Message from Chief Ronnell Higgins

To the Officers and Staff of Yale Public Safety,

In June, the University put out a statement on the Yale Police Department in the time of historic change. With it was a personal letter from me, I hope you got a chance to review both statements.

In an ongoing effort to improve our services, we hired a consultant 21CP Solutions, who did an assessment of the Yale Police Department. They provided us with a 70+ page evaluation of their findings. I and my leadership team are working with Yale leadership to review and develop action items. Specifically, we are looking at pillars one through four and considering action plans based on their recommendations. Those pillars include:

• Pillar 1: Reimagining Public Safety at Yale Pursuits
• Pillar 2: Strengthening Community Trust and Confidence
• Pillar 3: Ensuring Responsive Police Practices and Operations
• Pillar 4: Strengthening YPD’s Culture

We take this process very seriously, and as decisions are made we will keep the Yale Public Safety and the community informed.  Some changes have already been made and more will considered and implemented. I believe these enhancements will positively impact our department and the Yale and New Haven communities. Change is difficult, but inevitable, and we will get through this together.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me, Assistant Chief Campbell or Assistant Chief Woznyk.

Sincerely,

Ronnell Higgins, Chief Yale Police Department and Director of Yale Public Safety