The following words and terms, when used in this subchapter, have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
  (1) Agency--A criminal justice agency, including the department when submitting a Threat Against Peace Officer (TAPO) report.
  (2) Consensual citizen encounter--The approach of a citizen by an officer under limited circumstances that are neither mandatory nor coercive and that do not rise to the level of a detention or arrest, where:
    (A) the citizen is objectively aware of the freedom to leave; and
    (B) the officer engages in casual conversation rather than interrogation.
  (3) Criminal justice agency--Has the meaning assigned by the Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 66.001.
  (4) Peace officer--Has the meaning assigned by Penal Code, §1.07(a).
  (5) Detention officer--A person who is employed to ensure the safekeeping of prisoners and the security of a municipal or county jail.
  (6) Serious threat against a peace officer or detention officer--An individual's expression of intent to inflict serious bodily injury or death on a peace officer or detention officer.
  (7) TAPO--The Threat Against Peace Officer index managed by the department. This is a statewide Texas only index and facilitates in state alerts only.
  (8) TCIC--The Texas Crime Information Center managed by the department.
  (9) TLETS--The Texas Law Enforcement Telecommunication System managed by the department.
  (10) VPF--The Violent Persons File managed by the FBI and contained within the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database. The file was created to alert law enforcement officers that an individual they may be encountering may have the propensity for violence against law enforcement. Entry of officer threat information into the VPF will facilitate a nationwide alert.

Source Note: The provisions of this §5.31 adopted to be effective February 24, 2002, 27 TexReg 1179; amended to be effective March 11, 2008, 33 TexReg 2036; amended to be effective March 17, 2019, 44 TexReg 1359