From speaker after speaker, a clear theme emerged about new Edmonton police Chief Warren Driechel. While he’s now the 24th top cop in the city’s history, his heart comes from the streets.

The narrative was painted with about as much subtlety as an Oliver Stone film. At a Wednesday change-of-command ceremony at city hall, there were stories of how he liked to get to know people on the beat by name. Or, how he held a meeting at a struggling Chinatown restaurant to show support for the community. Or how, after that meal, he urged a couple of people outside to clean up the mess they’d made on the street, without ever revealing he was a top-ranking member of the Edmonton Police Service.

Sure, there flags and pipers and police officers in formal blue coats standing guard. But, despite the rega

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