As an former graduate student at the Johns Hopkins University math department, I take issue with the numbers thrown around in the article concerning a private Hopkins police force ( “More than 60 Johns Hopkins University faculty members write letter protesting private police force,” Feb. 18)
First, 60 faculty members are apparently unhappy with this idea. The article states there are 4,500 faculty members. That’s less than 1.5 percent. If that’s a “ push back,” it’s like pushing on a bank safe door with your fingernail.
People of color are apparently stopped or detained in a city where the last Census states we have more than 60 percent people of color. That’s a given unless there’s discrimination against people “not of color.”
There seems to be plenty of data given from other schools where this has been effective, and finally the more qualitative comment that a local police force may not be good for community relations is not backed up by any data whatsoever. However, my only personal non-mathematical comment here would be that I don’t want this police force to improve relations with criminals, but only law abiding citizens.
I wonder how the math department would view all this data?
Clark Brill
