An Oregon city council has voted to remove a convicted murderer from a key police advisory role following weeks of intense public backlash and scrutiny.
Council Reverses Controversial Appointment
In a special meeting on January 7, the Salem City Council voted 6-2 to revoke Kyle Hedquist's positions on both the Community Police Review Board and the Civil Service Commission. This decisive move overturned a previous narrow vote on December 8, which had appointed him to multiple public safety boards by a margin of 5-4.
The initial appointment sparked immediate outrage within the community. The boards in question hold significant responsibility, including reviewing complaints about police conduct and making policy recommendations to law enforcement. The revelation that a person convicted of a violent felony would help shape policing standards proved deeply controversial.
A Violent Past and a Controversial Release
Kyle Hedquist, 47, was convicted and sentenced to life without parole for the 1994 murder of Nikki Thrasher. Prosecutors at his trial stated he led the teenager down a remote road and shot her in the back of the head to prevent her from reporting a burglary spree he was involved in.
Hedquist was released in 2022 after serving 28 years of his sentence. His release followed a clemency decision by the then-Governor of Oregon, Kate Brown, who argued his sentence should be commuted because he was 17 years old at the time of the murder.
Since his release, Hedquist had become a policy associate for the Oregon Justice Center, advocating for criminal justice reform. He stated he sought the board positions to serve his community, telling the council, "For 11,364 days, I have carried the weight of the worst decision of my life."
Public Outcry and Procedural Failure
The opposition to his appointment was vocal and widespread. The Salem Police Employees' Union strongly opposed the move. Its president, Scotty Nowning, questioned the wisdom of "providing education on how we do what we do to someone with that criminal history."
Critically, it emerged that the city council had not been informed of Hedquist's murder conviction prior to the December vote. Councilmember Deanna Gwyn stated she would never have approved his appointment had she known, and during the revocation meeting, she held up a picture of his victim, Nikki Thrasher.
Mayor Julie Hoy, who voted against the appointment in December, cited "process, governance, and public trust" as her reasons for supporting his removal. The controversy generated hundreds of written testimonies from residents, both defending and condemning Hedquist, and his family reportedly received death threats.
Lasting Reforms to Appointment Process
The scandal has prompted immediate changes to the city's rules for appointing members to its boards and commissions. Moving forward, applicants for the Community Police Review Board and Civil Service Commission will be required to undergo criminal background checks.
Individuals convicted of violent felonies will now be automatically disqualified from serving on these oversight bodies. In a related reform, the council also voted to reserve one seat on the Community Police Review Board for a member who has been a victim of a felony crime.
The episode has highlighted the delicate balance between supporting rehabilitation and ensuring public confidence in the institutions tasked with overseeing law enforcement.
