Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press at 8:40 am PDT

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.

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.

UNDATED (AP) – 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 had him for police officers’ clashes with protesters Racial justice scapegoated last year. 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.

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.