Police order maintenance involves the suppression of a range of public behaviors reputable citizens find disruptive, annoying, or offensive, even though the behaviors may not violate a law. Police already perform such functions, but Kelling advises police agencies to elevate their importance by using foot patrols in heavily populated areas, deemphasizing police response to telephone requests for service, and abandoning law enforcement as the primary basis for police action. This would challenge four features of the policing heritage: the crimefighting mandate and self-image, the quasi-military administrative structure, the focus on law as the basis for police action, and the rationale for police political influence in obtaining resources. Prioritizing the order-maintenance function does not have the appeal to challenge these historic features of policing, nor does it ensure the benefits to make the challenge worthwhile.