In a move aimed at enhancing public safety, Yale University has donated 30 surveillance cameras to the city of New Haven. This decision was approved by local legislators during a recent Board of Alders meeting at City Hall. The cameras are part of a joint effort between Yale and city police to expand their off-campus surveillance network.

Strengthening Police Collaboration

The donation is intended to improve safety for both New Haven residents and the Yale community. Ten of the cameras have already been installed in downtown and the Dwight neighborhood, with the remaining cameras to be placed in areas identified as under-surveilled. The locations of these cameras are not publicly disclosed.

Yale’s Acting Assistant Police Chief John Healy stated that the cameras will help to ‘continue to strengthen’ the partnership between the university’s police department and the city’s. Earlier this year, an agreement was reached for the city’s police oversight board to also supervise the Yale Police Department (YPD).

Community and Safety Benefits

Brian Wingate, chair of the aldermanic Public Safety Committee, emphasized the importance of collaboration between the two police departments. The cameras, provided by Axis Communications, will be connected to New Haven’s Real Time Crime Center and monitored by both departments. This initiative reflects a broader trend towards increased surveillance to combat crime, as noted by Dwight Alder Frank Douglass.

In addition to the cameras, Yale has also contributed new lighting along the Farmington Canal Greenway, further demonstrating the university’s commitment to community safety and resource sharing. Downtown/Yale Alder Elias Theodore highlighted these contributions as examples of Yale’s positive impact on the city.

Original reporting: New Haven Independent — read the source article.