A few words about Anthony Kane - by John Kelly

The history of Tony and me begins in about 1978 when I was transferred from Northeast Detective Div to the Phila Major Crimes Unit.  About a month after my transfer Tony and I were partnered in the Auto Squad. 

Tony was in the Highway Patrol Unit of the Phila PD back in the '60s and worked with an officer named Joe Fabey.  They had been making a lot of stolen auto arrests and were then detailed by the Commissioner to concentrate on organized auto theft. Eventually, they were transferred out of uniform into the Major Crimes Unit to fully focus on auto theft which was out of control in Philadelphia. 

Tony and Joe Fabey made a terrific impact on auto theft and also concentrated on organized chop shops and other forms of vehicle theft including tractor-trailers and construction equipment. Eventually, they became known as " Batman and Robin".  Their reputation was widespread and because of their expertise in identifying cars that had been "replated" they were sought out by other State and Federal Law Enforcement Agencies.  

To the best of my recollection, I became partners with Tony in around 1979, but I'm really not sure of that date.  At that time Tony was working on a daily basis with the FBI and State Police from several different states. He was constantly being requested to assist in the identification of vehicles where all the serial numbers had been removed.  During this same period of time, he had also been involved heavily in the recovery and arrest of Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs who were stealing Harley Davidson Motorcycles and Corvettes.  He became an expert in identifying motorcycles. 

Tony's reputation among the criminal element was firm but fair.  The criminals feared him and respected him.  Tony would often just call the defendants by telephone and tell them to surrender on a certain time and date.  They always arrived as scheduled.  

He had a network of informants that he had developed over the years and true to the code he never told anyone the names of his informants. Not even me.  He trained me well and gave me a great education in vehicle theft investigation and identification. He was a great partner and honest as the day is long. I could trust him and he could trust me. That means a lot in law enforcement. 

Tony was also a devoted family man.  He had a wonderful wife Carol along with a daughter Cathy and son Michael.  I often spent days at his house in Roxborough at their backyard pool with my wife and kids. 

I worked with Tony for about eleven years, until he retired from the PD and was hired by the National Insurance Crime Bureau as an agent.  He continued to do auto theft investigations and still worked out of the Auto Squad Headquarters until his death.   He worked up until about a month before he died.  

Tony had a passion for what he did like no other person I ever met.  had a Mack Truck Bull Dog on the dash in our van.  And that Bull Dog epitomized Tony's relentless pursuit of those involved in vehicle theft. 

As a side note.  His son Michael joined the NJ State Police after graduating from college and is now a high-ranking member of the department. His father would be extremely proud of him as he was of his daughter Cathy who was an outstanding pianist. I believe that Tony's wife now resides in Philadelphia.