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 request and supplies its results. Pender County Criminal History does not retain or record those search terms on its own systems.
Messages and Contact Submissions
Email messages are kept as needed to prepare and send a response. We limit access to our organization and do not disclose the message outside it unless the law requires us to do so.
Data We Gather Automatically
Our servers automatically receive basic technical information whenever a visitor loads a page, including:
- Your device's IP address
- The referring website, when one is reported
- Browser name and version
- Operating system and device category
- Pages viewed and the time spent on them
- The date and time of each page request
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files placed on a device. We use them with analytics services to understand traffic in aggregate, such as which pages are often visited and where visits end. You can refuse cookies through your browser settings. Blocking them may change how some website functions behave.
What We Do With This Data
- Operating, maintaining, and improving website performance
- Routing a search request to the selected outside provider
- Finding and correcting errors or other technical problems
- Measuring which content visitors use most
- Displaying advertising that may reflect visitor interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
Pender County Criminal History does not keep, assemble, or sell a database of personal criminal records. Its reference material identifies the official custodians for Pender County records, including the sheriff, the North Carolina courts, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) Criminal Information and Identification Section, and the North Carolina Sex Offender and Public Protection Registry. The site is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Visitor information is not used to create consumer reports or third-party criminal-history files.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies operate the search boxes displayed here. Information submitted through a search box is governed by that provider's privacy policy rather than this policy. Each provider controls its own retention, processing, and disclosure rules. Read those terms before sending a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to the Pender County Sheriff's Office, North Carolina court portals, state agencies, legal-aid resources, or outside search services. Once you follow an external link, the destination's privacy terms control the visit. Review them before providing personal information.
Some advertising providers may use activity across websites to select interest-based ads. That processing occurs through the provider's systems and practices.
Who Might See Your Data
We do not sell personal information. Data may be available to these limited recipients:
- The search provider selected to process a query
- Services that measure website traffic and operation
- Advertising networks that serve content on the pages
- A government or law-enforcement body acting under a valid legal demand
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable, commonly used security measures protect the information we collect. No internet service can guarantee perfect security, however, so we cannot promise that unauthorized access or another breach will never occur.
Users Under 18
This website is intended for adults, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone younger than 18. If we learn that a minor submitted personal information, we will remove it promptly.
Your Data Rights
Your location may give you additional privacy rights. In North Carolina, N.C. G.S. 75-1.1 addresses unfair or deceptive acts in commerce. The North Carolina Public Records Law, Chapter 132, governs access to records held by public agencies, not visitor data held by this private website. Subject to applicable law, you may:
- Request access to personal data we retain about you
- Ask that inaccurate information be corrected
- Seek deletion of retained personal data
- Object to certain processing where the law provides that choice
Updates to This Policy
This privacy policy may be revised as practices or legal duties change. An updated copy will appear here and will carry a new effective date, so review this section periodically for the current terms.
Effective date: August 2, 2026