By Erica C. Barnett
Interim Seattle police chief Sue Rahr used a rare all-staff memo to announce her decision to fire police officer Daniel Auderer, whose laughter and jokes about the death of 23-year-old student Jaahnavi Kandula were caught on body camera footage last year.
Auderer, the vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, was speaking to SPOG president Mike Solan when he made comments minimizing the incident, in which SPD officer Kevin Dave struck and killed Kandula in a crosswalk while driving 74 miles an hour, and joking that her life had “limited value.”
SPD general counsel Rebecca Boatright reported Auderer’s comments to the city’s Office of Police Accountability after coming across them while reviewing video related to the incident. OPA investigates police misconduct allegations and makes disciplinary recommendations, but the police chief has the ultimate say over how to discipline an officer. In Auderer’s case, OPA director Gino Betts recommended discipline ranging from a 270-day suspension to termination.
Auderer made his comments about Kandula shortly after interviewing Dave and determining that he was not intoxicated. During the call with Solan, he inadvertently turned on his body camera, which captured his side of the conversation.
“I don’t think she was thrown 40 feet either,” Auderer told Solan. “I think she went up on the hood, hit the windshield, then when he hit the brakes, she flew off the car. But she is dead.” Then Auderer laughed loudly at something Solan said. “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 camera.
In explaining her decision, Rahr said she took into account the “impact” of Auderer’s statements, as opposed to the “intention.” Auderer and Solan have both claimed that they were engaging in a kind of gallows humor typical of police, and that they thought they were having a private conversation.
“I believe the impact of his actions is so devastating that it cannot be mitigated by his intent to keep his conversation private,” Rahr wrote. The hurt his words have inflicted on Ms. Kandula’s family cannot be erased. The actions this individual police officer have brought shame on the Seattle Police Department and our entire profession, making the job of every police officer more difficult.
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Auderer is well-liked among his coworkers, and Rahr’s decision will almost certainly be unpopular among many in SPD’s rank and file. Rahr acknowledged that people in the department would probably be angry about her decision. But, she wrote, “It is my duty as the leader of this organization to uphold the high standards necessary to maintain public trust. For me to allow the officer to remain on our force would only bring further dishonor to the entire department. … I deeply regret the negative impact my decision has on him as an individual officer, who clearly loves his profession and his colleagues. But I have the duty and obligation to prioritize the good of the entire organization over an individual officer.”
Auderer’s callous remarks became international news, and have arguably prompted more widespread and vocal outrage than Kandula’s death itself.
Dave, who was fired by the Tucson Police Department and had a history of concerning incidents before SPD hired him in 2022, remains employed by SPD. Last month, Rahr told PubliCola she was looking at Dave’s case closely, along with Auderer’s, and would make a disciplinary decision when she knew all the facts.
Auderer and Dave are going to cost the city (and taxpayers) millions for their actions, and generally embarrassed the city. Keeping them on sends a horrific message to the residents .
I suppose a few more police will resign in protest or catch “the blue flu”, but it had to be done.
I think you could write an entire piece on Kevin Dave’s less than illustrious history as a police officer, in Seattle and Tucson or wherever he was prior. How is he still employed? If any other professional driver did what he did, would they still be working at that same job?
And I agree with the other comment…the fact that Auderer’s popularity with his bros outweighs the damage his comments have done to the public’s confidence in SPD says a lot about the mindset of the holders of the government’s monopoly on force.
It’s welcome news, albeit long overdue. The fact that “people in the department would probably be angry about [Rahr’s] decision [to fire Auderer]” is quite disgusting and speaks volumes about the systemic issue with SPD.
It’s welcome news, albeit long overdue. The fact that “people in the department would probably be angry about [Rahr’s] decision [to fire Auderer]” is quite disgusting, too.