Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Rusty Hawkins was struck and killed while crossing the Frontage Road on Black Canyon Highway (Interstate Highway 17). He was on a nighttime undercover assignment when a truck hit him. During his time with the Phoenix Police Department, Officer Hawkins helped establish a hostage and barricade negotiations unit and served as a negotiator in hostage situations. Officer Hawkins was a United States Navy Vietnam War veteran and had served with the Phoenix Police Department for 12 years. He was survived by his wife and two children. His brother served in law enforcement in Indiana.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AZ-0B4E43C7- 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
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Police Officer Hawkins gave the Phoenix Police Department 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the Phoenix community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Errol C. "Rusty" Hawkins served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Police Officer Errol C. "Rusty" Hawkins 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 AZ, 95 of 330 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.8% of this state's fallen. That is 2.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Phoenix Police Dept., 14 of 47 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.8% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Errol C. "Rusty" Hawkins's cause is highlighted.
How Errol C. "Rusty" Hawkins Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Errol C. "Rusty" Hawkins is highlighted in Apr.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
46 officers from Phoenix Police Dept. are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
