The Calgary Police Service is celebrating three decades of its HAWCS helicopter program, a unit born from tragedy and now central to the city’s policing strategy.The Air Support Unit will mark the 30th anniversary on Wednesday with a remembrance service honouring Const. Rick Sonnenberg, whose 1993 death inspired the creation of the helicopter patrol. Sonnenberg’s sister, Lisa, founded the Rick Sonnenberg Memorial Society, which raised $1.5 million to launch Calgary’s first police helicopter.HAWC1 took flight on July 18, 1995, making Calgary the first municipal force in Canada with a full-time aerial patrol. “Constable Sonnenberg’s legacy lives on in every mission we fly,” said Sgt. Brent Hutt of the Air Support Unit. .“HAWCS is more than an air support program; it’s a symbol of innovation, dedication, and community partnership.”The unit has grown from a single modified MD520N helicopter — famously used in the movie Speed — to two Airbus H125 aircraft outfitted with advanced cameras, searchlights, and encrypted radios.Each flight provides the equivalent of 14 patrol cars’ worth of coverage, offering real-time surveillance and rapid response across Calgary and nearby areas.Since 2019, HAWCS has been deployed 30,685 times and supported 4,991 arrests. So far this year, as of October 2, the unit has responded to 3,253 incidents and assisted in 498 apprehensions.“HAWCS has changed the way we police,” said Hutt. “We’re the eyes in the sky, guiding ground units, protecting officers, and keeping our city safe.”
