Overview
- On Dec. 8, the Salem City Council voted 5–4 to reappoint Kyle Hedquist to the Community Police Review Board and also placed him on the Citizens Advisory Traffic Commission and the Civil Service Commission.
- Hedquist was convicted in the 1990s of murdering 19-year-old Nikki Thrasher and was released in 2022 after then‑Gov. Kate Brown commuted his life sentence.
- City officials acknowledged that background checks for board appointments were not consistently conducted, renewing scrutiny of the vetting process.
- The Salem Police Employees Union and Salem Professional Fire Fighters Local 314 condemned the decision and launched the Safety for Salem campaign urging his removal from public safety boards.
- Councilor Vanessa Nordyke publicly reversed her initial support, and Councilor Nishioka plans to propose clearer criminal-history guidelines as the council considers revisiting the appointment, potentially on Jan. 12.