Tag: Jaahnavi Kandula

Courts, King County, Police

State Ruling Represents a Blow to Public Defense; Settlement In SPD Killing of 23-Year-Old Will Cost Taxpayers Millions

1. The state Public Employee Relations Commission ruled earlier this month that King County was not required to bargain with unionized staff for the county’s Department of Public Defense (DPD) before moving inmates from the King County jail in downtown Seattle to the South Correctional Entity (SCORE), a jail in Des Moines owned by several cities in South King County.

The decision to move people to SCORE, which the county argued was necessary to alleviate understaffing at the downtown jail, was controversial. Unionized staffers for the county’s Department of Public Defense, which represents indigent clients, argued that the move limited defendants’ access to attorneys and created logistical hurdles that made it harder for DPD to provide the best possible defense.

SEIU 925, the union that represents DPD employees, filed a demand to bargain over the proposal to move inmates to SCORE, arguing that the agreement creates changes to their members’ working conditions and was a mandatory subject of bargaining. A hearing examiner ruled in the union’s favor; PERC’s decision overturns that ruling.

The county’s contract with SCORE ended in 2023. But the PERC decision, which the union is appealing, has potentially serious implications for issues that remain ongoing, including caseloads and staffing levels at DPD and other local public defense agencies around the state attorneys and non-attorney DPD staff such as investigators, paralegals, and legal assistants.

According to public defense union president Molly Gilbert, “there has never been a decision like” the examiner’s initial ruling, which “would have required the county, and any other public defense office in that state, to negotiate with the union over caseloads and staffing.” In practice, Gilbert said, this could force the county to hire more staff, including paralegals and investigators, to lower caseloads make it easier for attorneys to handle the cases they have.

Public defender caseloads are an ongoing issue in Washington state; last year, the state Supreme Court ruled that jurisdictions like King County must reduce caseload standards dramatically over the next 10 years. According to Gilbert, a favorable outcome for the union wouldn’t necessarily result in a directive to hire dramatically more attorneys—a scenario that could set King County up for a consequential McLeary-style funding mandate to “lock in” complex caseload standards.

Instead, Gilbert said, the union has been making “proposals that are far cheaper than the bar standards that we could live with” by “having more staff support, which is cheaper than hiring all these attorneys. But they refuse to bargain with us on that.

The union is appealing PERC’s decision.

2. As PubliCola reported, the city settled with the family of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old student killed in a crosswalk by a speeding Seattle police officer, earlier this month for a total of $29,011,000—$29 million plus $11,000, the amount a Seattle Police Officers Guild leader “joked” that the city would pay her family, given her “limited value.”  The comment, made by officer Daniel Auderer to SPOG president Mike Solan and caught on Auderer’s body camera, caused international outrage and led to Auderer’s termination.

SPD officer Kevin Dave was driving 74 miles an hour down a 25-mile-per-hour street when he struck Kandula, who was in a crosswalk; he claimed he was racing to provide medical care to an overdose victim who turned out to be a a guy concerned he had used too much cocaine.

After we published, a number of people asked PubliCola what Dave’s reckless driving would cost the city—and who would pay. We asked the Office of City Finance, and learned from a spokesperson that although the city’s insurance will cover $20 million of the settlement. The city itself is liable for the first $10 million of “any covered loss,” including lawsuit settlements. That $10 million deductible also includes the cost to defend SPD against the lawsuit filed by Kandula’s family.

That $10 million will come out of the city’s Judgment and Claims fund, which is part of the city’s general fund.

According to OCF, $20 million is the “full amount of available insurance and the insurers’ policy limits.” The city, in other words, is on the hook for its deductible plus any settlement amount above $20 million.

As we’ve reported repeatedly, the city has had to increase the judgment and claims fund routinely for several years running, thanks in large part to growing settlements in lawsuits against SPD. In addition to this ever-increasing line item, large settlements raise the amount the city pays for insurance; as of 2023, when Kandula was killed, the city was paying just under $9 million a year for insurance, the OCF spokesperson said. In short: SPD does not pay directly for any of the lawsuits it loses or settles.

Courts, Police

Family of Jaahnavi Kandula, Pedestrian Killed by SPD Officer in 2023, Reaches $29,011,000 Settlement with City

photo of Jaahnavi Kandula

In an incident that sparked widespread outrage, police guild leader Daniel Auderer joked that the 23-year-old student was only worth $11,000.

