►
From YouTube: Meet The People: Alexandra Abboud
Description
On this episode of Meet The People, the Department of Public Safety's Victim Assistance Coordinator Alexandra Abboud talks about growing into her role with the city, how she uses technology to do her job, and has a lot to say about french fries.
A
Hello,
everyone
welcome
again
to
another
edition
of
meet
the
people.
My
name
is
david
feiner,
I'm
the
communication
technology
manager
in
the
city
of
pittsburgh's,
department
of
innovation
and
performance.
Today,
I'm
very
happy
to
be
joined
by
alexandra
abood
from
the
department
of
public
safety
she's.
The
victim
assistance
coordinator
alex
thank
you
for
joining
us.
B
A
B
B
A
A
A
All
right
so
before
we
get
into
your
job,
what
you're
doing
while
you're
here
and
how
you're
helping
the
city
of
pittsburgh.
First,
let's
get
some
background
where
you
from
where'd
you
go
to
school.
Where
where'd
you
grow
up.
How'd
you
get
to
this.
How
did
you
get
to
moving
to
pittsburgh
into
this
job?.
B
That's
a
lot
of
questions
in
one.
I
grew
up
in
dayton,
ohio
well
about
20
minutes
north
and
a
little
tiny
town
called
tip
city.
It
looks
like
a
little
hallmark
movie
feels
like
a
hallmark
movie,
so
I
grew
up
there
and
then
I
went
to
miami
of
ohio
to
get
my
bachelors
in
social
work.
Well,
actually,
I
started
out
as
a
graphic
design.
Major,
and
you
know
it
was
one
of
those
situations.
B
My
parents
were
like
you're,
not
doing
graphic
design
all
like
I'm
doing
graphic
design,
and
nobody
can
stop
me
and
I'm
moving
to
new
york,
city
and
da
da
well.
That
obviously
didn't
happen.
So
I
I
had
everything
ready
my
graphic
design
portfolio
prepared
to
submit
for
my
second
semester
to
enter
the
program,
and
then
I
went
on
a
mission
trip
to
an
orphanage
in
romania
and
I
said:
that's
it
and
I
threw
out
my
graphic
design
portfolio.
B
I
switched
to
social
work
and
got
my
bachelor's
degree,
and
that
was
that
and
then
I
moved
to
pittsburgh
for
my
master's
in
social
work
at
pitt
and
that's
kind
of
my
first
pittsburgh
experience.
My
brother
was
already
here:
he
went
to
med
school
at
pitt,
so
I
was
familiar
with
the
city
and
I
loved
it.
But
when
I
came
here
for
my
master's,
the
culture,
the
people,
everybody
was
so
warm,
it
was
so
diverse.
B
B
B
The
school
that
I
was
in
was
pretty
high
need
pretty
high
paced
and
we
were
always
moving,
and
I
tell
you
what
I
am
pretty
young,
but
there
is
already
a
lot,
has
changed
and
tech.
You
know
you
talk
about
technology.
The
use
of
technology
amongst
these
high
schoolers
is
is
insane
the
amount
of
things
they're
able
to
do
for
good
and
for
harm.
A
A
B
There's
got
to
be
a
person
that
supports
these
kids
through
this.
So
when
I
saw
this
posting
I
was
like.
Are
you
kidding
me?
This
is
exactly
what
I've
been
saying.
This
is
perfect,
so
that
was
probably
the
biggest
thing.
Aside
from
that.
I
wanted
to
come
back
to
the
city
of
pittsburgh
because
I
love
it
so
much.
A
B
That
means
that
I
support
victims
of
crime.
I
currently
am
in
two
zones
zones,
one
and
five
simply
because
there's
only
one
of
me
currently,
you
know
hopefully
we'll
be
expanding,
but
right
now
it's
just
me.
So
I
I
support
victims
of
crime
in
those
two
zones.
