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According to a Washington Post article, Nebraska's tourism board is applying for dark sky certification for the Merritt Reservoir State Recreation Area. As part of their application, they are

planning dedicated educational programming related to the negative effects of light pollution on wildlife, ecosystems and human health, as well as how excess lighting leads to energy waste, crime and safety issues, and a loss of human connection to the night sky.

Is there any evidence that too much lighting leads to increased crime and safety issues? Even the author of the article doesn't agree with that claim, as they later write:

we need light at night for safety

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    An article from UK's College of Policing is about urban lighting, stating Across the 13 studies reviewed, both violent and property crime was reduced by an average of 21 per cent in areas with improved street lighting compared to areas without. There were no studies for which a statistically significant backfire effect (where crime increased) was reported. However the OP's linked story is about a national park, where it could be presumed that artificial lighting can facilitate crime.
    – Weather Vane
    Dec 6, 2021 at 18:40
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    This part is opinion, but if you need to carry your own lighting to be able to identify targets, and to illuminate doors etc to gain entry, then a perpetrator will be visible from afar in a national park.
    – Weather Vane
    Dec 7, 2021 at 8:21
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    it seems that it's simply poorly written and terms after the last two commas are independent issue to look at.
    – dandavis
    Dec 8, 2021 at 20:23
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    The quote provided doesn't make the claim "too much light result[s] in increased crime and safety problems"
    – Michael Murphy
    Dec 9, 2021 at 13:58
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    Lighting at night is so strongly associated with security, I would suggest it's universally believed that more light means more security.
    – user11643
    Dec 13, 2021 at 3:05

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