The downtown area of the city of Stannicton is bustling during the work day, but when all the downtown workers (many of whom live in outlying suburbs) go home, the downtown area, now relatively empty, becomes a haven for crime. Many citizens have reported being attacked in the downtown area in the evening; typically, the assailants do not live downtown but rather come from other neighborhoods. The mayor of Stannicton has charged the city police to reduce the evening downtown crime rate. Police cars patrol the downtown area in the evenings, and the police can monitor any suspicious individual they see, but they can't possibly be on every block at once. In order to extend their "range", the police have established a crime-watch phone number so that downtown residents can report to the police any suspicious-looking individual not from the downtown neighborhood, allowing the police to monitor this individual. The police chief feels the establishment of the crime-watch number will play an important part in reducing the evening downtown crime rate.
Which of the following, if true, would provide most support for the prediction that the establishment of the crime-watch number will have its intended effect?