With 28 years of policing under his belt, Regina Police Chief Evan Bray has announced he is retiring. In a Twitter post Chief Bray said, “Being Regina’s Chief of Police has been the biggest honour of my professional life.”

He went on to say that in addition to significant challenges, he has witnessed some of the most incredible acts of bravery, professionalism and human connection.

The last day on the job for Regina’s police chief is June 30th.

Meanwhile, the Regina Police Service will officially launch its Aerial Support Unit Thursday.

The police describe the advent of an ASU as important technology that is already proving to have a positive impact on public and officer safety in the community.

The Regina Police ASU took their first call for service on January 20, 2023. Since the unit has been airborne, ASU has assisted on nearly 500 police files resulting in 97 Arrests Made; 127 Charges Laid; 34 Warrants Executed; 14 Recovered Stolen Vehicles; and 41 Saved Trips for Ground Units.

The Aerial Support Unit is made up of six Regina Police Service officers; two pilots and four Tactical Flight Officers (TFO). The pilots are trained RPS members with commercial pilot licenses.  Each shift, the plane is operated by one pilot and one TFO.

The aircraft, the camera, and additional tools and technology were purchased through a partnership with Provincial Civil Forfeiture and SGI. Civil Forfeiture provided approximately $600,000 and SGI provided $120,000.

The Saskatoon Police Service ASU began as a pilot project in 2005 and the unit operates with six officers and the plane is staffed with one pilot and one Tactical Flight Officer or spotter per shift. The pilot is a trained Saskatoon Police officer with a commercial pilot’s license.