An Oregon city's decision to give a convicted murderer a seat at the table on public safety oversight has triggered a sharp backlash. Kyle Hedquist, who was convicted in the 1995 killing of a 19-year-old and later freed after a sentence commutation, has been appointed to Salem's Community Police Review Board and the city's Civil Service Commission, reports KOIN. Those panels play roles in reviewing police conduct and overseeing employment matters for public safety staff. Marion County District Attorney Paige Clarkson, who opposed Hedquist's 2022 release by then-Gov. Kate Brown, says the new appointments cross a line.
In a statement on Tuesday, Clarkson said that while people who have completed their sentences and shown signs of rehabilitation can contribute to the community in various ways, "this is not one of them," adding that police and firefighters "have a right to expect better from city leadership." She reiterated the "significant safety concerns" she raised when Brown cut Hedquist's sentence and called for "common sense standards" for positions that directly affect public safety workers.
The Salem City Council itself appears divided. In separate Facebook posts, council members indicated they're not in agreement over whether Hedquist's appointments should be revisited. One member, Vanessa Nordyke, said Tuesday that, after pressure from local cop and firefighter unions, she was doing a 180 and now supports removing Hedquist from the boards, per the Salem Reporter. Hedquist, meanwhile, was the subject of an Oregonian profile a couple of years back on "lifers" who made "a swift switch from Oregon prisons to insider politics."
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
