Joseph Longobardo

The death over the weekend of Joseph Longobardo, a New York state trooper who was shot, apparently by Ralph "Bucky" Phillips, is a reminder of the need for New York to reinstate the death penalty law that the state's highest court ruled unconstitutional. Longobardo, 32, leaves his wife and their 1-year-old boy. Phillips, a career criminal, is thought to have shot two other troopers and stolen 15 cars and a number of firearms since escaping from Erie County jail in April. Hundreds of state troopers were fanning across upstate New York in a manhunt to track down Phillips.

The death penalty law has many justifications, not the least of which is to express society's horror at a crime like the murder of Longobardo. And to make sure that a fugitive like Phillips, who already has escaped from jail once, has no escape and is prevented from killing again. If Phillips is caught alive, it may be possible to get the death penalty under a federal prosecution. But why should New York be reliant on Washington for justice? If Democrats control the New York Assembly, state Senate, and governor's mansion after November's election, murderers of our peace officers will know that they can be killed by those who never had to face the maximum deterrent.