Alberta's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 40
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ALBERTA’S TOP EMPLOYERS
Edmonton Police Service balances careers and wellness
W
hen Elizabeth
Creurer chose
to join the
Edmonton
Police Service
(EPS) four years ago, she was
drawn to the excitement and challenges of being a police officer. But
something else also attracted her:
the service’s reputation for maintaining a good work-life balance.
That may seem counterintuitive
in a career notorious for odd
hours and stressful work situations, but Creurer says working
for EPS provides her with a more
balanced lifestyle than she would
expect to find in other similar
agencies.
We’re very innovative.
We have great training
and great equipment,
and I don’t think there’s
a police organization in
Canada that’s as wellequipped or as focused
on the needs of its people
as we are.
— Warren Driechel
Chief of Police
Key to that was the ability to
train while living at home with her
husband and children. And with
more than 2,000 police officers
on the force, everyone works as a
team, supporting each other and
covering when shifts come to an
end. “It allows me to go home in
good time to enjoy my time off
with my family,” she says.
Warren Driechel, the 24th chief of police, at Edmonton Police Service.
Confronting tragedy is a regular
part of Creurer’s job, something
that EPS is acutely aware of,
she says. “They offer resources
immediately if you’ve been in a
stressful situation. They’ll contact
you and you can decide if you
need help or not. It’s entirely
voluntary.”
Warren Driechel is Edmonton’s
new chief of police, the 24th
member to hold that position.
He was sworn in last fall after 28
years with the department. He
says policing has changed a great
deal during his years of service
— including that the days when
police officers had to “tough it
out” are over. “There was a time
within police culture where you
didn’t ever talk about it if you were
not okay. You pushed it down.
Now we’ve started to accept in
our culture that it’s okay not to be
okay.”
Driechel points to a built-in
early warning system that EPS
has developed: early intervention
that tracks the kinds of calls that
members go to and flags those
who might potentially be at risk.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean they
are,” he says. “But it gives us a
touch point where we can be
aware of it.”
That early warning system is
just one of the programs that EPS
has developed for all aspects of
policing, says Driechel. “We’re
very innovative. We have great
training and great equipment,
and I don’t think there’s a police
organization in Canada that’s as
well-equipped or as focused on
the needs of its people as we are.”
EPS is also a good place for
civilian employees to find a career,
says Driechel. Currently more
than 700 civilians work for the
organization, including crime
analysists who help track down
offenders, solve homicides and
track crime trends with data. “It’s
a very unique career path,” says
Driechel. “Non-sworn employees
get to work in some very cool areas
of our operations.”
