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GREENSBORO — The city should launch a public awareness campaign on human trafficking, City Council members said Tuesday.

At the urging of Ben Holder, a blogger and council candidate, City Council members heard from victim advocates and police about the issue of people, particularly immigrants, being forced to work against their will in the United States.

Holder urged the city to launch a human trafficking task force. At a City Council briefing, Holder gave council members an overview of human trafficking, which he has researched.

 Police Chief Tim Bellamy told council members they have not encountered human trafficking since a 2004 incident in which five men were arrested for smuggling immigrants after officers uncovered a prostitution ring.

But Danielle Mitchell, from the Triad Ladder of Hope, said advocacy groups are helping victims locally.

Council members said they want the city to use resources such as cable channel 13 to let the public know about human trafficking and tell victims how to get help.

Holder urged the city to create a committee to address the issue.

“You can’t find your trafficking victim and then scramble and try to fix it,” he said.

Bellamy said the city would take advantage of free training provided by the N.C. Justice Academy. And the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office will soon appoint a detective to work on human trafficking issues, under a grant received by Pitt County.

Holder is running for City Council in District 1 against incumbent T. Dianne Bellamy-Small, Charles Coffey, Luther Falls Jr, Daron Sellars and Jeramy Reid.

In other action, council members again discussed ways to update War Memorial Stadium. The city has done some work to repair the deteriorating façade of the stadium. But voters turned down a full-scale renovation.

Bob Morgan, the interim city manager, asked the council to consider a renovation of a smaller scale that would preserve the exterior and cost $2.6 million. Council members were not convinced it was the best use of funds for the stadium.

They asked Morgan to reconsider how the stadium might be used to make the most of the renovation money, including using the space for outdoor concerts or a marketplace.

Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert@news-record.com