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 request and supplies its results. Mahaska County Criminal History does not keep or log those search terms on its own systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
When you email us, the message is retained so a response can be prepared. It remains within our organization unless disclosure is required by a valid legal obligation.
Data We Gather Automatically
Our servers receive basic technical information whenever a visitor loads a page, including:
- Page-view dates and times
- The referring website, when one is available
- Browser name and version
- Device category and operating system
- Pages viewed and the time spent on them
- The device's assigned IP address
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files saved on a device. We use them with analytics services to understand traffic in aggregate, such as which pages are opened most often and where visits end. You may block cookies through your browser settings, although doing so can change how some website features work.
What We Do With This Data
- Route a submitted search to the appropriate outside provider
- Maintain website availability and performance
- Diagnose errors and other technical problems
- Measure which resources visitors use most
- Display advertising that may reflect visitor interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Mahaska County Criminal History does not maintain, assemble, or sell a database of personal criminal records. It provides general directions to official custodians, including the Mahaska County Sheriff and Iowa District Court clerk offices in Oskaloosa, the Iowa DCI criminal-history unit, and the Iowa Sex Offender Registry. Information collected about visitors is not compiled into a consumer report or a third-party criminal record. This website is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies power the search boxes. Data placed in a search box is handled under that provider's privacy policy rather than this policy. Each provider controls its own retention and disclosure practices. Review those terms before submitting information.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to Mahaska County offices, Iowa Courts Online, DCI, the Iowa Sex Offender Registry, legal-aid resources, or outside search services. Once you follow a link, the destination's privacy policy governs. Read that policy before providing personal details.
Some advertising providers may use activity across multiple websites to select ads. That processing occurs through their systems, not ours.
Who Might See Your Data
We do not sell personal information. Limited data may be available to:
- Advertising networks serving ads on the website
- Analytics vendors measuring traffic and performance
- Search providers processing queries submitted through their tools
- Government or law-enforcement authorities acting under a valid legal order
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable, commonly used safeguards protect the information we collect. No internet service can guarantee complete security, so we cannot promise that unauthorized access or a breach will never occur.
Users Under 18
The website is intended for adults and does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone younger than 18. If we learn that a minor supplied such data, we will delete it.
Your Data Rights
Rights may vary with the law that applies to you. Iowa Code chapter 22, the Iowa Open Records Law, governs records held by public bodies, while Iowa Code chapter 692 governs dissemination and challenges involving state criminal-history information. Those laws do not make this private website the custodian of Mahaska County government records. For information we do hold, you may:
- Object to certain forms of data processing
- Request deletion of your information
- Ask us to correct inaccurate information
- Request a copy of information maintained about you
Updates to This Policy
This policy may be revised as practices or legal requirements change. A replacement version becomes available on this page and carries a new effective date.
Effective date: July 23, 2026