Strengthen the Argument about Crime Rates in Maplewood

Last year, the town of Maplewood saw a significant decline in crime rates. Local officials attribute this drop to the new community watch program implemented by residents. These officials suggest that when communities are more involved, crime tends to decrease.

However, some residents argue that crime rates might have dropped due to a general decline in crime noticed nationwide. They believe that attributing the decline solely to the community watch program is misleading and oversimplified.

To strengthen the argument that the community watch program is responsible for the drop in crime rates in Maplewood, which of the following would be most helpful?