Regina police plane involved in more than 2,600 calls in first year of operation

The Regina Police Service (RPS) is celebrating one year in the sky with its Aerial Support Unit (ASU), which took its first flight on Jan. 20, 2023.

Between then and Jan. 31, 2024, the six-officer team responded to 2,607 calls for service. Of those, there were 44 calls for sick or injured people, 30 missing persons calls, and 57 suicide in progress calls, according to a release from RPS.

The ASU spent 1,260 hours in the air over the year, saving 337 trips for ground units. They recovered 31 stolen vehicles, charged 583 people, and laid 1,243 total charges.

“We immediately saw the impact we could have from both an officer safety perspective and for the public too,” said Sgt. Steve Wyatt, an ASU pilot. “When we are able to work with ground units to stop a suspect driving at high speeds in a stolen car, simply by following them via the ‘eye in the sky’ until they stop, this prevents so many possible negative outcomes.”

The ASU is made up of six RPS officers, two pilots and four tactical flight officers, who are responsible for monitoring the police radio and camera technology, as well as communicating with police units on the ground.

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The police plane is operated by one pilot and one TFO each shift, according to police. The aircraft patrols the city for about seven to 10 hours per shift. The team had a one year goal of 1,200 hours, which they exceeded.

“We said right from the start of this, you can’t put a price on saving a life, and helping people is why we are all here,” said Acting Deputy Chief Darcy Koch. “We couldn’t be more proud of the work that has been done by this team and everyone at RPS who has helped us achieve these incredible results.”

The ASU is a 2005 Cessna 182T with a wide angle infrared camera, and a specially designed muffler system to reduce noise