Convicted killer kept in police oversight role as city council dismisses concerns over public safety
A convicted Oregon killer is back on Salem’s police oversight board following a narrow city council vote that opponents say jeopardizes public trust and ignores warnings from law enforcement about his violent past.
The Salem City Council voted 5–4 on Dec. 8 to reappoint 47-year-old Kyle Hedquist, who served 27 years in prison for the execution-style murder of a 19-year-old woman, to the city’s Community Police Review Board. The move overrides a formal recommendation from the city’s appointments committee to leave the seat vacant and has reignited criticism from law enforcement officials who condemned his early release as "shocking and irresponsible."
The reappointment comes after city officials discovered that background checks were not conducted for previous board appointments, raising new questions about how Hedquist’s criminal history was evaluated.
On Dec. 3, the city’s Boards and Commissions Appointments Committee voted not to reappoint Hedquist, citing Salem’s requirement that criminal history be considered in appointment decisions. Committee members Mayor Julie Hoy and Councilors Shane Matthews and Deanna Gwyn argued that bypassing those standards risks creating a precedent for future board selections. Councilor Paul Tigan also opposed the appointment.
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Matthews, who made the initial motion against returning Hedquist to the board, said the council should not override established vetting procedures.
Despite the committee’s recommendation, Councilor Mai Vang introduced an amendment to reappoint Hedquist. Vang said she asked the council to pull the appointments from the consent agenda because she questioned how the decision had been made to exclude him.
Vang defended Hedquist’s prior year of service, saying he has fulfilled his duties without issue and offers a perspective not represented elsewhere on the board.
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"Kyle brings a perspective that most of us don't have," Vang wrote in a post on her official Facebook page. "As someone who's been through the criminal justice system, he understands community safety from a different angle. He's one voice among nine — he's not running the show, but his experience matters."
Addressing concerns about a twice-yearly police ride-along requirement for board members, Vang noted the city manager can waive the rule, and Hedquist is already ineligible due to his felony conviction.
"I believe people can change," she added. "Kyle's recent work shows he's genuine about turning his life around and using his experience to help others. And honestly? If any of us needed a second chance, we'd want the same consideration."
Hedquist was convicted of aggravated murder for killing 19-year-old Nikki Thrasher in 1995. Prosecutors said he feared Thrasher would report him for hiding stolen property, so he shot her in the head and dumped her body along a remote logging road. He was 18 at the time.
Former Oregon Gov. Kate Brown granted him clemency in 2022, making him eligible for release.
Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin issued a harsh statement in 2022 condemning Brown’s decision to release Hedquist.
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"I am absolutely opposed to the Governor granting executive clemency to Kyle Hedquist," Hanlin wrote, calling the murder "calculated, cold-blooded, execution-style."
"Under his own admission, Hedquist said he killed Ms. Thrasher to eliminate the possibility of her turning him in to the police," he added. "The executive clemency granted by Governor Brown in this case is shocking and irresponsible."
Hanlin said Brown ignored opposition from multiple law enforcement leaders, including Douglas County District Attorney Richard Wesenberg, Marion County District Attorney Paige Clarkson, and Marion County Sheriff Joe Kast. The decision, he said, "rejects and diminishes the justice delivered in the name of Ms. Thrasher, her family and friends."
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Concerns from law enforcement resurfaced during the Salem council’s debate, with critics arguing that Hedquist should not hold an oversight role involving police accountability.
Councilor Shane Matthews, who opposed Hedquist’s reappointment, issued a strongly worded statement expressing concern for public safety, victims’ families and the credibility of the police review board itself.
"Selecting a man convicted of the premeditated murder of a foster girl to a board leadership position that oversees sworn police officers doesn't serve the interest of public safety, and it threatens the legitimacy of the board altogether," Matthews wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"With this particular board, the council is supposed to evaluate an applicant's criminal record when making the decision. If one of the most egregious acts of aggravated homicide doesn't disqualify someone from being in this role, what does?"
Matthews said he supports second chances in general but argued that positions overseeing public safety demand higher standards.
"Positions on this board must be reserved for people with a record of impeccable character, not people who kill teenagers," he said. "I’m also concerned about the message this appointment sends to victims of crime. I would imagine this could cause a lot of retraumatization for the victims who are searching for peace."
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Hedquist, who attended the meeting with his wife, thanked councilors for the vote and said he was encouraged by the broader discussion about representation on city boards, according to the Statesman Journal.
"It raised questions about who’s on these boards, how people are vetted, and whether they reflect a range of perspectives," Hedquist said.
Supporters highlighted his work with the Oregon Justice Resource Center and his involvement in criminal justice reform as evidence of rehabilitation.
The Oregon Justice Resource Center, where Hedquist works as a policy advocate, defended his continued service in Salem. In a statement to Fox News Digital, the organization said Hedquist is "driven to help improve Salem and contribute any way he can to his city," adding that his work reflects a genuine commitment to strengthening the community.
"Kyle combines his life experience and his professional skills to advocate for progressive change," the group said, arguing that communities are stronger when people with diverse backgrounds, including those who have been involved in the criminal justice system — participate in civic life. The organization noted that one in three Americans has some history of justice-system involvement.
"We all want people returning home from prison to be successful," OJRC said. "Kyle is modeling that through his work and civic volunteering."
However, opponents argued that appointing someone convicted of murder, particularly for oversight of law enforcement, undermines community confidence.
City Attorney Dan Atchison acknowledged gaps in the city’s appointment review system, the outlet reported, and said upgrades to the application software and background check procedures are expected next year.
Despite the controversy surrounding Hedquist’s role on the police review board, the council also approved his appointment to two additional bodies, including the Citizens Advisory Traffic Commission and the Civil Service Commission.
The nine-member Community Police Review Board meets quarterly to review certain complaints and provide civilian oversight of the Salem Police Department.
Fox News Digital reached out to Hedquist, Hoy, Atchison and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office for comment.