EPS chief joined delegation to trip in Israel

Edmonton Chief of Police Warren Driechel speaks during a press conference in Edmonton, Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Edmonton police have confirmed that Chief Warren Driechel went on a trip to Israel with the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCAA) last month – classifying the excursion as educational.

The MCAA is a professional organization of police executives representing large cities in Canada and the U.S.

An email from the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) said Driechel’s participation was entirely sponsored by the MCAA and approved by the Edmonton Police Commission chair.

“The purpose of the trip was educational, and no contracts, equipment or training were procured during the trip,” said EPS in a statement. “The police chiefs attending the trip had the opportunity to gain insights into local policing in a highly complex environment, including critical incident response, threat preparedness and community engagement.

Commission chair Ben Henderson said the trip was not out of the ordinary, and that police often have the opportunity to visit different countries to look at their challenges and how they might apply to policing here.

“This was about connecting to police services that are dealing with some of the same challenges that we are … not just about what’s happening right now in Israel, but what happened two or three years ago in Israel,” Henderson told CTV News Edmonton. “This is about building bridges, not digging trenches.”

Henderson said he has “absolute faith” in Driechel’s judgement about what is applicable to Edmonton policing and what might be problematic.

“I have a huge belief in his common sense, and if there’s a way for us to go to a place that is more complex than us, that is dealing with challenges we aren’t in a way that can help us learn to provide better service here, I think that has value to us.”

CTV News Edmonton reached out to Driechel for comment, but he was unavailable.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson