Lt. Kello is NOT based on Eddie Egan
In the trivia section, somebody wrongly wrote that Lt. Kello was based on FRENCH CONNECTION cop, Eddie "Popeye" Egan. First, Egan was still a patrolman in 1957. He joined the NYPD in 1956 after serving a year with the Port Authority Police. Egan's tough guy reputation grew after he joined the narcotics squad in 1959.
While Egan did know and associate with Walter Winchell, Winchell maintained relationships with many police officers who often fed him fodder for his columns, any one of whom could have been the inspiration for fat Harry Kello.