Salem council to vote Monday on $250,000 settlement with former police detective (Oct. 25)
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Salem City Council votes Monday, Oct. 26, on whether to let City Manager Krishna Namburi settle discrimination claims by a former city employee for no more than $250,000, the Statesman Journal reported.
The former employee is Sabrina Hunter, a Salem Police Special Victims Unit detective who says she faced retaliation after reporting concerns that a sergeant mishandled a child sex abuse investigation.
City officials declined to comment, citing the pending litigation and settlement; the money would come from the city's self-insurance claim fund.
The 6 p.m. meeting at the Salem Public Library's Loucks Auditorium also includes a food truck park lease on Portland Road NE and $1 million more for Brown Road Park.
The City of Salem may pay up to $250,000 to a former police detective who accuses the Salem Police Department of sex discrimination and whistleblower retaliation, the Statesman Journal reported Saturday. The Salem City Council is scheduled to vote on the settlement at its Monday, Oct. 26, meeting.
The council item would authorize City Manager Krishna Namburi to settle the matter for an amount not to exceed $250,000, paid from the city's self-insurance claim fund, according to the Statesman Journal's preview of Monday's agenda.
What the detective alleges
Former Detective Sabrina Hunter worked in the department's Special Victims Unit. In December 2025, she reported concerns to the department's Internal Affairs Unit that a sergeant had mishandled a child sex abuse investigation, according to the Statesman Journal. She also raised concerns that the sergeant closed cases early and without thorough investigation because he relied on sexist and victim-blaming stereotypes, the newspaper reported.
Hunter says the sergeant retaliated after learning of her report. According to her attorney, Caitlin Mitchell of the firm Johnson Johnson Lucas & Middleton, the sergeant screamed at Hunter, told her police leadership was livid and showed aggression that left her fearing for her safety, the Statesman Journal reported. Those are allegations, and the sergeant is not named in the newspaper's report.
State law enforcement licensing records show Hunter was hired by the department in 2013, took a leave of absence in December 2025 and resigned in April, according to the newspaper.
Her attorneys told the Statesman Journal that no complaint had been filed in federal or circuit court. The claim was still in a "pre-filing" stage when the settlement agreement was reached.
Hunter told the newspaper she hopes the settlement draws attention to victims' rights within the department. "Victims should be treated like people and not numbers or statistics," she said. She added that officers who report misconduct concerns should be heard, supported and protected.
The city's response
City officials declined to comment because of the pending litigation and settlement, the Statesman Journal reported. Willamette News did not find any other public statement from the City of Salem or the Salem Police Department on the claims as of Sunday morning.
Also on Monday's agenda
The settlement is one of several items before the council, according to the Statesman Journal. Others include:
A month-to-month lease of city-owned land at 2640 Portland Road NE, a former DMV building and microshelter village site, to a tenant who plans a food truck park and offices. Proposed rent is $4,843 a month for the 1.69-acre property starting Nov. 1.
A mid-year budget adjustment adding $1 million to the Brown Road Park project in northeast Salem, which is set to get a playground, outdoor fitness area, walking paths and a basketball court.
Permission to apply for an $800,000 Land and Water Conservation Fund grant from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department for improvements at Woodmansee Park.
An information report on the Salem-Willamette Valley Airport Master Plan and a status report on outreach for the city's drug prevention, treatment and enforcement initiative.
Agreements with Marion County for work on Rees Hill Road SE and Lone Oak Road SE, and with ODOT for roadway improvements at Chemawa Road NE and Hazelgreen Road NE.
How to watch or comment
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. Monday. While City Hall undergoes seismic retrofitting, council meetings are held in Loucks Auditorium at the Salem Public Library, 585 Liberty St. SE. Meetings air on Comcast CC:Media Channel 21 and the City of Salem YouTube channel, according to the city.
Written comments on agenda items are due by 5 p.m. the day of the meeting at cityrecorder@cityofsalem.net. Remote speakers must preregister between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. that day through the city's participation page.
Sources
Statesman Journal: Former Salem detective may get $250k in whistleblower case (Oct. 24, 2026)
Statesman Journal: Salem may get a food truck park on former microshelter village site (Oct. 25, 2026)
City of Salem: Comment and participate in a City Council or Budget Committee meeting
Cover photo: Salem City Hall Courtyard, by N9002U, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
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