Edmonton police commission holds first virtual meeting amid security concerns

The Edmonton Police Commission held its first virtual public meeting Thursday, the start of a temporary shift online through year-end after commissioners reported ongoing harassment, defamation, intimidation and death threats since March that have increased in severity.

Chairman Ben Henderson told the commission at Thursday's meeting: "Ongoing harassment, defamation, intimidation and death threats are being received, whether at in-person meetings or in other spaces." The commission also cut the public feedback portion of meetings for the remainder of the year.

Henderson said the change is meant to be temporary and will be "reconsidered" in following months, though "a permanent condition is yet to be determined." A July commission meeting turned heated, with speakers calling for Police Chief Warren Driechel to be fired.

Driechel told reporters that the commission is an outlier compared to other police governance bodies in allowing public speakers. He said the goal is to "mirror that from a governance perspective" — allowing public attendance while preventing "dysfunctional activity that is causing fear within the commission and the community."

An Edmonton criminologist said conduct at meetings has not been extreme and that cutting public speakers threatens police legitimacy in the city. Debate at recent meetings has centered on Driechel's February visit to Israel and body-worn cameras with facial recognition technology tested by Edmonton Police Service.

Driechel also told commissioners that police cannot commit to staffing officers at every polling station for an October 19 referendum on whether Albertans want to remain in Canada or begin a separation process. "There are probably more polling stations and sites that we would have to police than we have police available," he said. The police force is working on a plan for days before, during and after the vote, and Driechel is set to attend a provincial briefing Friday. Police will likely focus on preventing civil disorder and investigating specific criminal offences.