By Andrew Engelson

The Seattle City Attorney’s Office reached a settlement last week with the family of Jaahnavi Kandula, who was struck and killed in a South Lake Union crosswalk in January 2023 by a Seattle Police Department officer traveling 74 miles an hour. In September 2024, the family brought a lawsuit against the City of Seattle and SPD officer Kevin Dave for $110 million, plus an additional $11,000. 

The settlement, obtained by PubliCola on Thursday, is for $29 million plus $11,000.

The added figure is a reference to callous remarks made by SPD officer Daniel Auderer, vice chairman of the Seattle Police Officers Guild at the time, who had been called to the scene to investigate Dave for signs of intoxication. Caught on body cam video in conversation with police union leader Mike Solan, Auderer joked and laughed about Kandula’s death, saying, “Just write a check. $11,000. She was 26, anyway. She had limited value.”

“Jaahnavi Kandula’s death was heartbreaking, and the city hopes this financial settlement brings some sense of closure to the Kandula family,” city attorney Erika Evans said. “We also recognize that her loss has left unimaginable pain. Jaahnavi Kandula’s life mattered. It mattered to her family, to her friends, and to our community.”

In their claim, filed in King County Superior Court, attorneys wrote that Kandula “experienced terror, severe emotional distress, and severe pain and suffering before dying.”

Kandula, a 23-year-old engineering student from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, was crossing Dexter Avenue at Thomas Street when she was killed on the evening of January 23, 2023. The legal complaint was filed by Kandula’s mother and father, Vijaya Laksmi Gundapuneedi and Sreekanth Kandula, who both live in India. 

Interim police chief Sue Rahr fired Auderer in July 2024. In response, he filed a $20 million tort claim against the city for “wrongful termination,” and added an addition five million dollars to the claim, which is currently in King County courts.

Rahr fired Dave in January 2025 after the Office of Police Accountability issued a report finding Dave failed to drive with “with due regard for the safety of all persons.” The report also noted that Dave had been involved in a separate “preventable collision” as an SPD officer, and—as PubliCola first reported—did not have a valid Washington driver’s license when he struck Kandula.

Before joining SPD, Dave was fired by the Tucson Police Department; SPD was aware of what one sergeant flagged as his “checkered history” in Tucson before SPD hired him in 2019.

Tucson fired Dave in 2013 after numerous investigations, including one involving a “preventable collision” for which he was suspended being fired. 

In a troubling incident that occurred shortly after he was fired, an officer pulled him over for speeding and observed Dave acting erratically. According to a police report on that incident, the investigating officer filing suspected Dave was “possibly on some type of narcotic.”

Many of the details from PubliCola’s reporting were included in the Kandula family’s claim against officer Dave and the city. “He should have never been hired,” Vonda Sargent, an attorney for the family, told PubliCola shortly before the lawsuit was filed in 2024. “You can’t take just all comers. Everyone is not suited or fit to be a law enforcement officer.” 

Sargent did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. PubliCola will update this post if we hear back.

In November, 2024, in response to community outrage over the collision, SPD released new policies on emergency driving which direct officers to “drive no faster than their skill and training allows and [what] is reasonably necessary to safely arrive at the scene.” 

King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion declined to file felony charges against Dave, and City Attorney Ann Davison issued him a negligent driving traffic ticket with a $5,000 fine.

Police, public safety

Jaahnavi Kandula’s Family Sues City for $110 Million Plus $11,000, In Direct Reference to Officer’s Callous Comments

photo of Jaahnavi Kandula

Kandula, a 23-year-old student, was struck and killed by Seattle police officer Kevin Dave last year.

By Andrew Engelson

Attorneys for the family of Jaahnavi Kandula, who was struck and killed in a South Lake Union crosswalk by a Seattle Police Department officer traveling 74 miles an hour, filed a lawsuit this afternoon against the city of Seattle and SPD officer Kevin Dave for more than $110 million. In the claim, filed in King County Superior Court today, attorneys wrote that Kandula “experienced terror, severe emotional distress, and severe pain and suffering before dying.”

