• Must be a student - high school senior or attending college, trade or vocational school, up to age 22, during the term of service.
• Must reside in Hillsboro during the program term.
• Open to all qualified applicants - no discrimination.

• Felony conviction in the last 10 years (exceptions considered).
• Misdemeanor convictions may be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
• Cannot be on supervised release, have active warrants, or be a registered sex offender.
• Cannot be related to or live with a current Advisory Group member.
• Cannot be a City of Hillsboro employee or relative of an employee.
• Cannot be under criminal investigation.

• Up to $2,000 awarded to the chosen student's college/university, trade or vocational school in August or September.
• Pro-rated based on meeting attendance.
• Only one scholarship awarded per year.

To join, you must be 18 years or older, live or work within the City of Hillsboro, and pass a background check. 

• Three group members and three alternates will be selected to serve a two-year term.
  
  
• Monthly meetings take place online or in person on third Wednesdays, 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Hillsboro Police Department.
  
  
• Childcare and/or supervised play is available for in-person meetings.
  
  
• Interpretation will be provided to meet the language needs of all participants.

Criteria

Members of the Group and alternates appointed by the Chief of Police through the application process must be:

• Residents of or work within the City of Hillsboro police jurisdiction,
• Age 18 or older (except for the appointed student member), and
• Willing to commit to regular attendance at meetings. 

Members and alternates appointed by the Chief of Police through the application process must pass a background check before final appointment. Members and alternates may not simultaneously be running for or holding public office.

The student member must meet the requirements of the student application process.

Background Check

Members may not have been convicted of a felony in the last ten years. Individuals with a felony conviction that is more than 10 years old or who have a misdemeanor conviction may be considered for appointment on a case-by-case basis. No member may be on supervised status or pretrial release, have active warrants for their arrest, or be a registered sex offender.

Mission

To advise the Hillsboro Chief of Police from a community perspective on matters related to community engagement and relations, programming, public education, and other matters requested by, or in consultation with, the Chief, in order to enhance police-community relations and improve community trust.

Guiding Principles

• The Group will follow the City’s Guiding Principles.
• The Group will respectfully seek to understand the varying perspectives on public safety and its impacts on the community.
• The Group will recognize that it acts strictly in an advisory capacity to the Chief of Police.  
• The Group will act only as a group and there is no individual jurisdiction granted to any single member.
• The Group will rely on data (quantitative and qualitative) to inform its discussions and recommendations.
• The Group will recognize that the Hillsboro Police Department does not control the entire criminal justice and/or public safety system and will keep its discussions and recommendations focused on the scope of control of the Hillsboro Police Department.
• The Group and its members must follow any applicable statutory rules as they relate to the subject matter being dealt with.
• There is no transfer of authority, administrative accountability, or legal responsibility assigned or delegated to the Group.

The Hillsboro Police Community Advisory Group is made up of volunteer community members who live or work in the City of Hillsboro. Group members serve two-year terms, with individual terms expiring in alternating years to allow both fresh perspective and continuity within the Group each year. 

The group is composed of seven members appointed by the Chief of Police and one student representative appointed by the Chief of Police through a special student participation process, for a total of eight members.

The members will annually select by majority vote two members to serve as co-chairpersons.  At least one co-chairperson will be required to be present for each meeting. The membership should be representative of Hillsboro’s cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity.  

Terms for members appointed by the Chief of Police through the application process will be two years, with four of the members’ terms expiring at the end of even-numbered years and three of the members’ terms expiring at the end of odd-numbered years. The term for the student member will be one school year.

In addition to the members, there will be at least one approved alternate(s) who have completed the application and background process. An alternate will be selected to replace an active member in the event a member cannot complete their term. Alternates will remain on the alternates-list for two years.

Members and alternates are appointed by the Chief of Police following a collaborative process.

Logistics

Monthly meetings take place online or in person at the Hillsboro Police Department on third Wednesdays, 6:30 to 8:30 pm.

• A quorum for the Group will be four members.
  
  
• Members needing to utilize the onsite childcare and/or supervised play will be able to do so with advanced notice.
  
  
• Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

Structure

The agenda for each meeting will be set by the Facilitator (Police Executive Manager) in collaboration with the Chief of Police and co-chairs, based on the Chief’s requests for recommendations and distributed to all group members in advance of each meeting.  

The Police Department Facilitator will coordinate relevant training for each meeting related to the topic being discussed to ensure that the group is able to provide meaningful and relevant recommendations.

Annually, some training time will be dedicated to providing an overview of the Department, structure, and operations.

Any official recommendations by the Group will be formally presented by the co-chairs to the Chief of Police during a scheduled regular meeting. (This does not preclude open discussion with the Chief prior to the Group’s recommendation being reached.) When appropriate, but at least quarterly, the Group will provide an overview of its current work that will be posted to this webpage.