Basically,
what
I
do
day
to
day
is
I
log
on
to
our
police
reporting
system,
and
then
I
start
calling
victims
from
the
previous
day
and
say
hey
here.
I
am.
This
is
what
I
do.
B
B
So
it
really
my
role
kind
of
really
depends
on
what
it
is
that
they
need,
but
I'm
kind
of
like
a
connector.
I
connect
people
with
the
services.
They
need
the
support
they
need
and
find
answers
for
them.
You
know
call
their
detectives
say,
hey
so
and
so
needs
to
know
this,
like.
What's
going
on
and
figure
things
out
for
him.
B
A
B
Well,
you
know,
I
think
we
kind
of
existed
in
very
different
times,
socially
culturally,
as
well,
which
makes
a
big
difference.
So
she
had
already
formed
a
really
strong
relationship
in
zone
five,
and
so
that
really
was
the
strong
foundation
for
me
that
was
set
because
when
I
came
here
the
commander
over
there
was
ready.
He
was
like
good
we've
been
waiting
for
you
and
nobody
else
really
knew
who
I
was,
but
he
did,
and
so
she
made
that
strong
connection
with
him.
B
That
assisted
me
now,
I
will
say
you
know,
like
I
said:
socially
things
have
have
been
more
progressive
recently.
Some
of
those
cultural
issues
are
coming
more
to
light,
and
so
my
work
has,
I
don't
want
to
say
a
bit
more
respective,
but
people
are
listening.
More
people
are
saying
yeah.
This
is
important,
and
so
I've
had
a
little
bit
easier
time,
navigating
and
kind
of
pushing
it
forward.
A
B
Yeah
I
mean
within
the
city.
My
first
kind
of
goal
when
I
got
here,
was
to
really
create
strong
partnerships
with
especially
police
with
the
bureau
of
police,
simply
because
that's
the
population
that
I'm
working
with
right,
that's
how
I'm
getting
access
to
my
to
the
victims
is
through
the
police,
so
creating
strong
partnerships
not
only
with
leadership
but
with
the
law
enforcement
officers
themselves
that
are
out
every
day
was
crucial.
So
typically,
when
I
follow
up
with
the
victim
I'll,
then
send
an
email
to
that
officer
and
say:
hey,
look!
B
Here's
what
I
did
that
way.
They
are
starting
to
buy
into
that
trust.
They
realize
I'm
a
resource
for
them
and
maybe
they'll
just
call
me
up
and
I
won't
even
have
to
reach
out
they'll.
Do
it
on
my
behalf
and
say
I
have
this
victim
that
I
want
you
to
talk
to
so
internally.
Those
are
probably
the
most
crucial
relationships
that
I'm
forming.
Externally
I
mean
there
are
so
many
amazing
providers
in
the
city,
so
I
formed
very
strong
relationships
with
the
center
for
victims.
B
The
women's
center
pittsburgh
action
against
rape,
some
of
those
big
names
and
what
we've
really
been
able
to
do
is
kind
of
fill
this
gap,
so
they
provide
their
services
so
well,
I'm
not
trying
to
take
their
place
right.
Like
that's,
I'm
one
person.
I
also
can't
what
I'm
trying
to
do
is
fill
that
gap
from
when
a
victim
experiences,
a
crime
and
they're
handed
a
pamphlet
with
a
number
that
says:
hey
call
the
center
for
victims,
and
you
know,
they're
in
a
state
of
crisis,
they've
thrown
this
pamphlet
to
the
side.
B
They
can't
find
it
they're
trying
to
just
get
by
that.
They
don't
even
think
about
calling
or,
if
they're
thinking
about
it,
but
they
have
too
much
on
their
plate.
So
that's
where
I
fill
that
gap
is
I
take
that
all
out
and
I
say
hey.
Let
me
help
you.
Let
me
call
on
your
behalf.
Let's
figure
this
out
together
and
so
really
I'm
I'm
funneling
people
into
these
providers
that
are
already
doing
such
an
amazing
job
at
what
they
do.
