Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Robert Kanze was killed in an automobile crash while responding to a burglary-in-progress. His vehicle left the roadway while navigating a curve on Arkansas 96 in the Lavaca area. A reserve deputy who was riding with him was injured in the crash. Deputy Kanze had served with the Sebastion County Sheriff's Office for 18 years.
Survivors
He was survived by twin sons and two daughters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AR-59688E61- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Kanze gave the Sebastian County Sheriff's Office 18 years.
Thank you for your service to the Fort Smith community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Kanze.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Ronald Alan Kanze 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 AR, 92 of 372 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.7% of this state's fallen. That is 6.3 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Sebastian County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 4 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ronald Alan Kanze's cause is highlighted.
How Ronald Alan Kanze Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Ronald Alan Kanze is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Sebastian County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
