Convicted killer kept in police oversight role as city council dismisses concerns over public safety

Fox News Flash top headlines for December 21 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on FoxNews.com. 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. PROGRESSIVE-BACKED CANDIDATE CONVICTED IN MAN'S KILLING WINS CITY COUNCIL ELECTION Kyle Hedquist is seeking reappointment to the Community Police Review Board after facing scrutiny over a recent request for a police ride-along. He was convicted of murder and had his sentence commuted by former Gov. Kate Brown in 2022. (Kevin Neri/Statesman Journal / USA Today Network via Imagn Images) 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. HOUSTON THUG CHARGED WITH MURDER AFTER 8 ARRESTS SHOWS ‘REVOLVING DOOR’ FAILURES: GOP LAWMAKER Ward 6 City Councilor Mai Vang, left, speaks during a city council meeting in Loucks Auditorium at the Salem Public Library on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Salem, Ore. (Kevin Neri/Statesman Journal / USA Today Network via Imagn Images) "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...

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