James Francis Kane

Philadelphia Police Department — Philadelphia, PA

Felonious Veteran

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 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: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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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

Location Philadelphia, 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; .38 caliber

Offender One killed, one sentenced to death

Military Service

James Francis Kane served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

Police Officer James Francis Kane is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 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 6.9 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.

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

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious