Oregon city council nominates convicted murderer to police board
After weeks of backlash, an Oregon city council finally voted to remove a convicted murderer from their police advisory board. The Salem City Council voted 6-2 during a special meeting held on January 7 to revoke Kyle Hedquist's appointment to the Community Police Review Board and the Civil Service Commission. The nomination sparked outrage in the town, as the board holds a key role in reviewing police conduct complaints and making policy recommendations to the enforcement. Hedquist, 47, was jailed for life without parole for murdering Nikki Thrasher in 1994, but was released in 2022. At his trial, prosecutors said the Oregon native led Thrasher down a remote road and shot her in the back of the head to prevent her from telling people about a burglary spree he had embarked on. When Hedquist was released 28 years into his sentence, then-Oregon Governor Kate Brown argued that his time should be commuted because he was 17 when he murdered Thrasher, which means 'he shouldn't be locked up for life.'The city council's decision to remove Hedquist's place on the policing board overturned a previous 5-4 vote on December 8 that appointed him to multiple public safety boards. Kyle Hedquist, 47, is facing scrutiny after he was reappointed to Salem's police oversight board The Salem city council hosts a meeting in Loucks Auditorium at the Salem Public Library Hedquist was convicted with killed Nikki Thrasher to stop her from telling officials about a burglary spreeHedquist's appointment sparked outrage among the community, with the Salem Police Employees' Union vocally opposing Hedquist's position.'To think that we're providing education on kind of how we do what we do to someone with that criminal history, it just doesn't seem too smart,' the association's president Scotty Nowning told KATU2.Nowning added that the union's concerns also included fixing the city's oversight structure, and were not exclusively about Hedquist.'If you move him off there, if you don't change your guardrails or what the requirements are to be on there, you could just put someone else on there with you know equal criminal history or worse,' he told the outlet.Fox News reported the council had not been told about Hedquist's criminal history before he was appointed. Past governor Kate Brown granted clemency to dozens of people, including HedquistCouncilmember Deanna Gwyn said she never would've approved Hedquist if she'd known of his murder conviction, reported the Statesman Journal. She held up a picture of his victim as his positions were revoked.Mayor Julie Hoy, who opposed Hedquist's appointment in December, said she voted against him again due to the community's response.'Wednesday night's meeting reflected the level of concern many in our community feel about this issue,' Hoy wrote on Facebook. 'My vote was based on process, governance, and public trust, not ideology or personalities.'Hedquist was also appointed to the Citizens Advisory Traffic Commission and the Civil Service Commission, an advisory board that oversees traffic and fair employment issues, in December, according to KATU2. Hedquist said his family had received death threats as a result of the appointmentSince his release from prison, Hedquist became a policy associate for the Oregon Justice Center and advocated for criminal Justice Reform. He says he joined the boards to continue serving his community. Hedquist addressed the council last week, speaking on his own experience as a convicted felon. 'For 11,364 days, I have carried the weight of the worst decision of my life,' he said. 'There is not a day that has gone by in my life that I have not thought about my actions that brought me to prison...'I can never do enough, serve enough to undo the life that I took,' he said. 'That debt is unpayable, but it is that same debt that drives me back into the community.'Hundreds of written testimonies were presented by residents who addressed the council during the meeting, both defending and condemning Hedquist.His family has reportedly received death threats after the appointment received major media attention. City Councilmembers voted 6-2 to overturn Hedquist's position on the boards The controversy prompted changes to city rules on board and commission appointments.Applicants for the Community Police Review Board and the Civil Service Commission will now be required to undergo criminal background checks.Individuals convicted of violent felonies will be disqualified from the boards.However, 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.
