30th anniversary of HAWCS also honours fallen officer

Calgary police are honouring the memory of a fallen officer—and celebrating the air support unit that tragedy helped inspire.

Thirty-two years ago, on Oct. 8th, the death of Const. Rick Sonnenberg would later inspire a community effort for the Calgary Police Service to acquire a helicopter.

Three decades later, police are honouring the memory of the fallen officer and celebrating the air support unit as a lifesaving tool.

Calgary was the first municipal police agency in Canada to use a helicopter for law enforcement, in July of 1995.

Police say one helicopter provides the coverage 14 patrol cruisers on the ground.

“I’ll always say the helicopter is over your house for a reason. We don’t just fly around. We aren’t doing city tours. We’re there to catch criminals,” said Sgt. Brent Hutt, of the CPS air support unit.

Rick Sonnenberg

The machines flying today, two Airbus H125s or A-Stars, are marked in honour of Sonnenberg.

In 1993, the officer was killed on duty trying to apprehend the driver of a stolen vehicle involved in a police chase.

As Sonnenberg laid down a spike belt at Deerfoot Trail and Southland, the Firebird struck him at 175 kilometres an hour, killing him instantly.

After his death, family began fundraising for the Helicopter Air Watch for Community Safety, also known as HAWCS.

“We want every Calgarian, just like every police officer, to come home safe,” said Hutt.

The first chopper flown by CPS was retrofitted from Hollywood, featured briefly in the Keanu Reeves thriller Speed.

Standard

The Calgary police commission says helicopters are now standard in major cities around the world.

“It is a legacy we are proud of. It’s come about by a traumatic beginning but the investment in HAWCS is a wonderful legacy to have as a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice (Sonnenberg) made,” said Samuel Hope, a commissioner with the Calgary Police Commission.

Aviation experts say helicopters have more capabilities than fixed-wing aircraft, which is why they are used by many other organizations.

“In a vehicle on the ground, you’re not outrunning a helicopter,” said Rick Erickson, an independent aviation expert.

He later added, “You’ve got somebody up in the air that can look on the ground both day and night and have a keen eye on what’s happening.”

To date in 2025, HAWCS is credited for 498 arrests.

However, its the unknown number of lives saved that propels the aerial program, according to Hope.