2026 Conference Speakers

(Ret.) Chief Bob Rich

Bob joined the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) in 1980, where he worked for 28 years.

During his time at the VPD, he held a number of positions, including:

• Detective
• Professional Standards Investigator
• Patrol sergeant in the Downtown Eastside
• Surveillance team Sergeant in the Downtown Eastside
• President of the Vancouver Police Union
• Head of Training and Recruiting
• Head of Human Resources
• Commander of District 2, which includes the Downtown Eastside
• Deputy Chief of Operations

In 2008, Bob left the VPD to become the Chief Constable of the Abbotsford Police Department (APD), a position he held until 2018. During his time at APD, much of his work focused on suppressing gang violence and supporting member’s mental health.

During his time in leadership positions, he has focused on change management to improve policing procedures, prevent crime, and increase safety for the community.

From 2021 to 2024, he worked as an associate counsel at the law firm of Wilson Butcher, helping to defend police officers from both criminal and disciplinary allegations. Currently, he is doing consulting work for police agencies and other organizations.

Bob also teaches workshops on police leadership and preventing mental health disorders caused by the work first responders do. In 2025, he launched a free website devoted to that topic which can be found at: bobrich.ca

He has been awarded the Officer of the Order of Merit for the Police Forces in Canada (O.O.M.).

Romolo F. Ranallo
Vancouver Police Department

Inspector Romolo Ranallo earned a Master of Science in Bioenergetics/Human Motor Performance from the University of British Columbia in 1999. He stands as one of Canada’s foremost authorities in police training, recognized for his unwavering dedication to elevating standards in use of force instruction and program innovation.

With 27 years of distinguished service in the Vancouver Police Department, Romolo is currently responsible for the Force Options Training Section—overseeing all use of force programs and the manager for the Tactical Training Centre (TTC). Inspector Ranallo’s operational expertise was honed over years of front-line experience as an original member of the Beat Enforcement Team in Vancouver’s Downtown East side. Romolo has developed more than a dozen training programs from conception to implementation. He holds more than 20 course certifications spanning firearms, tactics, crisis intervention, and operational leadership. He has influenced policy and standards nationally as a member of the CACP Use of Force, Intervention, and De-escalation (UFID) Committee and provincially as a core member of several British Columbia Police Working Groups. Inspector Ranallo’s dedication extends beyond technical instruction; he has author numerous articles in police publications and distinguished as the only Canadian police officer to present at all four of the world’s largest law enforcement educator forums: ILEETA, IALEFI, NTOA, and IACP. His dynamic presentation style, commitment to evidence-based practice, and deep knowledge of emerging police training and related technologies have made his sessions a highlight at major conferences because he remains one of the few to tell it like it is.

Geoffrey Desmoulin, Ph.D.
GTD Scientific Inc. 

Benjamin Perrin
University of British Columbia

Benjamin Perrin is a Professor of Law at the University of British Columbia. His research and teaching interests include criminal law, constitutional law, international law, and artificial intelligence. Ben served in the Prime Minister’s Office as in-house legal counsel and lead criminal justice and public safety policy advisor. He was a law clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada.

An Associate of the Law Commission of Canada, Ben is also a member of the advisory council of the Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime, and the Law Commission of Ontario's advisory committee on AI and criminal justice.

Ben leads the UBC AI & Criminal Justice Initiative and is a member of the UBC Centre for Artificial Intelligence Decision-Making and Action (CAIDA). He is a recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal for service to Canada and was recognized as one of Canada's Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers.

A member of the Law Society of British Columbia (non-practising), Ben is the author of policy papers, journal articles, and several books, including Artificial Intelligence & Criminal Justice: Cases and Commentary (CanLII, 2025).

Cynthia Ashe
Child Forensic Interview Practice Association

Cynthia has been a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for 13 years, working exclusively in Child Abuse for six years, specializing in Child Forensic Interviews (CFI). Having completed nearly 1000 CFIs, Cynthia is a recognized expert and has been awarded for her work receiving the Beverley MacLean Legacy Award, The McNeil Shield for Leadership and Excellence, the RCMP Veterans Association Community Service Award, and being named to Alexa’s Team. She concurrently founded the Canadian Child Forensic Interview Practice Association and strives to enhance the integrity of child abuse investigations, while reducing the impact on children and families through the development and implementation of standardized trauma informed practice protocols across all partner agencies responding to child abuse.

As a former paratrooper and veteran of Afghanistan, Cynthia has prioritized her own wellness and healing. She believes in sharing the weight of this work in ways that help, not hinder our longevity and ability to serve our most vulnerable.

Jessica Berglund, BA, JD
Independent Investigations Office of BC

Jessica Berglund was appointed Chief Civilian Director of the Independent Investigations Office of BC on September 20, 2024. 

