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Resident urges Allegheny County to create 311 system to report alleged trafficking and exploitation
Summary
A resident described long-standing concerns about human trafficking and called on the county to establish a 311-style reporting system to allow countywide nonemergency reports of suspected exploitation.
A man identified as Jacob Pool told Allegheny County Council on July 15 that he believes people brought from Eastern Europe during the Yugoslavia wars are being exploited in the Pittsburgh area and asked the county to create a 311-style system for countywide reporting.
Pool described personal experience and said he was targeted for exploitation in public and during job searches. “I want to petition the court to create a 311 system, the council to create a 311 system for the Allegheny County so I can report crime like I can do in the city of Pittsburgh,” he said. Pool said he currently can use Pittsburghs 311 for city reports but not for suburban or countywide incidents.
Pool said he lives in Edgewood and estimated, without documentary evidence, that tens of thousands of people from Eastern Europe live in the region; he characterized some as vulnerable to exploitation. His remarks were presented as personal testimony and allegation; the council did not take formal action on the request.
Clarifying detail: Pool requested a countywide 311 system to allow residents to report crimes and alleged exploitation outside Pittsburgh city limits.
What happens next: Council did not vote or direct staff on the request during the July 15 meeting.
