Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or location entered in a search tool is sent directly to the outside company that operates that tool. The provider processes the query and supplies its results. Bay County Criminal History does not keep or record those search terms on its own systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
An email sent to us may be retained long enough to respond and maintain the related correspondence. It remains within our organization unless disclosure is required by law.
Data We Gather Automatically
When a page loads, the server receives routine technical and usage details:
- Page-view dates and times
- The referring website, when one is supplied
- Browser name and version
- Device category and operating system
- Pages opened and approximate time spent on them
- The device’s internet protocol address
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files saved on a device. They and analytics services help combine traffic information, such as which pages are used most and where visits end. A browser can reject or remove cookies, although doing so may change how some site functions behave.
What We Do With This Data
- Detecting and correcting performance or technical problems
- Operating the website and improving load times
- Directing a submitted query to the selected search provider
- Measuring which pages are useful and which may need revision
- Presenting advertising that may reflect visitor interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Bay County Criminal History does not create, maintain, or sell a database of personal criminal records. Its content explains how to request records from Bay County Sheriff Records, the 74th District and 18th Circuit courts, the Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center, and the Michigan Public Sex Offender Registry. It is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and visitor data is not assembled into consumer reports or third-party criminal-history profiles.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies operate the search boxes shown on the site. Information submitted there is governed by that provider’s privacy policy, including its retention and disclosure practices. Review those terms before sending a query because this policy does not control the provider’s processing.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to Bay County offices, Michigan agencies, courts, legal resources, or outside search services. Once a visitor follows a link, the destination’s privacy policy applies. Read it before providing personal information.
Advertising companies may use their own systems to measure activity across websites and select interest-based ads. We do not operate that tracking.
Who Might See Your Data
We do not sell personal information. Data may be available to:
- Analytics providers that measure traffic and page performance
- Outside search providers that process a query submitted to their tool
- Advertising networks serving material on the pages
- Government or law-enforcement authorities acting under a valid legal demand
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable, commonly used safeguards protect information under our control. No internet-connected service can guarantee perfect security, so we cannot promise that unauthorized access will never occur.
Users Under 18
The site is intended for adults, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from a person under 18. If such information is identified, it may be requested for deletion.
Your Data Rights
Rights vary with residence and applicable law. The Michigan Freedom of Information Act, MCL 15.231 et seq., governs records held by covered public bodies, not visitor data held by a private website. Michigan State Police criminal-history collection follows MCL 28.242, which does not make this site a state repository. Subject to the law that applies, a user may ask to:
- Correct personal information that is inaccurate
- Receive a copy of personal information held about them
- Object to certain forms of processing
- Request deletion where the law allows it
Updates to This Policy
This policy may be revised as practices or legal duties change. A new version will appear here with its current effective date.
Effective date: July 27, 2026