I write with an update regarding the police shooting that took place on April 16. As I shared with you in a previous update, the State’s Attorney is conducting an investigation into the incident; its findings will be made public.
Yale has begun its own personnel investigation of the incident. Yale’s investigation will focus on the Yale police officer’s conduct as it relates to policies, procedures, and practices of the police department. The University has engaged Chase Rogers, the former Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, to conduct this investigation. She has already begun her preliminary review of relevant policies and procedures and will complete the investigation after Yale receives the results of the State’s Attorney’s criminal investigation.
The shooting on Argyle Street raises questions about jurisdiction and communications among the Hamden, New Haven, and Yale police departments. The university, with support from the mayors and police chiefs of New Haven and Hamden, has retained a team of community policing experts, 21CP Solutions, to assess these issues and to make recommendations on how policies, practices, and interactions can be clarified and improved across and within police jurisdictions. We expect 21CP Solutions to conduct its assessment this summer.
Yale also has engaged 21CP Solutions to conduct an assessment of Yale’s policing policies, practices, and training. Our goal is, and has been, to be a leader in campus community policing, and 21CP Solutions experts will help the police department build on its success and make any necessary improvements to become a model for campus policing. This review will take place in the fall.
Yale Police Chief Ronnell Higgins and I are committed to the safety of the greater New Haven community, and we are grateful to all who are helping us meet that profound obligation.
Sincerely,
Janet Lindner
Vice President for Administration
Yale University
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