Chief Warren Driechel is the 24th Chief of the Edmonton Police Service. He was appointed on September 19, 2025.

Chief Driechel began his career in 1997. Throughout his career, he has led and developed several police intelligence units and programs, worked in organized crime and gang investigation, provided expertise in recruit training and spearheaded changes in data organization and technology development.

Chief Driechel is dedicated to innovation, leadership and operational excellence, and is known for his strong commitment to community engagement and proactive policing.

Chief Driechel is a graduate of Grant MacEwan University. In 2024, he received the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police (AACP) Leadership Award. He is a recipient of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee medal.

Chief Nishan Duraiappah was born in Sri Lanka and immigrated to Canada. He began his career with Halton Police in December 1995. Starting as a constable, he worked his way up through multiple units and services that ranged in specialties and ranks. In October 2019, he was appointed Chief of Peel Regional Police.

Chief Duraiappah holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Criminology from the University of Toronto and a Diploma of Public Administration from the University of Western Ontario. He serves on the OACP Board of Directors and various OACP Committees. He is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012) and a Member of the Order of Merit Canada (2016).

Committed to his community, Chief Duraiappah is involved in several sports and hobbies and serves as a volunteer board member for the United Way and the South Asian Autism Awareness Centre in the GTA.

Over a career spanning more than three decades, Chief Don MacLean of Halifax Regional Police (HRP) has held roles including Human Resources Officer, Executive Officer to the Chief, Superintendent of the Patrol Division and Deputy Chief of Operations. He also served as the department’s first Equity & Diversity Officer. He leads HRP with a focus on community partnerships, public safety, and workforce well-being. Chief MacLean is a Vice President of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, a member of the Nova Scotia Chiefs of Police Association, and Chair of the Board of Directors for St. John Ambulance Nova Scotia/PEI. He is an Officer of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces and a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee and King Charles III Coronation Medals.

Colin Stairs was appointed as the first Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Toronto Police Service on March 24, 2020.  In his role as CIO, Colin oversees the Information Management and Information Technology Services pillars and is responsible for furthering the organization’s goal of transforming operational capacity, efficiency and agility through the information and technology portfolios.

Prior to joining the Service, Colin led digital transformations as the CIO in private, public and mental health sectors, creating new capabilities and accelerating innovation throughout the organizations.  Colin was also a founding member of start-ups in software development and management consultancy.

Colin holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Queen’s University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario.  He has been a guest lecturer in Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto, and currently sits on the Board of Directors of Portage, a residential drug rehabilitation program for youth.

Dr. Jennifer Lavoie is an associate professor in the Departments of Psychology and Criminology at Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario, Canada. She holds a PhD in Psychology and Law (SFU) and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Her research examines the intersection of policing, mental health, and crisis intervention. She develops and evaluates scenario-based training to enhance de-escalation and relational policing skills using virtual reality technology. A recipient of Laurier’s Award for Research Excellence and the Society for Police and Criminal Psychology’s Wayman Mullins Award, Dr. Lavoie serves as the Scientific Director of Laurier’s Mental Health Crisis Response Program, a training program for Ontario police officers.

Pete Wiesner is a Canadian public-safety leader, crisis-intervention specialist, and founder of EVS Solutions Consulting. With nearly 30 years of frontline and leadership experience, he helps police services, first responders, social-service organizations, and community partners strengthen their response to people in crisis. During a 24-year career with the Hamilton Police Service, including service as Supervising Sergeant in the Crisis Response Branch, Wiesner focused on the intersection of mental health, addiction, and homelessness. Wiesner‘s presentations translate frontline lessons into actionable strategies for safer encounters, stronger inter-agency collaboration, and more compassionate outcomes for both professionals and the communities they serve. 

A veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) with experience in diverse security roles, Randy Purse has served as Strategic Advisor, Cybersecurity Training and Education at the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, part of the Communications Security Establishment, and as Director of Cybersecurity Standards at Technation. He joined the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst in 2021 and specializes in cybersecurity strategy, training, and management. Purse designs and facilitates cyber security training and education for a variety of academic and professional audiences. He is also the primary designer and facilitator for Catalyst’s law enforcement and municipal programming.

Betty Froese is the Director of Learning & Development for the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) where she leads transformative initiatives as they pertain to training, talent development, and organizational learning. With more than two decades of experience in public safety training, she oversees a diverse portfolio that includes curriculum design, instructional innovation, digital learning transformation, and leadership development for both sworn members and civilian professionals.  

Director Froese has led key modernization efforts within the VPD Training Section, including the integration of digital platforms and contemporary pedagogical models that support adaptive, evidence‑based policing. Her work has been instrumental in preparing the VPD for the evolving realities of policing, while aligning departmental capability-building with broader digital transformation goals across the organization. 

Brenda Bryson, B.Ed., M.Counselling is a Program Chair and Instructor in the Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Services at Lethbridge Polytechnic. She has over 15 years of experience in adult education and teaching and conducts applied policing research through the Centre of Public Safety Applied Research (CPSAR), focusing on the practical integration of AI to strengthen police communication training.

Connie Lyon, B.Sc., M.A. (Professional Communication), is a faculty member in the Centre for Business, Arts and Sciences and an instructor in the Criminal Justice Program at Lethbridge Polytechnic. With a background in communications and business, Lyon focuses on leveraging technology and generative AI to strengthen real‑world communication skills, critical thinking, and the responsible use of AI in public safety education. Since 2023, she has served as a research co‑lead on Mobilization and SSHRC‑funded projects in partnership with policing agencies examining AI‑supported communication coaching to build confidence, feedback literacy, and performance readiness.

Dr. Oliver R. Stoetzer is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, Public Safety Programs at Wilfrid Laurier University in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Dr. Stoetzer has presented at numerous national and international conferences on digital literacy in policing, digital technologies in law enforcement, campus safety and security, and social media in law enforcement. Dr. Stoetzer teaches courses in critical infrastructure, digital technologies in public safety, immigration and border security, and GIS and data analytics.

Abigail Miller, M.A. is the Manager of Education for Innocence Canada. In this role, she leads knowledge sharing initiatives for criminal legal system professionals and students, and builds partnerships focused on preventing wrongful convictions in Canada. Her career spans human rights complaint intake, investigations into allegations of discrimination and harassment, evidence-based research, training development and facilitation, relationship cultivation, and crisis de-escalation. From working in the north as a Human Rights Officer for the Yukon Human Rights Commission to acting as a Consultant for the City of Toronto’s Human Rights Office, alongside her current role, Miller has practical knowledge in how systems respond to, and can better prevent, breakdowns in rights and due process.