With its emphasis on what was seen as unacceptable public behavior—“untended behavior,” “obstreperous” behavior, “strange” and “unpredictable” behavior, in the words of Kelling and Wilson—broken windows seemed to be more of a psychological than a policial theory, a brainchild out of the lab of B.F. Skinner.

obstreperous (adj) 1: noisily and stubbornly defiant; 2: boisterously and noisily aggressive – source: ‘Broken Windows’ and the New York Police