An official website of the State of Maryland.

Maryland.gov Translate

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy

Privacy Statement

Updated October 1, 2026

Introduction

The State of Maryland’s Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy works to protect your personal information. This includes keeping it private, accurate, and secure. We do this by using fair information privacy rules. We are responsible for protecting any personal information we control. This notice applies to all personal information we collect, use, and share through our websites, in-person services, and written correspondence.

What Personal Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of information about you:

  • Full name
  • Date of birth
  • Social Security number
  • Home or billing address
  • Taxpayer ID
  • Racial/ethnic information
  • Gender

This information is collected in accordance with applicable federal and state laws relevant to the data collection and services provided to the public (including the Maryland Public Information Act, the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act, Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS), and Federal Tax Information requirements).

Why We Collect and Process Your Personal Information

Why We Collect Your Information

We collect, process, and disclose personal information for three primary purposes: 

  1. Victim Compensation
    The Criminal Injuries Compensation Board operates under § 11-801 of the Criminal Procedure Article and provides aid and assistance to victims of crime in Maryland. The Sexual Assault Reimbursement Unit operates under the Code of Maryland Regulations 10.12.02 to provide reimbursement for the physical examination, collection of evidence, and emergency treatment of individuals for injuries resulting from alleged rape, sexual assault, or child sexual assault. 
  2. Compliance under the Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention Act (JJDPA)
    This relates to compliance with the detention of youth under four core protections including deinstitutionalization of status offenders, sight and sound separation of juveniles from adults in institutions, removal of juveniles from adult jails and lockups, and addressing racial and ethnic disparities.
  3. Payments to our sub-recipients 

How We Use Your Information

We collect and use your personal data to ensure that you qualify for compensation as a crime victim and that payments go to the correct person and place.   

Knowledge and Consent

Your knowledge and consent are required for the collection, processing, or disclosure of personal information, except when the law permits us to do so without your knowledge or consent. The purposes for which we collect personal information are identified before or at the time we collect the information. Providing us with your personal information is always your choice. However, your decision not to provide certain information may limit our ability to provide you with the services you seek. We will not require you to consent to the collection, processing, or disclosure of information as a condition of providing a product or service, unless such information is necessary to provide the product or service to you or if it is required by law.   

Limiting Collection

We have rules to limit the data we collect. We only gather the personal information needed to do our job.

If we receive your information from another source, such as a government agency or verification company, we use legal agreements. This ensures we only get what the law or contract requires.

Use, Disclosure, and Retention of Personal Information

We use your data only for the purpose for which it was originally collected, unless you provide consent, its use is necessary for a legitimate government purpose, or it is required by law. We keep your information only as long as necessary, in accordance with applicable State records retention requirements. Any information about you that is disclosed in response to a Public Information Act request is de-identified or anonymized, as applicable. 

Accuracy

We make sure your information is correct, complete, and current. We might ask you to verify your details. It is your job to provide us with accurate details and let us know when your information changes.

Safeguarding Personal Information

State and federal laws require us to keep your personal information safe. For instance, health information is protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and financial information is protected by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA). Under Maryland law, we use appropriate security measures to protect your data. These methods include encryption, strict access controls, and secure storage systems. If someone accesses your information without proper authority, we will notify you according to the law and our privacy incident plan. 

Privacy Notice Changes

We check and update this notice at least annually to keep up with new laws, technology, and best practices. We will inform you of any significant changes to our privacy practices by posting the revised policy with the date of the update.

Access to Personal Information

Upon your request, we will inform you of the existence, use, or disclosure of your personal information. You may gain access to and verify the accuracy and completeness of your personal information. You may also request amendment or deletion of the personal information we obtained directly from you, as permitted by law and subject to state records retention schedules. You can ask us to share what information we have about you and how it is used. If the data came from another source, you must contact that source to change its records. 

In some cases, we are unable to provide access to certain records because disclosure is restricted by law. We cannot show you records that include private information about other people, records restricted by law enforcement, and information protected by applicable security requirements. If we are unable to fulfill your request, we will provide an explanation and document the denial in our records. 

Artificial Intelligence

AI technology is becoming more common. We may use it directly or indirectly in providing services to you. We will maintain strict transparency during direct AI interactions. We follow Maryland’s Responsible AI Policy to protect your data. 

How to Contact Us

You can ask questions about this notice, request data, or report a privacy issue by contacting Jeffrey Zuback, Director of Research, Analysis, and Evaluation, at [email protected].

Email

If you email us, we will use your message to answer your questions. Emails sent to us may be considered official government records. They may become public records and may be disclosed in response to a request under the Maryland Public Information Act.

Website Privacy

This section explains privacy practices related to our websites.

Cookies

A cookie is a small file saved on your computer when you visit a website. We use cookies to help our site function properly, measure visitor traffic, and improve your experience. Most web browsers accept cookies by default. You can change your browser settings to block cookies, but doing so may prevent some site features from functioning properly. 

Information Collected and Stored Automatically

When you visit our pages or download files, our systems automatically collect some basic information. This information does not identify you personally. Here is what we collect: 

  • Your internet domain (such as Maryland.gov) and the IP address of your device (e.g., computer or phone). An IP address is a unique number assigned to your device by your internet service provider. It allows your device to communicate with other devices and services on the internet.
  • The type of web browser (e.g., Chrome, Safari) and operating system you are using
  • The date and time of your visit
  • The specific pages you view
  • Where you click on the site (not including any text you type in forms)

We use this data to improve our websites, understand the number of visitors to our sites, and identify the technology visitors are using. We do not track or record personal information about individual visits. 

Other Websites

We link to websites that are not part of the Maryland government. Our privacy rules do not apply once you leave a Maryland.gov site. We cannot control how these websites use your data. Review their privacy statements to understand how they handle your information.

Site Security

To protect our websites and help ensure they remain available to users, we use security monitoring tools. These tools monitor network traffic and help detect and prevent unauthorized attempts to alter data or disrupt our websites.

Unauthorized use of government computer systems, including attempts to upload unauthorized information or damage systems, may violate State and federal laws and may result in penalties. In the event of a data breach, we will notify affected individuals in accordance with applicable law and our data breach response plan.