Roll of Honor
Incident
Major Paul Ernst was killed in a motorcycle accident while on duty at Capitol Avenue and St. Clair Street. Major Ernst had served with the Marion County Sheriff's Department for nearly 27 years. He was survived by his wife and daughter. In 1991, Major Ernst was a recipient of the Sagamore of the Wabash award.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IN-797D11C3- 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
26 years. You could have gone home.
Major Ernst gave the Marion County Sheriff's Office 26 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Indianapolis community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Major Ernst.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Major Paul Joseph Ernst 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. Paul Joseph Ernst's cause is highlighted.
How Paul Joseph Ernst Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Paul Joseph Ernst is highlighted in Mar.
Others Who Wore This Badge
11 officers from Marion County Sheriff's Dept. are honored on badge.nw.
