Yale University Students Greeted With ‘Survival Guide’ Flyers Warning of ‘Shockingly High’ Crime Rates

Yale University students were given flyers, warning of “shockingly high” crime rates in New Haven, as they began their new academic year this month.

The flyers, which featured a cloaked skull and titled “Welcome to Yale: A survival guide for first-year students of Yale University,” were handed out to students by the Yale Police Benevolent Association— a Yale police officers union. 

The union said in the flyers, which were obtained by CNN, that murders have doubled, burglaries increased by 33%, and car thefts rose by up to 56% during the seven months period ending in July 23, 2023. 

The flyers stated that Yale students still managed to “survive New Haven” despite the increasing crime rates. The union also listed some guidelines that included avoiding public transportation and staying off the streets after 8 p.m. 

The latest government data shows that homicides doubled in New Haven in 2023 during the period from January 1 to  August 6 compared to the same period in 2022. However, non-fatal shootings decreased by nearly 42% during the same period in 2023 compared to the year prior. 

Additionally, from January 1 to August 6, 2023, sexual assaults increased by nearly 12%, compared to the same period in 2022, while armed robberies decreased by 17% and other types of robberies increased by around 8%.

Ronnell Higgins, Yale’s associate vice president for public safety and community engagement, said that handouts “aimed [to create] fear among new students and their families,” according to CNN.

“Yale is committed to the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, staff, neighbors, and visitors, and we unequivocally condemn the irresponsible and reckless actions of those who chose to spread this inaccurate information,” Higgins said, adding that the university saw a drop in crime, including violent ones, robberies and burglaries throughout New Haven.

 He said thefts of laptops, cell phones, and unsecured motorized vehicles were the most reported crimes.

City police chiefs and New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker also criticized the flyers distributed by the union, which is currently having contract negotiations with the university. 

Anthony Campbell, Yale University Police Department’s chief, said the flyers don’t reflect the inviting atmosphere created by the campus police department, WFSB reported. Meanwhile, Elicker noted that the union should have been more supportive of new students coming to Yale.

“When you welcome someone to your community, you embrace them, and you support them, and you ensure that they are successful here,” Elicker said, according to WFSB. “You don’t promote fear, you don’t promote misinformation, you don’t mislead people about the home that is their new home.”

The mayor added that the police union’s flyers were “unbelievably offensive.”

“I fully respect a union’s right to organize, to advocate for a good contract, but this crosses a line,” he added, according to WFSB.