The sizable figure —$110 million, plus $11,000—is a direct reference to the callous comments made by SPD officer Daniel Auderer shortly after the fatal collision.

Auderer, the vice chairman of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, had been called to the scene to investigate Dave for signs of intoxication. Caught on body cam video in conversation with police union leader Mike Solan, Auderer joked and laughed about Kandula’s death, saying, “Just write a check. $11,000. She was 26, anyway. She had limited value.”

Interim Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr fired Auderer in July. In response, he filed a $20 million tort claim against the city for “wrongful termination.”

“It is absolutely abhorrent to get on the phone and laugh about anyone’s death,” attorney Vonda Sargent told PubliCola.  “He’s suing for $20 million, so I guess he thinks the value of his life is far greater than the value of Jaahnavi’s.”

The figure, if awarded by a jury, would represent the largest personal injury claim ever against the city of Seattle. The highest award paid out by the city was in 2016, when the city and its insurers paid $65.7 million to the family of an attorney who was struck and severely injured by a Seattle fire truck.

The city attorney’s office and SPD both declined to comment on the lawsuit.

PubliCola reached out to the mayor’s office on Friday afternoon and will update this article with their response.

Kandula, a 23-year-old engineering student from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, was crossing Dexter Avenue at Thomas Street when she was killed on the evening of January 23, 2023. The legal complaint was filed by Kandula’s mother and father, Vijaya Laksmi Gundapuneedi and Sreekanth Kandula, who both live in India. 

“It is absolutely tragic. I don’t think that they’ll ever get over it,” Sargent said of Kandula’s parents. “Your first-born child is gone forever. Parents are not supposed to bury their children.”

The claim notes that “[a]s a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ negligent conduct, Plaintiff Kandula sustained extreme pain and suffering after being slammed into by Defendant Dave’s speeding patrol vehicle traveling up to 70 MPH,” the lawsuit says. The claim also notes that Kandula’s parents “continue to endure severe emotional distress as a result of their daughter’s death.”

In March, Sargent and attorney Susan Mindenbergs, working for family members representing Kandula’s estate, filed a tort claim—also for $110 million plus $11,000—with the Seattle City Attorney’s office. According to the claim, the family sought damages for wrongful death, “loss of familial consortium” (emotional, non-economic losses due to the loss of a family member), and negligent planning and construction of the crosswalk and street infrastructure at Dexter and Thomas, where Kandula was struck.

Dave struck and killed Kandula while driving to assist the Seattle Fire Department, which was responding to a call from a South Lake Union resident who said he was “freaking out” after taking cocaine. Though Dave turned on his signal lights, the filing notes that Dave only “chirped” his siren while going through red lights and “failed to activate his patrol vehicle siren before approaching the intersection of Dexter Avenue North and Thomas Street.” 

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Sargent said that officer Dave had no reason to exceed 70 mph on this particular call. “It was unnecessary,” she said, “because the urgency of it had already passed.”

She also said Dave’s high speed wasn’t necessary. “The difference in speed with him going 35 or 40 miles per hour and 74—the time he’s ‘making up’ is negligible,” Sargent said. “It’s not as though doing 74 miles an hour is going to get you there 15 minutes sooner.”

The lawsuit also says that Dave “was driving with one hand on the steering wheel” just prior to hitting Kandula. 

The lawsuit notes that Dave was driving at least 70 mph in a 25 mph zone and that the force of the collision “caused Plaintiff Kandula to fly 136.99 feet before crashing into the roadway.” According to data from the Transport Research Laboratory, the fatality rate for crashes at 70 mph is close to 100 percent.

Though a SPD police report on the collision noted that a “pedestrian’s expectations when crossing a street are that they will likely encounter traffic traveling at speeds near the posted speed limit,” Dave chose to drive nearly three times that limit. As PubliCola previously reported, Seattle Police Department’s emergency vehicle operations policies are extremely vague and give officers wide latitude in how and when they may break traffic laws when responding to a call, advising them to speed and run lights “only when the need outweighs the risk.”

The Kandula family’s lawsuit also notes that Dave did not have a valid Washington State drivers license, another detail PubliCola first reported.

Sargent said SPD was negligent on many levels, from hiring Dave to having vague guidelines for when police can speed to unsafe street design. “The people who are responsible for the care and safety of the citizenry should have at least the base level of care for the citizenry. That means being cautious when you drive. Having the requirements, all the qualifications for driving, like a license. And knowing that if you’re screaming up and down city streets that you’re likely to hit someone.”

