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 tool. The provider processes the query and supplies its results. Nicholas County Criminal History does not retain or record those search terms on its own systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
We retain an email or other direct message as needed to respond. It remains within our organization unless disclosure is required by a valid legal obligation.
Data We Gather Automatically
When a page loads, the server automatically receives basic technical information about the visit:
- Page-view dates and times
- Your device's assigned IP address
- The referring website, when one is supplied
- Browser type and version
- Pages viewed and the time spent on them
- Operating system and device category
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files saved on a device. We use them with analytics services to understand traffic in aggregate, including popular pages and where visits end. Browser controls can block cookies, although doing so may change how parts of the website function.
What We Do With This Data
- Diagnosing faults and correcting technical problems
- Operating the website and maintaining reasonable load times
- Displaying advertising that may reflect visitor interests
- Sending a search query to the selected partner service
- Measuring which resources visitors use and which may need improvement
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Nicholas County Criminal History does not compile, maintain, or sell a database of personal criminal records. It publishes general directions to records held by the Nicholas County Sheriff's Office, the county's Circuit and Magistrate Courts, the West Virginia State Police Criminal Identification Bureau, and the West Virginia Sex Offender Registry. The site is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and visitor data is not assembled into a consumer report or a dossier about another person.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies operate the search boxes. A query submitted through one of those tools is governed by that provider's privacy policy, retention rules, and sharing practices. We do not control those choices, so review the provider's policy before entering information.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to Nicholas County offices, West Virginia court portals, state agencies, legal-aid resources, and external search services. Once you follow a link away from this website, the destination's policy applies. Review it before providing personal information.
Some advertising providers may track activity across websites to select ads. That processing takes place through their systems rather than ours.
Who Might See Your Data
We do not sell personal information. Data may be disclosed to:
- Government or law-enforcement bodies when a valid legal order compels disclosure
- Advertising networks that serve ads on the website
- Search providers that process a query you choose to submit
- Analytics providers that measure traffic and site performance
How We Protect Your Data
We use customary security measures intended to protect collected data. No internet-connected system is completely secure, however, and we cannot guarantee that unauthorized access or a breach will never occur.
Users Under 18
The 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 remove it.
Your Data Rights
Your rights may vary with the law that applies where you live. In West Virginia, the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act, W.Va. Code §29B-1-1 et seq., concerns access to nonexempt records held by public bodies, not a general right to private website files. W.Va. Code §15-2-24(d) separately limits private access to Criminal Identification Bureau history by requiring the record subject's signed and acknowledged authorization. Subject to applicable law, you may:
- Request deletion of personal data we hold, where the law provides that right
- Ask what personal information we maintain about you
- Object to eligible forms of data processing
- Request correction of inaccurate personal information
Updates to This Policy
This privacy policy may be revised. A changed policy will appear here with an updated effective date, so review this page periodically for current practices.
Effective date: August 11, 2026