Also, SPD reassigns sergeant accused of sexual harassment and discrimination to a different division.

By Erica C. Barnett

Seattle Police Officers Guild vice-president Daniel Auderer, who was caught on tape joking about the killing of 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula by a speeding officer last year, had his “Loudermill” hearing yesterday—an opportunity for public employees accused of misconduct to present their side of the story and answer any accusations against them. Auderer’s hearing was supposed to take place on April 1, but has been delayed at least twice since then. .

Seattle interim police chief Sue Rahr now has 21 days to make a decision about whether to discipline Auderer, and if so, what discipline to impose. The Office of Police Accountability has recommended discipline ranging from a 270-day suspension to termination.

Auderer has remained on duty, but in a non-patrol role, since last fall.

Last year, Auderer was driving away from the scene where officer Kevin Dave struck and killed Kandula when he inadvertently recorded a snippet of his conversation with SPOG president Mike Solan on his body-worn video. Dave was driving 74 miles an hour on Dexter Ave., where the speed limit is 25, when he struck and killed Kandula in a crosswalk. He had his lights on but had only “chirped” his siren at stop light down the street, and he was driving so fast that it was physically impossible for Kandula to get out of his way, according to a subsequent investigation of the collision.

On the tape, Auderer said he didn’t think there would be a need for a criminal investigation because Dave was “going 50 [mph]—that’s not out of control,” because Kandula may not have been in a crosswalk, and because Dave had “lights and sirens” on. Auderer also said he didn’t “think she was thrown 40 feet either.” All of these statements turned out to be incorrect. Dave also remains employed by SPD and did not face criminal prosecution for Kandula’s killing.

Then, in comments that were reported around the world, Auderer confirmed, “But she is dead,” laughed loudly at something Solan said, and responded, “No, it’s a regular person. Yeah.”

“Yeah, just write a check,” Auderer continued. Then he laughed again for several seconds. “Yeah, $11,000. She was 26 anyway, she had limited value.” At this point, Auderer turned off his body camera and the recording stopped.

In a memo recommending a severe penalty, OPA wrote that Auderer had explained away his comments by claiming he and Solan were talking about the likelihood that the city’s attorneys would place a low “value” on Kandula’s life, with all the explicit discussion of attorneys happening on Solan’s unheard, and unrecorded, end of the call. “Even crediting your explanation as true, that does not excuse the callousness of your comments,” the OPA’s draft disciplinary report says.

Nor does it explain your full-bellied laughter. That you thought you were having a private conversation is not a mitigating factor – indeed, it made your commentary and laughter even more disturbing in the eyes of many, and confirmed for some their belief that Seattle Police Officers, however outwardly courteous they may be, entertain perverse ideas about community members, particularly when those community members are not white males.

In the past, the memo continued, SPD has fired officers for sending texts “showing biases towards women, lesbians, and people of color” and for referring to a Black community member as “Kunta Kinte.”

SPD confirmed the date of Auderer’s Loudermill hearing but did not provide any additional information about when Rahr will make her decision.

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In other SPD news, the department confirmed that Lt. John O’Neil, who has been accused of sexual harassment, retaliation, and gender discrimination, is no longer the head of the department’s communications office. Instead, SPD says, he has been moved to SPD’s criminal investigations department, where he will once again oversee women. As we reported earlier this year, all the staff who worked for O’Neil in the public affairs department quit or sought out other assignments in the department, including three women who took voluntary demotions to leave. Under O’Neil, the office became all male.

SPD maintains that it has always been the plan for O’Neil to transition out of the public affairs office, where the director has traditionally been a sergeant, not a lieutenant.

In a lawsuit against SPD and the city, four women have accused O’Neil of grooming, predatory behavior, retaliation, discrimination, and weaponizing the accountability process by filing frivolous complaints against his accusers with the OPA.