In responding to citizen calls for non-law-enforcement activities, police have found public expectations to be inconsistent. Police constantly observe and are involved in social conflict resolution without a well-defined notion of what their roles actually are. However, service work is and will remain and integral part of police activities. Therefore, it is necessary to train police to perceive service responsibilities as being equal in importance to combatting criminal activities. Perhaps police should be socialized during training to the importance of community service as well as be taught the behavioral difference between individuals and groups. In addition, changes in police perception will have to occur within the entire organizational structure. Evaluation methods of police performance are needed that count service activities equally with law enforcement duties. Finally, if officers conduct non-law-enforcement activities in a sensitive and serious manner, the public will be more likely to offer help in criminal investigations. Footnotes are included.