As part of the public information team at the Northern Virginia police department, Palencia handles inquiries from news organizations and sometimes is sent to crime scenes. She writes blog posts on the department’s website, and reviews hours’ worth of footage from officers’ body camera and dashboard camera to figure out driving habits to draw attention to.
Palencia was previously a criminal investigations detective in McLean, working on active cases and looking into property crimes. But her new role falls into a different realm.
“I’m scrolling social media now,” Palencia said. “It’s very different, but it’s a good different. It’s nice to learn something new.”
Social media as a learning tool
The department started taking advantage of a trend officers observed on social media…