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Governor's Office of Crime Prevention and Policy

Privacy Statement

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 as a remedial body designed to provide 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 is related to the compliance with the detainment 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 lockup, and addressing racial and ethnic disparities.
  3. Payment of 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 to the supply of 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 get your information from another source, like the government or a 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 it was first collected, unless you give permission, for legitimate government purposes, or the law demands it. We keep your information only as long as needed to complete that task, following State record timelines.  Any information about you that is provided to other entities through a Public Information Act is de-identified and anonymized. 

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 (HIPPA), and financial information is protected by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA). Under Maryland law, we use strong safeguards or security measures to protect your data. These methods include secret codes (encryption), strict access controls, and locked 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 new rules with a new “Last Updated” date.

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 their files. 

Sometimes, we are unable to show you certain files because of the law. We cannot show you records that include private data about other people, files restricted by police or law enforcement and information covered by official security rules. 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 our Privacy Team. You can contact 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. Your emails are like official letters. They can become public records and may be shared if someone asks for them under the Maryland Public Information Act.

Website Privacy

This section explains privacy practices related to our website(s).

Cookies

A cookie is a small file saved on your computer when you visit a website. We use cookies to help our site work well, count visitors, and make your experience better. Most web browsers accept cookies by default. You can change your settings to block cookies, but doing so might stop some features from working. 

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 (like Maryland.gov) and your device's (e.g., computer, phone) IP address. An IP address is a special number given to your device by your internet service provider. This helps your device talk to others 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, to learn about the number of visitors on our sites, and to understand what technology people 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. Always check their privacy statements to understand how they handle your information.

Site Security

To protect our websites and make sure they are accessible to everyone, we use special security tools. These tools watch the traffic on our network. They help us find and stop any attempts to change data or harm our pages.

Uploading unauthorized information or damaging government computer systems is against the law. This can lead to punishment under both State and federal laws. In the event of a data breach, we will notify the impacted individuals according to the law and our data breach plan.