B
A
What
kind
of
what
kind
of
response
are
you
getting
from
victims?
So
when
you
pick
up
the
phone
and
call
them
and
say
this
is
who
I
am,
and
this
is
what
I'm
able
to
do
and
help
you
with?
What
kind
of
response
are
you
getting
from
these
people?
Are
they
surprised
to
hear
from
the
city
of
pittsburgh
reaching
out
to
them.
B
Yeah
yeah,
so
there's
usually
a
three
ways:
a
call
a
call
goes
either
one.
I
don't
need
an
advocate.
No
thanks.
Bye
click,
cool
have
a
good
day.
Two,
they
are
shocked.
They're,
absolutely
surprised.
They
can't
believe
my
role
exists,
they're
so
happy
to
hear
from
me
and
they
don't
really
need
anything
they're.
Just
you
know
grateful
for
the
call
and
and
and
very
thankful,
and
then
three
is
somebody
who
actually
needs
some
support
and
services.
B
A
A
A
B
A
B
So
that
is
something
that
I
use
on
a
daily
basis
and
it's
a
really
for
me.
It's
an
effective
system
because
I
can
search
by
the
two
zones
I'm
working
in
and
search
by
the
kind
of
reports
that
I'm
looking
for
so
it
very
quickly
and
efficiently
creates
a
list
for
me
of
cases
that
I
need
to
follow
up
on.
B
B
So
I've
been
working
with
imp
to
create
a
database
specifically
for
my
role,
which
has
been
really
awesome.
Actually,
I
think
we're
meeting
later
this
week
for
them
to
walk
me
through
the
tutorial
on
how
it's
actually
going
to
work,
so
that
will
be
an
amazing
tool.
They
were
so
helpful
in
crafting
it
to
fit
my
exact
needs,
which
was
amazing.
That
will
be
life-changing.
B
I've
also
been
working
with
them
on
creating
an
electronic
signature
for
the
release
of
information,
so
a
release
of
information
is
also
something
we
just
got
accomplished
with.
The
folks
in
the
law
department
will
allow
me
to
make
referrals
on
a
victim's
behalf
with
their
permission.
So
it's
just
a
form
that
says:
hey
yeah
totally.
I
give
you
permission
to
share
this
information
about
me
and
it
just
provides
more
efficiency.
B
Quicker
referrals
makes
things
easier
on
the
victims,
so
when
I'm
working
with
imp
on
right
now
or
later
today,
actually
is
to
get
to
get
this
formula
an
electronic
signature
so
that
the
victims
don't
even
have
to
leave,
they
don't
have
to
go
anywhere.
We
don't
have
to
meet.
I
can
just
send
them
a
link
to
their
email
or
to
their
smartphone
and
say
here's
the
document,
you
know
sign
it
and
we're
good
to
go,
which
will
be
just
a
game,
changer
and
removing
barriers
for
for
people,
because
it's
hard
transportation
is
hard.
A
A
B
A
B
That
it's
it's
it's
insane,
but
I
can
also
after
the
fact
once
I've
started
a
case,
and
I
know
that
that
case
number
I
can
just
go
into
the
system
and
search
the
case
number
and
I'll
bring
that
report
up
as
well.
So
it's
really
just
that
initial
read
through
that
takes
more
of
the
leg
work
and
then
once
I
have
their
case
number
boom
type
it
in.
I.
A
B
It's
awesome,
yeah,
it's
totally
a
good
feeling.
I
mean
it
won't
be
at
first
right
because
I'm
gonna
have
to
backlog
everything
I've
done
into
the
database,
but
once
that
done
I
mean
once
that's
done.
It's
gonna,
be
amazing,
and
also
just
knowing
that
that
information
is
safe,
secure
protected
makes
me
feel
good
on
behalf
of
the
victims
to
know
that
you
know
it's
it's
there
and
it's
easy
to
access.
A
You
started
the
job
last
summer.
