Two of the men who murdered Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski during a bank heist in Philadelphia last week wore the distinctive black clothing of Muslim women. Their accomplice wore sunglasses and a Rastafarian wig.

One of the men shot Sgt. Liczbinski with a Chinese-made SKS carbine, a cheap Soviet-designed weapon that can be bought for less than $200 at many patriotic gun shops in the state.

The shooter, identified as Howard Cain from surveillance video, was killed by police later that day. Levon T. Warner, Mr. Cain's wig-wearing partner, was taken into custody as his accomplice lay dying.

Only suspect Eric DeShawn Floyd managed to evade the cops for a few days. He was tracked down and arrested Wednesday at an abandoned row house.

Sgt. Tim Simpson had the honor and duty of slapping the handcuffs that once belonged to his slain partner around Mr. Floyd's wrists. It is the only tribute to a fallen comrade that matters to exhausted but satisfied cops who take their oath to serve and protect the public and one another seriously.

When Sgt. Liczbinski is buried at Resurrection Cemetery in Bensalem today, his family and colleagues can take some comfort in the fact that two suspects are in custody and that his killer has already paid the ultimate price.

The killer has even been denied burial at a prominent mosque. "We don't tolerate that kind of behavior. Their actions are not from Islam," Tariq El Shabazz of the Germantown Masjid told reporters.

"You don't dress like a woman, you don't rob people or transgress against them or commit murder. On all three grounds, they are dead wrong."

Elsewhere in Philadelphia, however, Imam Shabazz's moral clarity was in short supply.

A sense of right and wrong would have come in handy for some Philly police this week. On Monday night, 14 cops and one sergeant swarmed three unarmed suspects in a drug-related shooting. A Fox TV helicopter camera captured the whole brutal affair.

After pulling the men from their car, some of the officers can be seen on the video kicking, punching, stomping and using batons on them while they're on the ground.

Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey was not the only one to observe that, on the night of the incident, Eric Floyd was still on the loose; the police had reason to be on edge. But it still stands as an example of the damage cops can do to their own reputations when they descend to the level of criminals and jettison the rules and their training because they're "stressed out."

On this point, Commissioner Ramsey was blunt: "On the surface, it certainly does not look good in terms of the amount of force that was used."

Five officers and a sergeant have been removed from street duty because of the melee. Other cops are still being identified from the video. Internal Affairs is sniffing around. Suspensions and firings are likely as public anger and disgust grows.

Still, Philly cops are far more professional now than they were when I was growing up. After witnessing two cops mercilessly beating a handcuffed man in the back seat of a police car in Philly 25 years ago, I know what that kind of pain sounds like.

If Sgt. Liczbinski could communicate with the officers who disgraced their badges on Monday night, he would have expressed his horror at having his death used by some as an excuse for brutal behavior.

Stephen Liczbinski died trying to arrest men engaged in brutal behavior. He died serving and protecting the public.

What happened in Philadelphia on Monday night was no tribute to him -- it was the opposite.

Closer to home, my heart goes out to Anna Jackson, the mother of Justin Jackson, the 19-year-old fatally shot by Pittsburgh police Tuesday evening in Mount Oliver.

Mr. Jackson allegedly shot a police dog with a .357-caliber Magnum before officers returned fire. He was struck twice in the head and chest and died at the scene.

This case is a tragedy on every front. A troubled young man with an unregistered gun he shouldn't have had is dead. The officers who defended themselves now have to deal with the emotional weight of Mr. Jackson's death and their K-9 partner's death.

Meanwhile, Anna Jackson is destined to have the loneliest Mother's Day imaginable. No mother deserves to go through what she's going through.

Having said that, something must be done about the easy availability of guns on our streets. Until we develop the political will to confront this scourge, there will be more chalk lines on sidewalks.

Then again, maybe we enjoy living in a real-life version of "Grand Theft Auto 4."

Filmmaker Billy Jackson's disturbing, but necessary, "Enough is Enough: The Death of Jonny Gammage" will be broadcast tonight on WQED-TV from 10-11:30 p.m.

A panel discussion featuring community activists and law enforcement experts will follow Mr. Jackson's award-winning documentary. If you've somehow forgotten how appalling and shocking Jonny Gammage's 1995 death was, this film will remind you.