Mirroring a nationwide trend, crime rates in Providence, Rhode Island, are at historic lows. Last year, homicides dropped by 90% from 2024. “That’s great progress,” Providence Mayor Brett Smiley told Smart Cities Dive during an interview at the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Long Beach, California, earlier this month. “We should acknowledge that progress and look to see what lessons we can learn from it. But we also know that’s still not enough. We’re always working toward zero … because if you’re a parent who’s worried about their kid getting to school safely on the bus or you hear gunfire in the middle of the night, no crime statistic can convince you that things are better.” While it’s important to share and celebrate the city’s progress in fighting crime, “the challenge for us is always to show that we’re still committed to doing better,” Smiley said. Kansas City, Missouri, one of the top 10 large cities with the highest crime rate per 100,000 people, also saw substantial drops in some crime rates last year. Mayor Quinton Lucas isn’t shy about sharing the good news — but he’s aware that spouting statistics isn’t enough to erase long-held perceptions. “You can’t tell somebody that they’re a fool if they’re like, ‘No, I just think this place has a problem,’” he said in an interview during the conference. Crime reduction is a story city leaders love to tell. But crime dashboards and statistics don’t automatically translate into feelings of safety, both mayors said. City leaders need to acknowledge residents’ experiences, make themselves visible in neighborhoods affected by crime, demonstrate they’re taking action and share evidence of progress without belittling people’s concerns, they said. Be present in the community For residents to feel safe, they need to see community leaders and law enforcement