Safer Cities, Stronger Economies

Proactive security is now a leadership decision

At night, cities become quiet. Parks close their gates. Lights come on. Street activity slows. Public spaces pause until morning. It’s a rhythm we often take for granted, but it reflects something important. The expectation that what belongs to the community will still be there tomorrow, intact and ready for use.

When that expectation isn’t met, the indicators are visible. A gate bent out of shape. Equipment stolen. Graffiti on bridges and buildings. Over time, these incidents add up. The impact drains budgets, pulls staff away from more crucial tasks and erodes trust.

City leaders know this isn’t theoretical. In 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation recorded nearly 6 million property crimes across the United States. That reality weighs heavily on municipal decision-makers. According to a National League of Cities report, 94% of local officials surveyed rank property crime as a top concern, with a growing share saying it is an urgent matter.

Public spaces usually take the hardest hits. These sites are meant to be open and accessible. They’re spread across neighborhoods, and once the lights go down, most of them sit empty. That openness is exactly what makes them valuable during the day, but at night, it can work against them. When vandalism or theft becomes a regular occurrence, and people start to feel uneasy, the use of these areas drops. Local businesses feel it next. And before long, the impact extends well beyond the property line.

For a long time, cities have tried to manage this with tools that tell only part of the story. Cameras that show what happened after the fact. Reports that explain why something went wrong once the damage was already done. That can help with accountability, but it doesn’t stop a gate from being forced open or a vehicle from disappearing in the middle of the night.

Guard-based models bring their own challenges. Guards play an important role, but covering large, open areas is difficult, and scaling those teams gets expensive fast. Most cities end up stuck choosing between minimal coverage and mounting costs, neither of which delivers the level of confidence residents expect to feel in public spaces.

That’s where the approach needs to shift.

AI has changed what security can be. Instead of simply watching and recording, modern systems actively assess what is happening in real time. They help teams spot unusual behavior, recognize when something doesn’t belong, and bring issues to the surface early—while there is still an opportunity to step in and stop a problem before it turns into damage.

That timing is everything. The difference between preventing and reacting often comes down to minutes or even seconds. When operators can see what is unfolding and act immediately—whether through live intervention or coordinated response—incidents can often be stopped in time.

And technology can expand coverage without stretching headcount. Many cities look to bring video, analytics and platforms that support greater situational intelligence together in one place. The data derived from these combined systems can be highly valuable for security operations. First responders arrive on scene more informed, resources can be deployed more efficiently and a city gains visibility across locations that would otherwise go unwatched overnight.

The impact of this kind of approach goes well beyond security alone. When people feel at ease in public spaces, they spend more time there. When businesses believe an area is well cared for, they are more willing to invest. Research has shown that fear and disorder hold communities back. Stability, on the other hand, creates conditions for growth.

The city of Pico Rivera, California, provides an excellent case study.

Located in southeastern Los Angeles County, Pico Rivera was dealing with repeated theft and vandalism incidents at its municipal golf course. Golf carts and other high-value items were being targeted after hours. Traditional guard services were costly, and visibility across the property was limited once the sun went down. City leaders reached a familiar crossroads: Continue paying for a system that was not delivering results, or step back and rethink the strategy entirely.

They chose to rethink everything.

By implementing an artificial intelligence-powered video monitoring solution, the city gained consistent, after-hours awareness across the entire course. When suspicious activity was detected, live voice interventions made it clear that the property was no longer an easy target. The dynamic changed and incidents dropped.

“At a time when economic pressure can create opportunities for crime, integrating technology with traditional law enforcement has proven to be the right move,” Pico Rivera City Manager Steve Carmona said. “This approach allows us to protect public assets responsibly while setting an example for other cities facing similar challenges.”

The financial side of the equation mattered just as much. By stepping away from a reactive, guard-heavy approach, the city reduced annual security costs by $243,000 without giving up protection. That’s more than a line item of savings—it’s a sign of smarter decision making.

At its core, proactive security represents a shift in how cities approach an issue. Leaders can keep treating property crime as an unavoidable expense or they can choose to invest in tools that identify threats more quickly and better safeguard community investments. Technology opens the door to that second option.

When cities take ownership of security outcomes, the difference is tangible. Businesses thrive and residents feel more at ease in shared spaces.

That’s how cities become safer. That’s how local economies grow. And that’s what forward-looking leadership looks like.

This article originally appeared in the spring 2026 issue of SIA Technology Insights.