"It used to be a symbol of respect," she said. "Now it's a target."

Lt. Rick Lanzetta was one of 178 officers getting new stars or stripes at what had to be one of the most emotionally draining celebrations in Philadelphia Police Department history, coming at the end of a week in which three officers were shot, one fatally.

"I think it's fair to say that all of you sitting in front of me would rather be anyplace but here," District Attorney Lynne Abraham hypothesized. Had she given the thumbs-up, every one of those officers would have ditched the dignitaries to join the manhunt.

As I type, the guy who executed Officer Chuck Cassidy in a West Oak Lane Dunkin' Donuts is still on the loose. If you're a heavy-set black fellow with a spider tattoo, a limp, and a fondness for hoodies, best to stay inside for a while.

Cassidy's work family is 6,600 strong, furious and focused. And Mayor Street just authorized unlimited overtime to find the creep who had the gall to steal a dying cop's weapon on his way out.

All in the family

Working opposite shifts - the better to care for 7-year-old Jonah Jr. and 8-month-old Isabella - they allow "maybe 10 minutes a day" to vent about the job, Karen Conway said.

Last week, they broke the rule, waiting until after the kids were asleep to talk about the back-to-back attacks on Officer Sandra Van Hinkel (shot in a leg last Sunday outside a University City nightclub), Officer Mariano Santiago (shot in a shoulder Tuesday by a gunman who had just fired on three people in a car in Center City), and Cassidy (felled by a bullet to the brain after he surprised the doughnut-shop robber Wednesday).

"Try to be happy with what you have" was what the couple agreed to do to keep sane. "Try not to dwell."

That's easier said than done on a police force where there is often only one degree of separation from tragedy.

A friend of Jonah Conway's, Officer Brian Griffin, left a career in sales to become a cop at 34. He graduated from the Police Academy in March with Officer Richard Decoatsworth, shot in the face in September by a man who told police that he had aimed a sawed-off shotgun at the rookie's head because "I didn't want to get arrested" for having the weapon.

"Some people still do respect and look up to us," Griffin said. But clearly, "there are a lot of thugs out there who don't."

Jesus, take the wheel

"Heal the land of Philadelphia," the minister pleaded. "Help us, Father, to rid ourselves of so much strife and violence."

In tough-cookie mode, Abraham seemed to dispute Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson's contention that crime is down in town.

"If anybody tries to tell you that we live in one of the safest cities in America, please laugh at them."

Johnson responded by missing yet another chance to sound inspirational instead of defensive.

"Our deployment would not have stopped our officers from being shot," the commissioner argued.

Street followed with a knock on the Pennsylvania General Assembly - "They will talk about hiring more police, but they won't talk about protecting police from all these guns!" - and a reality check for the men and women whose dream job comes with a bull's-eye.

"Just a few years ago, you could walk up to a bunch of children and say, "I got to have this corner,' " Street said. "Well, you can't always do that today. You want a corner, you got to get backup."

Gone are the days when a city kid like Lt. Jonathan Josey II grows up dreaming of becoming a cop. Now, his sister told me, he wants to mentor young folks with no fear or respect for police.

Sitting in the same row in the stands at Temple University's McGonigle Hall, Jennifer Lanzetta looked at her 10- and 13-year-old children, knowing from her husband, Rick, that kids their age have guns and do use them.

"I don't view anybody as an innocent 12-year-old anymore," she said. "I view 6 and up as a threat."

That's why, when I asked Sgt. Dave Lee how he prepared recruits at the Police Academy for their first day on the job, he offers a single piece of advice:

"You have to expect the worst in any encounter."