On Jan. 26, the Yale College Council passed a resolution to establish a student advisory board requiring, in part, student oversight of non-emergency collaborations between the Yale Police Department and federal or state agencies like the FBI or Connecticut Intelligence Center. This policy is absurd on multiple levels. 

First, how can undergraduate students — most of whom are not experts on organized crime, financial crimes, counterterrorism, human trafficking, drug enforcement or cybersecurity — be qualified to review interactions between YPD and security agencies? Law enforcement work is highly technical as sensitive matters require professional judgment, not the opinions of unqualified students. 

Second, the resolution calls on the YPD to provide the advisory board access to a wide variety of documentation on “surveillance and enforcement.” But much of police enforcement and surveillance involves sensitive privacy regulations, court orders and ongoing criminal investigations. Will student board members be allowed to see classified or restricted law enforcement information? Will they be liable if their interference obstructs an investigation? Will there be background checks to determine if the student board members haven’t committed crimes themselves? Without clear safeguards, this policy risks compromising both privacy and public safety.

Third, the resolution calls on the YPD to disclose collaboration with other security agencies to the advisory committee for review “in advance.” Though the resolution excludes emergency situations, it is foolish to expect law enforcement to abide by the timeline of a voluntary committee, especially one composed of busy students and faculty.

Imagine this: the FBI contacts the YPD on a Thursday about a suspected human trafficking case near campus. This is classified as a non-emergency situation — there’s no immediate threat to life — but FBI investigators need YPD’s cooperation to monitor financial transactions, gather intelligence and coordinate surveillance. As suggested by the YCC resolution, the student advisory board is called to review the cooperation agreement. Yet, one of the faculty members of the board is at a conference for the week; the graduate students are stuck in the library finishing their theses; and one of the undergrads is in final preparation for their debut role in a main stage musical. Should the YPD and FBI really have to wait days or weeks for students and faculty to convene, discuss and eventually give their input? Surely not. 

The new advisory board requested by the YCC does not just introduce red tape — it actively undermines law enforcement by placing critical advisory power in the hands of students who have neither the training nor the authority to review police work.

In 2022, the YPD revamped a student advisory board to review officer misconduct and improve community input in Yale’s policing. In a recent YCC conversation with Dean Lewis, he praised that board for helping create a “fit for purpose” plan, where police “aren’t involved in things that aren’t crimes.” However, the YPD suspended the advisory board during the April 2024 campus protests for unknown reasons. In that same period, the singular undergraduate representative to the Advisory Board was arrested twice for trespassing and disorderly conduct. 

Under a different mission, a student board to advise the Yale Police Department is an exceptional idea. An important step in building trust between the YPD and the student population is community policing, which begins with conversations between the YPD and students. As a first step in building positive relations with the YPD, a student advisory board should be re-established to focus on community policing policies and student-police cooperation. But the YCC’s proposed board is reckless, performative and completely detached from the realities of law enforcement work, effectively handcuffing trained professionals while giving imaginary authority to unqualified students. 

JOSHUA DANZIGER is a first year in Trumbull College. His monthly column “Power” explores geography, demography and the state. He can be reached at joshua.danziger@yale.edu.