Allegheny County police partner with nonprofit to raise awareness of human trafficking/child exploitation in Pittsburgh

The Allegheny County Police Department teamed up with the nonprofit, Our Rescue, to spread awareness about human trafficking and human trafficking and child exploitation. Our Rescue provides services to people impacted by human trafficking on a global scale. “We know this is an important discussion to have because we’ll never arrest our way out of this heinous crime. So, the best offense is an educated and knowledgeable community, and that’s why we’re here,” said Teresa Harland, the senior vice president of advancement for Our Rescue.The event at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens included a fireside chat with Victor Joseph, the Assistant Superintendent of the Allegheny County Police Department. Joseph said child exploitation and abuse perpetrators are often someone the victim already knows. “It affects every neighborhood, every area, regardless of your socioeconomic class, it doesn’t matter,” Joseph said. Joseph also touched on how technology can complicate these types of cases. He said perpetrators are using tech to their advantage. The sheer amount of digital evidence also poses challenges for law enforcement. “One case can have terabytes of digital information. We have to identify that, we have to analyze that, we have to be able to secure it. It takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of training,” Joseph said.Yet, at the same time, technology serves as a tool for law enforcement, Joseph said. “There’s software that processes and analyzes the thousands and thousands of images. We can identify victims, we can prosecute faster, we can identify and arrest faster,” Joseph said.Our Rescue is working alongside Allegheny County police to raise $200,000 to ensure officers are equipped with the right resources to protect western Pennsylvania residents.

PITTSBURGH —

The Allegheny County Police Department teamed up with the nonprofit, Our Rescue, to spread awareness about human trafficking and human trafficking and child exploitation.

Our Rescue provides services to people impacted by human trafficking on a global scale.

“We know this is an important discussion to have because we’ll never arrest our way out of this heinous crime. So, the best offense is an educated and knowledgeable community, and that’s why we’re here,” said Teresa Harland, the senior vice president of advancement for Our Rescue.

The event at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens included a fireside chat with Victor Joseph, the Assistant Superintendent of the Allegheny County Police Department.

Joseph said child exploitation and abuse perpetrators are often someone the victim already knows.

“It affects every neighborhood, every area, regardless of your socioeconomic class, it doesn’t matter,” Joseph said.

Joseph also touched on how technology can complicate these types of cases. He said perpetrators are using tech to their advantage. The sheer amount of digital evidence also poses challenges for law enforcement.

“One case can have terabytes of digital information. We have to identify that, we have to analyze that, we have to be able to secure it. It takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of training,” Joseph said.

Yet, at the same time, technology serves as a tool for law enforcement, Joseph said.

“There’s software that processes and analyzes the thousands and thousands of images. We can identify victims, we can prosecute faster, we can identify and arrest faster,” Joseph said.

Our Rescue is working alongside Allegheny County police to raise $200,000 to ensure officers are equipped with the right resources to protect western Pennsylvania residents.