Is New Haven a crime haven? According to Yale’s police union, yes.
Members of the Yale Police Benevolent Association circulated two types of pamphlets on move-in day: one claims that murders, burglaries and car thefts are on the rise, and the other lists examples of violent crime in New Haven. Reading that “some Yalies do manage to survive” in the Elm City, the union adorned the flyers with an image of the Grim Reaper wishing them a hollow “Good luck.”
The move is seen as a symbol of the union’s frustration over their current contract negotiations, but hardly anyone found it to be effective.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Yale Police Department Chief Anthony Campbell stood alongside city officials condemning the “inflammatory” language of the pamphlets. Campbell stated that the YBPA “brought shame upon their union.”
“I, too, support and have supported in the past unions’ rights to organize and to seek a good and fair contract,” said Campbell. “But it must never be done at the expense of relations and the expense of the citizens of this great city, New Haven. And that’s what they did… I want to make it abundantly clear they do not represent the spirit of the Yale University Police Department.”
The Yale College Democrats published a statement on their Instagram on Wednesday denouncing the union’s “fear-mongering tactics.” The organization also pointed to a 2021 report from various organizations that found that the YPD blatantly exaggerated calls per year.
