Minneapolis police Chief Janeé Harteau spoke today at the annual conference of the International Association of Women Police in Winnipeg, Canada.

Harteau gave a talk Tuesday morning on leadership and accountability in 21st century policing, said police spokesman John Elder. The two-day conference was expected to draw more than 600 female police officers from across the world.

Other speakers included law enforcement officials from the U.S., Canada and Ghana, Michaëlle Jean, a former broadcast journalist who served as Canada's governor general, and Erin Gallagher, a former war crimes investigator with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, according to organizers.

Harteau, the city's first female police chief, has in recent months spoken at high-profile law enforcement conferences in Milwaukee and Chicago, burnishing her image as a leader on the gun violence issue.

But, back home she has come under increasing criticism for her community-engagement record in the wake of a spate of shootings around Minneapolis.