Data You Give Us Directly
Search Queries
A name or place entered in a search box is sent directly to the outside company that operates that tool. The provider processes the query and supplies its results. We do not keep a separate log or database of those search terms.
Messages and Contact Submissions
When you email us, we retain the message as needed to respond and maintain the exchange. It remains within our organization unless disclosure is required by a valid legal duty.
Data We Gather Automatically
Our servers receive routine technical details when a visitor loads a page:
- Page-view dates and times
- Browser name and version
- Device class and operating system
- Internet Protocol address
- Referring page or website, when available
- Pages opened and the time spent on them
Cookies and Analytics
Cookies are small files placed on a device. We and our analytics services use them to measure visits, popular pages, and navigation patterns in aggregate. You can block or remove cookies through browser controls, although doing so may alter how some functions work.
What We Do With This Data
- Finding and repairing errors or performance problems
- Operating, securing, and improving the website
- Sending a search query to the selected outside tool
- Measuring which Portage County resources visitors use
- Displaying advertising that may reflect visitor interests
No Criminal-Record Data on File
We do not host, compile, or sell a database of personal criminal records. Portage County guidance points to the Sheriff’s Records Division, Clerk of Circuit Court, Wisconsin DOJ Crime Information Bureau, Wisconsin DOC, and Wisconsin Sex Offender Registry. Visitor information is not assembled into third-party criminal profiles or consumer reports, and this website is not a consumer reporting agency under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Third-Party Search Partners
Outside companies operate the search tools. Their own privacy policies govern information submitted to them, including retention and disclosure practices we do not control. Read the provider’s terms before running a query.
Links to Other Websites
Links may lead to the Portage County Sheriff, Wisconsin Court System, other government agencies, legal resources, or outside search services. Once you leave this website, the destination’s privacy terms control. Review them before providing personal data.
Advertising companies may use their own systems to measure activity across websites and select ads. Their tracking is subject to their policies.
Who Might See Your Data
We do not sell personal information. Data may be disclosed to a narrow set of recipients:
- Advertising networks serving content on our pages
- Search companies processing a query you submit
- Analytics vendors measuring traffic and site performance
- Government or law-enforcement authorities acting under a valid legal order
How We Protect Your Data
Reasonable administrative and technical safeguards protect the information we control. No online system is perfectly secure, however, so 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 data from a person under 18. If we learn that a minor supplied such data, we will remove it.
Your Data Rights
Applicable privacy or consumer law may provide rights over personal information. Wisconsin Public Records Law, Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31–19.39, governs access to records held by public authorities; it does not turn this private website into a public agency or make restricted data public. Wis. Stat. § 19.36 identifies limits on public access. Subject to applicable law, you may:
- Request deletion of eligible personal information
- Ask what personal data we hold about you
- Seek correction of inaccurate information
- Object to or opt out of processing when the law permits
Updates to This Policy
We may revise this policy as services or practices change. A revised version will appear here with its new effective date, and continued use will be governed by that version.
Effective date: August 11, 2026