Roll of Honor

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Police Officer

James Francis Kane

Philadelphia Police Department — Philadelphia, PA

Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch June 5, 1959

Age 33

Tour of Duty 2 yrs

Badge 5367

The Vigil Panel 94 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 377

Incident

Officer James Kane was shot to death while walking his beat in North Philadelphia in 3700 block of North Sydenham Street by two brothers he caught stealing milk off doorsteps. The two brothers, ages 22 and 24, stole a car and led police on a multi-state pursuit that ended in Middleboro, Massachussetts, 13 days later. On day 10 the brothers robbed a liquor store in Middleboro that ended in a shootout with police. They fled into a nearby woods where they were hunted for three days in what became the largest manhunt in Massachussetts' history. On the third day they shot at a state trooper who returned fire killing one brother. The older brother surrendered. Found in the trunk of the stolen car at the liquor store, was the half starved 49-year-old owner, who the suspects tied up and forced to stay in the trunk the entire ten days. During those ten days the brothers had robbed several businesses at gunpoint. During one of their robberies they shot and seriously wounded a man who was the father-in-law of one of the state troopers involved in the manhunt. The other brother was tried; convicted of Officer Kane’s murder, and sentenced to death. His sentence was later commuted to life. As of 1999 he was in prison. Officer Kane was a U.S Navy veteran of WWII and had served with the Philadelphia Police Department for two years.

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Permanent identifier: BO-US-PA-D0C47B5A
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Navy. One record, 2 gates. James is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Police Officer Kane gave the Philadelphia Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Philadelphia community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Philadelphia Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA

Platform Identity ppd.philadelphia.pa.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 5, 1959

Tour of Duty 2 yrs

Age 33

Badge Number 5367

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Handgun

Military Service

James Francis Kane served in the U.S. Navy before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Police Officer James Francis Kane is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In PA, 597 of 1,261 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 47.3% of this state's fallen. That is 47.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Philadelphia Police Department, 162 of 378 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 42.9% of this agency's fallen.

Philadelphia Police Department

162

of 378 officers

42.9% Felonious

PA — Statewide

597

of 1,261 officers

47.3% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Felonious