Breaking news, sports, business, and entertainment from Oregon at 11:20 am PDT
SEATTLE POLICE CALLS REPORT
Report: Half of all police calls in Seattle do not require a police officer response
SEATTLE (AP) – New findings from an Oakland-based nonprofit that have been researching Seattle 911 calls for the past few months say that up to half of the calls Seattle police receive can be answered without armed, sworn officers . The Seattle Times reports that while the police generally support the results, they have questions about how realistic this number is. The report is the result of part of Mayor Jenny Durkan’s plan to reshape policing in Seattle that she launched last year. The National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform noted that, at some point in the future, an “alternate non-affidavit response” might be appropriate for up to 49% of Seattle Police Department calls, or approximately 685,000 dispatch responses, between 2017 and 2019.
HEATWAVE EMERGENCY DECLARATION
Oregon Governor Declares Heat Emergency; 211 Hotline active
PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) – Oregon’s Governor Kate Brown has issued emergency declarations in 23 counties from Portland to southern Oregon and parts of central and eastern Oregon because of the heat. The Oregonian / OregonLive reports that the declaration frees up more resources and enabled the Office of Emergency Management to respond to the heat wave. People in need of help in the greater Portland area can get information about transportation to refrigeration centers by calling 211 and waiting for the prompt to find hot weather resources. Service 211 will keep calling for the remainder of the summer after some confusion and delays during the latest heat wave.
SEATTLE POLICE DEMOTION CLAIM
Protests: Seattle Police Commander files downgrade lawsuit
A recently demoted Seattle police commander has filed a $ 5.48 million lawsuit against the city for discrimination and retaliation alleging interim police chief Adrian Diaz attacked him in police clashes with racial justice protesters last year Scapegoat made. Captain Steve Hirjak says in the lawsuit filed Thursday that Diaz downgraded him and falsely blamed him for the inappropriate actions of another commanding officer who ordered officers dressed in riot gear to use tear gas and blast balls into a largely peaceful crowd on June Janurary, 2020. 51-year-old Hirjak, a 27-year-old veteran who became the division’s first Asian-American deputy chief in 2018, claims his May 26 demotion and other ill-treatment affected his career.
DEPUTY KILLED
Man accused of killing a detective detained without bail
VANCOUVER, Washington (AP) – A man accused of fatally shooting a Clark County sheriff’s detective in Vancouver, Washington, was held without bail. Oregonian / OregonLive reports that Guillermo Raya Leon first appeared in County Court Thursday on charges of murder in the death of detective Jeremy Brown and possession of a stolen weapon. A phone message for his attorney asking for comment was not returned immediately. Authorities arrested Raya Leon on Sunday in Salem, Oregon, after escaping the Friday shooting against Brown, who worked undercover and was monitoring Raya Leon at a Vancouver apartment complex.
BIDEN-WILDFIRES
Biden sees bottlenecks to stop forest fires caused by climate change
President Joe Biden is sounding the alarm about the need for more resources to tackle a number of forest fires in the western states. The president met with western state governors on Friday to discuss the resulting supply shortages as the fires worsened. Biden says climate change is responsible for the spread and intensity of the flames. Washington Governor Jay Inslee says the president will ultimately have to pass measures through Congress to limit climate change.
BC US WATER WARS DRY FOUNTAIN
Homes lose water as wells dry up in drought-ravaged basins
MALIN, Oregon (AP) – Dozens of homeowner wells have dried up and lacked running water in an area near the Oregon-California border where the worsening drought in the American West has taken a dramatic toll. At least 120 – and probably several hundred – house wells have dried up in the past few weeks. The news comes just months after the U.S. government first turned off state irrigation water for hundreds of farmers in the area. Farmers have taken advantage of deeper wells to try to save some crops. This, plus a historic drought, has depleted the shallower groundwater typically tapped by homes and hobby farms.
VIRUS OUTBREAK OREGON SCHOOL MASKS
Oregon requires indoor masks for K-12 schools
PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) – The state of Oregon requires students and staff at K-12 schools to wear masks indoors starting this fall. Governor Kate Brown’s announcement on Thursday follows updated national mask guidelines in schools and a surge in COVID-19 cases in Oregon due to the highly transmissible Delta variant. In a statement from the Oregon Department of Education, officials say they are working to create a rule that will require face coverings in all indoor schools – both public and private – for everyone ages two and up. This includes students, employees, contractors, volunteers, and visitors. Officials say the rule will go into effect upon adoption, but the exact date is unclear.
AP-US-PORTLAND-HOMELESS-WILDFIRES
Portland bans homeless camps in wooded areas amid forest fires
PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) – Portland, Oregon has banned homeless people from camping in wooded parks to both protect them from potential forest fires and prevent them from accidentally starting fires. The city council passed the rule on Wednesday in the middle of a summer of drought and record-breaking heat. The so-called high risk zones include Portland’s famous Forest Park and heavily forested wetlands and natural areas around the city. Forest Park is one of the largest urban forests in the United States, according to the city, there have been frequent reports of fires at unapproved campsites. An advocacy group says the solution is “half-way” unless the city also offers safe locations for displaced residents.