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4h ago

Edmonton Council Ratifies Warren Driechel as Police Chief

The choice marks the first internal hire to lead the service in more than two decades.

An Edmonton Police Service shoulder badge in Edmonton on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.
Former city councillor and mayoral candidate Tony Caterina takes in the Chamber of Commerce mayoral debate on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025.
Tim Cartmell, left, Rahim Jaffer, Andrew Knack and Michael Walters at the mayoral candidate forum in the Westin Hotel in Edmonton hosted by Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025.

Overview

  • City council voted 13-0 on Friday to confirm the police commission’s selection of Driechel as the 24th chief of the Edmonton Police Service.
  • Commission chair Ben Henderson said the mandate centers on reducing crime, improving public safety, strengthening community relationships, and increasing transparency and accountability.
  • The recruitment, posted in June, was shaped by multiple surveys and more than 40 in-person engagement sessions conducted by the commission.
  • Driechel and fellow deputy chief Devin Laforce alternated month-to-month as interim leaders for seven months following the departure of former chief Dale McFee.
  • Driechel’s EPS career includes roles in drug and gang enforcement and leading information and technology, and he has acknowledged past involvement in a steroid-related case from 2010 to 2012.