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Frequently Asked Questions
Notifications
Yale Public Safety has a variety of ways that we communicate with the students, faculty, and staff.
- A Yale Alert is sent when a significant campus emergency or immediate threat to the health and safety of students or employees occur on campus.
- Timely Warnings are sent if a crime reported poses an ongoing threat to student, faculty, or staff. These messages are federally mandated. The crime must occur within a designed geographic area.
- Public Safety Advisories (Message from the Chief) are sent for crimes or incidents that are a concern to the Yale community, but do not pose an ongoing threat.
- Yale Status Board is a web-based dashboard that provides real-time updates about critical events, outages, and service interruptions occurring on campus.
Support Resources
If you are in immediate danger, call 9-1-1. If you’re a victim of a crime, call the Yale Police Department at 203-432-4400 to file a report.
If you are someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call 9-1-1. Then, call the Yale Police Department at 203-432-4400. If you’re living off campus, call the New Haven Police Department at 203-946-6316.
Contact SHARE (Sexual Harassment and Assault Resources & Education Center) for advocacy, education, and support. You can also reach the office by calling 203-432-2000.
Additional Resources
Lockout services are provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please call Central Alarm Station at 203-785-5555.
Contact Yale Facilities at 203-432-6888 to request a key to an office or department door.
You should call 911 immediately. You should not delay in calling, as any delay could be life threatening depending on the level of intoxication. The Police’s main focus is to get the person immediate medical attention and not to get you or them in trouble. The health and well-being of the person should far outweigh any concerns about disciplinary action.
General Inquiries
The Emergency Management at Yale website has the information you want.
Yale Police Officers patrol campus and the area immediately surrounding it. The New Haven Police Officers have jurisdiction for the entire city.
Both police departments are comprised of armed officers with full arrest powers.
In case of an emergency always call 9-1-1. The call will go to either YPD or NHPD depending on your location.
To reach the YPD directly for routine non-emergencies, call 203-432-4400.
The majority of crime on campus is property crime, especially involving electronic portable items such as laptops, cell phones, and iPods.
Most of the property stolen is left unattended in public areas or in unlocked rooms, public spaces (such as libraries), or offices.
Never leave your property unattended and always lock your door.
Arrest Protocols
All Yale University Police Department (YPD) officers are sworn officers with the same arrest powers as any police officer in Connecticut.
Individuals arrested by a Yale Police Officer are handcuffed and processed (i.e., charged with a crime). The handcuffing of an arrested individual is a national standard operating procedure for the safety of the arrestee and the officer.
Processing can follow one of two paths: a citation (misdemeanor summons) or transportation to a detention facility for further processing.
A non-custodial arrest occurs when an individual is arrested but not taken into physical custody by the police. For instance, if someone is arrested for a misdemeanor (e.g., trespassing or breach of peace) and is compliant with law enforcement, has an ID, or can be identified with certainty, and is willing to sign a misdemeanor summons, they may be processed at the place of arrest. In these situations, the police officer would fill out the summons, record the individual’s name and contact information, explain the arrest and follow-up process, set a court date within seven days, provide a copy of the summons to the person being arrested, and release the individual. In this instance of a non-custodial arrest, the individual is under arrest but is not taken into detention.
A custodial arrest happens when the criteria for non-custodial arrests are not met. For instance, this might occur if the individual does not have identification, their identity cannot be verified, or they are resistant. In such cases, the individual must be transported to the New Haven Police Department Detention Center located at 1 Union Avenue. There, they will be fingerprinted, photographed, and processed. Once identification is confirmed and processing is complete, they will be issued a promise to appear in court and released.
Prosecutors in the State’s Attorney’s office are the primary decision-makers regarding what happens to an individual who is arrested. Prosecutors determine whether the charges will proceed, be added, be reduced, or be dropped. All cases are processed at the New Haven Superior Court located at 121 Elm Street.
If an individual cannot afford legal representation, a court-appointed attorney is provided.
Whether a person is arrested through a misdemeanor summons or a custodial arrest, after the arrest, the individual will be subject to the court process.
There often are opportunities for the charged individual or their attorney to discuss with the prosecutor a resolution to the charges. If there is no resolution, the case may be tried by a jury and/or a judge, and the individual charged may be found guilty.
The implications of a conviction can extend beyond the immediate legal process. A conviction may affect eligibility to receive federal financial aid, academic fellowships and scholarships, certain employment opportunities, and may impede the individual’s ability to access government-funded services or apply for a firearm license. An arrest is likely to impact visa status and eligibility for international students and scholars.
It is important to understand that a person who is arrested for a misdemeanor may have their charges reduced, dropped, or reduced to an infraction also known as a citation (e.g., the equivalent of receiving a speeding ticket in which a fine is paid).