Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Arvin Kays succumbed to injuries sustained on July 14th, 1968, when his vehicle was struck at a high rate of speed at 38th Street and Georgetown Road at 7:15 pm.
As Deputy Kays turned left onto Georgetown Road, a speeding car entered the intersection when the light changed. The vehicle hit the right front of Deputy Kays' patrol car and spun it head first into a concrete wall. After hitting the Deputy's vehicle, the car knocked down the traffic signal. The driver had skidded 216 feet in an effort to stop at the intersection. The youth driver was treated at the scene and released.
Deputy Kays was rushed to Marion County General Hospital, where he underwent surgery for head and internal injuries. Later he was transferred to Methodist Hospital, where he stayed in a coma due to critical brain damage. He succumbed to his injuries 21 years later.
Deputy Kays was a United States Navy veteran who had served with the Marion County Sheriff's Office for three years, assigned to the warrant division.
Survivors
He is survived by his mother, son, daughter, sister, brother, and grandchild.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IN-F17DE9E8- 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.
Deputy Sheriff Kays gave the Marion County Sheriff's Office 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Indianapolis community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Arvin E. Kays served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Deputy Sheriff Arvin E. Kays is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In IN, 151 of 503 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Marion County Sheriff's Dept., 3 of 12 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 25% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Arvin E. Kays's cause is highlighted.
How Arvin E. Kays Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Arvin E. Kays is highlighted in May.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
11 officers from Marion County Sheriff's Dept. are honored on badge.nw.
