatically

Routine technical information is recorded when a page loads, including:

  • Your device's IP address
  • Browser type and version
  • Operating system and device category
  • Viewed pages and approximate time spent on them
  • A referring website, when one is supplied
  • The date and time of each request

Cookies and Analytics

Cookies are small files stored by a browser. They and analytics services help show overall traffic patterns, such as popular pages and common exit points. Browser controls can reject or remove cookies, although some site functions may then work differently.

What We Do With This Data

  • Operate, maintain, and improve site performance
  • Route a submitted query to the selected search provider
  • Understand which content visitors use most
  • Find and resolve technical faults
  • Display advertising that may reflect general interests

No Criminal-Record Data on File

Polk County Criminal History does not build, keep, or sell a database of personal criminal records. Its content identifies access routes through the Polk County Sheriff's Office, Polk County courts, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry. Visitor information is not assembled into a third-party dossier or consumer report, and this site is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Third-Party Search Partners

Outside companies operate the search boxes. Their privacy policies, rather than this policy, govern information entered into those tools. Because each provider controls its own retention and sharing rules, review those terms before sending a query.

Links to Other Websites

Links lead to courts, sheriff pages, Tennessee agencies, legal resources, and private services. Once you follow an outbound link, the destination's privacy terms control. Review them before providing personal information.

Advertising providers may use their own systems to measure activity across websites and select ads. We do not operate those tracking systems.

Who Might See Your Data

We do not sell personal information. Limited data may be available to:

  • A search partner that receives a query you submit
  • Analytics vendors that measure traffic and performance
  • Advertising networks serving material on the site
  • A government body acting under a valid legal demand

How We Protect Your Data

Reasonable security practices help protect collected information. No internet service can guarantee perfect security, so we cannot promise that unauthorized access will never occur.

Users Under 18

This resource is intended for adults, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from a person under 18. If such information is identified, it can be requested for deletion.

Your Data Rights

Rights can vary with the law that applies to a visitor. Tennessee's Public Records Act, T.C.A. §§10-7-501 through 10-7-506, governs access to government records rather than data held by this private site, while T.C.A. §38-6-120 governs TBI's public criminal-history channel. Subject to applicable law, you may:

  • Request access to personal information we retain about you
  • Ask that inaccurate retained information be corrected
  • Seek deletion where the governing law permits it
  • Object to eligible forms of processing

Updates to This Policy

This policy may be revised as site practices or legal duties change. A new version will be posted here with its updated effective date.

Effective date: August 8, 2026