Kyle Friesen

KYLE FRIESEN is the General Counsel, Legal Services for the new Surrey Police Service, following 22+ years as Legal Advisor to the RCMP in British Columbia.  Since 1998, he has provided “live” legal advice on all operational and administrative policing matters.  He was Legal Counsel to the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit for the 2010 Winter Olympics.  He has appeared in all Courts in British Columbia and in the Yukon Court of Appeal, and national and provincial administrative tribunals.  One of his specialties is public order policing in national infrastructure developments, including natural resources projects, pipelines and blockades.

From 1994-1998, Mr. Friesen was with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of BC, dealing with police departments and law enforcement issues.  From 1986-1994, he served in the policing and national security sector in Ottawa.

Mr. Friesen holds three degrees:  a B.A. (Honours) (1981); an LL.B. (1984); and a Master of Arts (2002).  He was called to the Bar of BC in 1985 and is a member of the Law Society of BC and the Canadian Bar Association.  In 2012, he became a Master Access and Privacy Professional (MAPP), awarded by the Privacy and Access Council of Canada.  Mr. Friesen has published several articles on law enforcement and privacy matters in professional and academic journals.  He is a frequent conference and training presenter on legal and privacy issues relating to operational law enforcement.