Prior to her appointment with IIO, Berglund was the director of occupational health and safety investigations at WorkSafeBC, overseeing the investigation of workplace fatalities and serious injuries in BC. She joined WorkSafeBC in 2003 and held legal and senior-management roles over a 21-year career. 

Berglund obtained her Bachelor of Arts in French and Asian studies from the University of Victoria, including studying at Beijing Normal University, before returning to Victoria to attend law school. Berglund was called to the BC bar in 1998 and practiced civil litigation in Vancouver until 2002.   

Berglund was president of the board of directors of Pathways Clubhouse, a mental-health organization in Richmond, from 2016 until 2022, and was also board member of the Lawyers Assistance Program from 2006 until 2012.  Berglund currently serves on the board of the Richmond Sharing Farm Society which provides access to healthy local produce to community members facing food insecurity through sustainable farming.

Glen Lewis
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General - Policing and Security Branch

Glen has been serving as the Assistant Deputy Minister & Director of Policing and Law Enforcement Services since December 2022. Including his previous role as Associate Director of Policing in British Columbia, he has over 30 years of criminal justice experience, including serving as the first civilian director of policing in Manitoba and Executive Director of Policing and Public Safety. Glen has extensive experience working with Indigenous, Municipal, Provincial and Federal policing leaders, elected officials and senior justice officials on law enforcement, justice, and Criminal Code reforms. He has held statutory appointments as the Director of Policing, Director of Witness Security, Director of Victim Services, and other statutory appointments related to organized crime and public safety threats. Glen has served on the executive of integrated investigative units targeting organized crime and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and initiatives designed to address opioid use. He also served as the co-chair of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Senior Officials Working Group on law and policy reform on organized crime. He brings years of experience leading the design and implementation of legislation, including major Police Act reforms, civil forfeiture, and civil-based models to address crime and public safety.

Prior to moving to British Columbia, Glen served as Senior Advisor to the Clerk of Executive Council in Manitoba, where he worked with senior executives on public safety and initiatives crossing multiple departments.

Prabhu Rajan
Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner

Prabhu Rajan was sworn in as British Columbia’s fifth Police Complaint Commissioner on February 21, 2024. Prior to his appointment, he has been recognized as a seasoned lawyer and executive leader with over 25 years of experience in the Ontario public service. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a strong commitment to fairness, accountability, and human rights.

Most recently, Mr. Rajan was Chief Counsel to Ontario’s Chief Coroner and Chief Forensic Pathologist, and co-led the province’s inquest system, which provides statutory oversight for police-involved and in-custody deaths. He was responsible for reviewing and transforming the inquest system with the objectives of enhancing the focus on systemic factors, streamlining inquest investigation and hearing processes, and strengthening engagement with inquest participants.

As part of this role, Mr. Rajan was lead counsel on several high-profile and contentious inquests, which included cases centred on use of force, domestic violence, and mental health in the justice system. In addition, he served as Chair of Ontario’s Domestic Violence Death Review Committee.

Mr. Rajan developed a broad spectrum of legal and executive expertise through senior legal management roles with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities, and the Ministry of Labour. As Deputy Legal Director at the Ministry of the Solicitor General, he provided legal and strategic advice to senior police service members in the Ontario Provincial Police on sensitive matters, including large-scale inquiries and the prosecution of police misconduct.

Previously, Mr. Rajan was counsel for the Ontario Human Rights Commission, litigating cases at all levels including the Supreme Court of Canada. He holds a B.A. in Criminology from the University of Manitoba and a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University.

Meghan Gardiner
Human Element

Meghan is a Vancouver based artist/entrepreneur who fuses an artistic practice with social justice and education. She is the co-founder of Human Element, an agency that provides professional actors for law-enforcement and social services training across the country. Her current clients include: the JIBC, the VPD, RCMP, CBSA, MCFD, West Van PD and the Surrey Police Service. A sexual assault survivor, Meghan has written four plays on sexual violence, most notably her one woman show, Dissolve, which has been touring North America for over twenty years. Meghan has been nominated for the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards and received a citation from the American Alliance for Theatre in Education. She has been a keynote speaker at countless conferences, including the Toronto Police Service’s International Conference on Sex Crimes and the Ending Violence Association of BC’s Annual Training Forum. Meghan is passionate about effectively communicating, whether that’s on stage, on a film set, or in the throes of a police scenario.

Rebekah Mastrella
Georgian College

Rebekah Mastrella is a research assistant in the Community Resilience and Mental Health Lab at Georgian College. She is the research lead on a number of projects. She started her journey with the lab as student researcher in October 2023 while she worked towards her honours bachelor’s degree in counselling psychology from Georgian College, graduating with honours in June 2024. She has grown from strength to strength since then. Rebekah is also volunteers with the Neurolinguistics Lab at Bar-Ilan University in Israel.