Yes,
when
august
august,
okay,
so
you're
coming
up
on
your
one-year
anniversary
and
you
were
like
a
lot
of
people
were
working
at
home
now
that
you're
transitioning
into
the
building.
How
is
the
job
transitioning?
What
is
different
between
the
last
11
months
at
home
versus
our
last
10
months
at
home
versus
now
that.
B
You're
working
here
I
would
say
the
biggest
thing
is
just
the
partnerships
just
being
able
to
have
those
in-person
interactions
is
huge.
You
know
running
into
somebody
in
the
hallway
and
saying
hey
here's.
This
idea.
I've
been
meaning
to
talk
to
you
about
when
we
were
at
home.
That
was
all
taken
away.
So
all
my
co-workers,
I
knew
them
in
a
box
on
a
screen,
and
that
was
it
and
so
now
I
feel
like
we
have
more
meaningful,
deep
conversations,
because
we
can
sit
at
a
table
together
and
actually
share
in
conversation
without.
B
B
A
B
B
B
A
A
B
A
I
think
one
of
the
most
interesting
results,
workplace
results
of
covid
is
how
many,
how
many
people
will
spend
less
time,
traveling
to
conferences,
events,
seminars,
because
instead
of
traveling
an
entire
day
to
the
west
coast
and
then
spending
two
days
there
and
traveling
another
entire
day
to
the
west
coast.
You
can
just
do
those
two
days
of
meetings
on
zoom.
A
B
A
So
you're
you're
you're
still
in
the
process
of
building
up
this
position,
building
up
your
network
building
up
your
contacts,
building
up
your
everything
that
you're
doing
in
a
perfect
world
budget
is
not
an
issue.
City.
Politics
is
not
an
issue.
What
are
the
absolute
perfect
world
wants
and
needs
for
your
job.
B
A
B
Advocates
would
be
able
to
go
to
the
scene
and
meet
a
victim
there
on
scene
and
provide
that
immediate
crisis
response
and
be
there
for
them
and
support
them,
and
just
kind
of
be
that
warm
figure
that's
next
to
them
in
the
moment
and
then
continues
to
guide
them
through
the
system
as
well.
So
they
kind
of
always
have
that
one
face
they
can
rely
on.
That
would
be
the
absolute
dream.
A
B
A
B
A
A
B
B
B
A
B
A
She
said
I'll
get
the
hot
dogs
you
get
the
french
fries
and,
of
course,
I'm
a
not
smart
person
from
not
here,
and
I
went
up
to
the
french
fry
counter
and
I
said
oh
there's,
two
of
us:
okay,
I'll,
take
the
large
french
fry
and
they
didn't
say
anything
to
me
and
then
from
under
the
counter.
Came
this
pile.
A
A
A
Wife
and
I
were
married
in
oakland
at
the
old
concordia
club
behind
the
cathedral
and
the
day
before
she
took
me
up
there.
It
was
my
first
time
up
either
on
mount
washington
or
west
end
overlook
and
yes,
you're,
absolutely
right.
I
love
it
up
there,
it's
much
better.
What
is
the
strangest
slash,
dumbest
fact
in
your
head.
A
A
A
B
B
A
B
A
B
A
B
A
Just
blurt
it
out
when
we're
done
and
then
we
won't
be
recording
and
nobody
at
home
will
know
great
okay
back
to
your
job.
Okay,
because
those
are
the
four
questions
sure
if
there
are
people
who
need
your
assistance
that
you
don't
know
about.
Yet
is
this
a
position
where
people
can
call
you
absolutely.
B
B
A
This
has
been
very
fantastic.
Thank
you
for
coming
on
the
show.
I
really
have
appreciated
having
you
here.
I
would
like
very
much
to
check
in
with
you
a
year
from
now,
okay
and
see
how
the
job
has
even
evolved
more.
I
think
that
would
be
really
interesting
once
you're
once
you
have
everything
up
and
running,
and
you
can
then
call
this
your
best
job
ever
yeah.