Convicted killer reappointed to Salem police board amid controversy

A convicted killer from Oregon is again on Salem police custody after a slim Metropolis Council vote that opponents say threatens public belief and ignores police warnings about his violent previous.

The Salem Metropolis Council voted 5-4 on Dec. 8 to reappoint 47-year-old Kyle Hedquist, who served 27 years in jail for the execution homicide of a 19-year-old girl, to the town’s Neighborhood Police Evaluate Board. The transfer ignores a proper advice from the town’s nominating committee to depart the seat vacant and has renewed criticism from legislation enforcement officers who condemned his early launch as “stunning and irresponsible.”

The reappointment comes after metropolis officers found that background checks weren’t carried out for earlier board appointments, elevating new questions on how Hedquist’s felony historical past was evaluated.

On Dec. 3, the town’s Boards and Commissions Nominations Committee voted to not reappoint Hedquist, citing Salem’s requirement that felony historical past be taken under consideration in appointment selections. Mayor Julie Hoy of the fee and council members Shane Matthews and Deanna Gwyn argued that bypassing these requirements dangers setting a precedent for future board alternatives. Councilor Paul Tigan additionally opposed the appointment.

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Kyle Hedquist is in search of reappointment to the Neighborhood Police Evaluate Board after coming below scrutiny for a current request for a police ride-along. He was convicted of homicide and had his sentence commuted in 2022 by former Governor Kate Brown. (Kevin Neri/Statesman Journal/USA As we speak Community by way of Imagn Photographs)

Matthews, who made the preliminary movement opposing Hedquist’s return to the board, mentioned the board mustn’t override established vetting procedures.

Regardless of the committee’s advice, Councilwoman Mai Vang filed an modification to reappoint Hedquist. Vang mentioned she requested the council to take away the appointments from the consent agenda as a result of she questioned how the choice to exclude him was made.

Vang defended Hedquist’s earlier yr of service, saying he fulfilled his duties with out issue and gives a perspective not represented elsewhere on the board.

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Ward 6 Councilwoman Mai Vang, left, speaks throughout a metropolis council assembly in Loucks Auditorium on the Salem Public Library on Monday, October 13, 2025 in Salem, Oregon. (Kevin Neri/Statesman Journal/USA As we speak Community by way of Imagn Photographs)

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“Kyle brings a perspective that the majority of us do not have,” Vang wrote in a put up on her official Fb web page. “As somebody who has been by way of the felony justice system, he understands neighborhood security from a special angle. He is without doubt one of the 9 voices: he isn’t operating the present, however his expertise issues.”

To handle issues a couple of biennial police ride-along for board members, Vang famous that the town supervisor can waive the rule, and that Hedquist is already ineligible on account of his felony conviction.

“I imagine folks can change,” she added. “Kyle’s current work reveals that he’s honest about altering his life and utilizing his expertise to assist others. And actually? If any of us wanted a second probability, we might need the identical consideration.”

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Hedquist was convicted of aggravated homicide for the 1995 killing of 19-year-old Nikki Thrasher. Prosecutors mentioned he feared Thrasher would report him for concealing stolen property, so he shot her within the head and dumped her physique alongside a distant logging highway. He was 18 years previous on the time.

Former Oregon Governor Kate Brown granted him clemency in 2022, making him eligible for launch.

Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin issued a harsh assertion in 2022 condemning Brown’s determination to launch Hedquist.

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On this March 16, 2020 file photograph, Oregon Governor Kate Brown speaks at a information convention in Portland, Oregon. (Gillian Flaccus/AP photograph/file)

“I strongly oppose Governor Kyle Hedquist’s clemency,” wrote Hanlin, who referred to as the killing “calculated, cold-blooded, execution-style.”

“By his personal admission, Hedquist mentioned he killed Ms. Thrasher to remove the chance that she would report him to the police,” he added. “Governor Brown’s leniency on this case is stunning and irresponsible.”

Hanlin mentioned Brown ignored opposition from a number of legislation enforcement leaders, together with Douglas County District Legal professional Richard Wesenberg, Marion County District Legal professional Paige Clarkson and Marion County Sheriff Joe Kast. The choice, he mentioned, “rejects and diminishes the justice served on behalf of Ms. Thrasher, her household and associates.”

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The Salem Metropolis Council will host a gathering on Monday, October 13, 2025 on the Loucks Auditorium on the Salem Public Library in Salem, Oregon. (Kevin Neri/Statesman Journal/USA As we speak Community by way of Imagn Photographs)

Issues about legislation enforcement resurfaced through the Salem Metropolis Council debate, with critics arguing Hedquist mustn’t serve in an oversight position that requires police accountability.

Councilman Shane Matthews, who opposed Hedquist’s reappointment, issued a strongly worded assertion expressing issues about public security, the victims’ households and the credibility of the police fee itself.

“Deciding on a person convicted of the first-degree homicide of a foster woman to a board place overseeing sworn law enforcement officials doesn’t serve the curiosity of public security and threatens the legitimacy of the board completely,” Matthews wrote in an announcement to Fox Information Digital.

“With this explicit board, the board is meant to evaluation an applicant’s felony file when making the choice. If some of the egregious acts of homicide would not disqualify somebody from this position, what does?”

Matthews mentioned he helps second probabilities on the whole, however argued that positions overseeing public security require larger requirements.

“Seats on this board needs to be reserved for folks of impeccable character, not for individuals who homicide youngsters,” he mentioned. “I’m additionally involved in regards to the message this appointment sends to victims of crime. I think about this might trigger plenty of retraumatization for victims in search of peace.”

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Hedquist, who attended the assembly along with his spouse, thanked council members for the vote and mentioned he was inspired by the broader dialogue about illustration on metropolis governments. according to the Statesman Journal.

“It raised questions on who sits on these boards, how persons are vetted and whether or not they replicate a spread of views,” Hedquist mentioned.

Advocates highlighted his work on the Oregon Justice Useful resource Heart (OJRC) and his involvement in felony justice reform as proof of rehabilitation.

The Oregon Justice Useful resource Heart, the place Hedquist works as a coverage advocate, defended his continued service in Salem. In an announcement to Fox Information Digital, the group mentioned Hedquist is “pushed to assist enhance Salem and contribute to his metropolis in any manner he can,” including that his work displays a honest dedication to strengthening the neighborhood.

“Kyle combines his life expertise and his skilled abilities to advocate for progressive change,” the group mentioned, arguing that communities are stronger when folks from numerous backgrounds, together with those that have been concerned within the felony justice system, take part in civic life. The group famous that one in three Individuals has a historical past of involvement within the justice system.

“All of us need folks returning dwelling from jail to achieve success,” OJRC mentioned. “Kyle offers form to this by way of his work and social volunteer work.”

Opponents, nevertheless, argued that appointing somebody convicted of homicide, particularly to supervise legislation enforcement, undermines neighborhood belief.

Metropolis Legal professional Dan Atchison acknowledged gaps within the metropolis’s appointment evaluation system, the outlet reported, and mentioned upgrades to the applying software program and background verify procedures are anticipated subsequent yr.

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Regardless of the controversy surrounding Hedquist’s position on the Police Fee, the council additionally authorised his appointment to 2 extra our bodies, together with the Residents Advisory Site visitors Fee and the Civil Service Fee.

The nine-member Neighborhood Police Evaluate Board meets quarterly to evaluation sure complaints and supply civilian oversight of the Salem Police Division.

Fox Information Digital reached out to Hedquist, Hoy, Atchison and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Workplace for remark.

Stepheny Worth covers crime together with lacking individuals, murders and migrant crime. Ship story tricks to stepheny.worth@fox.com.