A Seattle police officer has been fired for making callous remarks about the death of a graduate student from India after she was struck last year by another officer’s vehicle in a crosswalk.
Seattle interim police Chief Sue Rahr fired Officer Daniel Auderer on Wednesday for the comments he made in the hours after the January 2023 death of Jaahnavi Kandula, CBS affiliate KIRO-TV reported.
Rahr wrote in a departmentwide email sent Wednesday that it was her duty to uphold the high standards necessary to maintain public trust, and said Auderer’s actions “have brought shame on the Seattle Police Department and our entire profession, making the job of every police officer more difficult.”
Her decision came after Gino Betts Jr., the civilian director of the Office of Police Accountability, recommended that Auderer be terminated for unprofessional conduct and showing bias in recorded statements.
The office previously found Auderer’s behavior was biased and unprofessional, KIRO-TV reported. Betts described the officer’s words as “derogatory, disturbing and inhumane.”
Mayor Bruce Harrell, in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, said he supported Rahr’s decision. He and the chief acknowledged it is likely to be appealed and lead to arbitration, and potentially affect the department’s efforts to end more than a decade of federal oversight of officer accountability.
“This incident damaged the public trust we have been working to strengthen since Day One of my administration,” Harrell said.
Auderer is the elected vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, which represents roughly 900 rank-and-file officers. An email sent to the guild from The Associated Press seeking comment was not immediately returned. “Cruel and callous”
In a disciplinary action report laying out the reasons for her decision, Rahr said in Auderer’s presentation at the disciplinary hearing he acknowledged that his words were hurtful, was “horrified” to know what they meant to the young woman’s family, and he wished he could bear their pain. He closed with a “heartfelt apology,” the chief wrote.
As she considered this, however, she told him “your cruel and callous laughter” and the pain inflicted on Kandula’s family could not be outweighed. Auderer has been an officer since 2009 and Rahr also said she received a number of letters of support for Auderer from his co-workers.
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lol really took a year and a half, did it?
And lots of news coverage.
And the guy who actually killed her isn’t in trouble.
Literally international outrage, as the Indian government even chimed in.
I’m sure the union protected him for as long as they could before they let him be fired. Likely something to do with the first amendment if I had to guess.
Hot take but I don’t think anyone should by protected by the first amendment while acting as an agent of the government. The role flips and they are instead subject to it.
It’s the beginning of termination process now as article notes. Officer will of course appeal. They win these almost always.
What? He didn’t get put on temporary paid administrative leave? Is this the America I’ve come to know?
I mean, this is Washington state, we’re not much better than anywhere else when it comes to police
Our Sheriff tried to hire one of these guys as recently as a few months ago and caught so much heat the guy resigned.
We literally had state laws changed because of these violent sick assholes.
Sheriff tried to hide behind “cleared of all charges” but citizens in the city (including someone who left Tacoma over police harassment because of their involvement with the case) lost their shit and called him the murderer that he is and he “resigned.”
Its magical what people can accomplish when they can all collectively target their rage at something!
They knocked this non-violent guy over with the door coming out of their car and started beating the shit out of him. Psychotic gang members on a power trip.
He wasn’t even transferred to a nearby jurisdiction. Something is very very wrong.
They don’t usually get transferred they just quit and then apply for a job in the next town over.
Here’s the comment, on the phone I think, and I think he realize he forgot to switch off his body cam at the end of the video
Auderer is heard laughing after stating Kandula was dead, incorrectly saying she was “just 26,” and reasoning her young life had “limited value” and that the city should just write a check for $11,000.
If you’re in trouble what would you do?
The answer is to not call the police.
Instead we probably want some sort of opensource software to alert everyone close by do they can help.
I’m not suggesting mob rule but maybe something similar where equally pissed neighbors defending neighbors protect themselves. Fuck the police.
