Yesterday, the Santa Rosa Police Department announced a significant accolade for one of their own, highlighting the efforts of Detective Kelsea Nelson at a ceremony in Savannah, Georgia. Nelson, part of SRPD's Domestic Violence Sexual Assault (DVSA) Team, earned national recognition for her role in resolving a serious child endangerment case. As reported by the Santa Rosa Police Department, her work was designated the 2024 NCIC Success Story of the Year, a prestigious honor bestowed upon select law enforcement individuals who leverage the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database to its full potential.

The NCIC serves as an instrumental tool in law enforcement operations, providing a shared resource of criminal justice information to over 90,000 nationwide agencies. It was through this database that Detective Nelson tracked a missing juvenile to a location several states away. Aided by corroborative evidence from social media exchanges, Nelson pieced together a chain of suspect details that painted a distressing picture of potential sexual exploitation.

Back in May, information obtained through the NCIC indicated that a vehicle owned by the suspect was spotted far from home just before the juvenile's disappearance. Nelson's key insight and prompt action using these data were instrumental in rapidly retrieving the missing juvenile and concurrent apprehension of the suspect on multiple charges. The Santa Rosa Police Department has expressed pride in Nelson's exemplary investigative work while emphasizing the empathy she consistently integrates into her efforts to resolve such sensitive cases.