Purpose

The Texas Communications Unit (TX-COMU) uses its website and official social media channels to share information, support professional engagement, strengthen the Communications Unit community, and increase awareness of the organization’s mission and activities.

TX-COMU encourages respectful participation and welcomes comments that are relevant to the topic being discussed. This policy establishes expectations for participation on TX-COMU-managed websites, social media pages, discussion areas, and other online channels.

User Responsibility

Users are responsible for the content of their comments, posts, links, images, and other submissions. Comments made by members of the public reflect the views of the individual author and do not necessarily represent the views, positions, or endorsement of TX-COMU.

Participation should remain courteous, professional, and relevant to the original topic. Disagreement is permitted, but personal attacks and disruptive behavior are not.

Prohibited Content and Conduct

TX-COMU may hide, remove, restrict, or report content that includes:

• Obscene, vulgar, sexually explicit, or excessively profane material;
• Threats, intimidation, harassment, bullying, stalking, or encouragement of violence;
• Personal attacks, discriminatory statements, or hateful content directed toward an individual or group;
• Defamatory statements, impersonation, fraud, or knowingly false or materially misleading information that could create public safety or operational harm;
• Promotion or encouragement of illegal activity;
• Unauthorized advertising, fundraising, recruiting, solicitation, promotion of products or services, or spam;
• Repetitive, disruptive, or substantially off-topic posts;
• Campaign material, partisan political advocacy, or statements supporting or opposing a candidate or political party;
• Content that infringes a copyright, trademark, privacy right, or other legal ownership interest;
• Malicious, deceptive, unrelated, or unauthorized third-party links;
• Private personal information posted without authorization; or
• Confidential, controlled, law-enforcement-sensitive, security-sensitive, or operationally sensitive information.

Relevant, nonpartisan discussion of legislation or public policy may be permitted when it relates to public safety communications and remains consistent with TX-COMU’s charitable and educational mission. TX-COMU does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

Moderation and Access

TX-COMU reserves the right, with or without prior notice, to hide or remove content that violates this policy or the intended purpose of a particular page, post, or discussion.

Depending on the seriousness or frequency of a violation, TX-COMU may warn a user, limit participation, block an account, suspend website access, or report conduct to the applicable platform or appropriate authorities. Attempts to evade a restriction may result in additional action.

TX-COMU is not required to review or respond to every comment and does not guarantee that all inappropriate content will be identified immediately. The decision not to remove a particular comment does not constitute approval or endorsement of that comment.

A person who believes content was removed or access was restricted in error may request reconsideration through the Contact page on the TX-COMU website.

Emergency and Official Communications

TX-COMU’s website and social media channels are not monitored as emergency communication systems and must not be used to:

• Report an emergency;
• Request dispatch or deployment of personnel;
• Request mutual aid or operational support;
• Submit time-sensitive incident information; or
• Communicate official incident assignments or directions.

Third-Party Platforms

Users must also comply with the terms and community standards of the social media platform or other third-party service being used. TX-COMU is not responsible for a third-party platform’s availability, moderation decisions, privacy practices, or security.

Policy Updates

TX-COMU may update this policy as its online services, organizational needs, or legal responsibilities change. The current version will be posted on the TX-COMU website with its effective or revision date.

Thank you for helping TX-COMU maintain a respectful, professional, and mission-focused online community.