In its complaint, attorneys for Kandula’s family allege that SPD “negligently hired Defendant Dave whose employment record included being terminated from the Tucson Police Department for numerous incidents of poor performance, bad judgment, and misconduct.”

The lawsuit directly refers to many details PubliCola has uncovered over the past year and a half about the collision and Dave’s history, including his firing by the Tucson Police Department and his “checkered history” there before SPD hired him in 2019.

TPD fired Dave in 2013 after numerous investigations, including one involving a “preventable collision” for which he was suspended right before being fired. 

“He should have never been hired,” Sargent said. “You can’t take just all comers. Everyone is not suited or fit to be a law enforcement officer.” Sargent said that the fact SPD knew about Dave’s troubled history and hired him anyway points to a systemic problem rather than the misconduct of one officer.

As we reported earlier this year, an SPD sergeant contacted Tucson police while investigating an incident in which Dave was seen “apparently filming the facilities” at an SPD training center in August 2020. The Tucson police told SPD about Dave’s history, including a troubling incident that occurred shortly after he was fired, when an officer pulled him over for speeding, Dave was pulled over by a Tucson police officer for speeding. 

According to a TPD report on that incident, Dave was “unable to stand still, he was talking very fast, and his pupils were dilated.” The officer filing the report suspected Dave appeared to be “possibly on some type of narcotic.”

In February, King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion declined to file felony charges against Dave, and City Attorney Ann Davison issued him a negligent driving traffic ticket with a $5,000 fine. Last month, PubliCola reported that Dave and his attorney are challenging that ticket in municipal court. 

The lawsuit also refers extensively to Seattle Department of Transportation’s planning and construction of pedestrian infrastructure and street design at and near the site of the collision. It notes that SDOT has delayed planned improvements at the intersection, as we noted in our initial report on the collision. 

“There are issues with that particular intersection,” Sargent said. “And then we learned that citizens were calling in about that intersection.”

The claim quotes from an SDOT customer service summary dated February 2023, that observed, “An Indian student died at the intersection of Dexter and Thomas on Jan 23rd. She was apparently hit by a police cruiser 4 weeks ago [at] the same intersection I requested to install new stop signs to avoid such accidents from happening.”

In addition, the lawsuit quotes from SPD detective Brett Schoenberg’s internal report on the incident, which stated “The speed at which Ofc. Dave was traveling did not allow Kandula or him sufficient time to detect, address and avoid a hazard that presented itself.”

The claim also notes that when investigating whether Dave was intoxicated, Auderer did not order a breathalyzer or blood test but only did a visual assessment of Dave.

Sargent said Kandula’s family plans to set up a foundation in Jaahnavi’s memory if a jury makes an award.

“I think most people can understand on some level, this sort of loss,” Sargent said. “You send your child to a foreign country to educate herself, to make herself better, to help the family, and she’s taken from you,” Sargent said.

“And then when she’s taken from you, it’s turned into an international joke. You have people laughing and guffawing about the loss of your daughter,” Sargent said.

“The family wants justice. They want some accountability. Because it should have never happened.”

Police

Kevin Dave, Officer Who Struck and Killed 23-Year-Old Student, is Challenging His Traffic Ticket
Seattle police officer Kevin Dave shortly after he struck and killed a 23-year-old student in a crosswalk.(SPD body camera footage)

By Andrew Engelson

Seattle police officer Kevin Dave, who struck and killed 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula in January 2023 while driving 74 mph in a 25 mph zone, is challenging the traffic ticket issued to him in March for the fatal collision, according to Seattle Municipal Court records.

After the King County prosecutor declined in February to file criminal charges against Dave, the city attorney’s office issued Dave a citation for a second-degree negligent driving and a $5,000 fine. In May, the city attorney’s office reported that Dave, who is still employed by the Seattle Police Department, had failed to pay the $5,000 fine. 

According to the court docket, Dave is scheduled for a contested hearing in Seattle Municipal Court on September 24, with magistrate Noah Weil presiding. Dave and his attorneys apparently filed to contest the citation in May. 

Court spokesman Gary Ireland said that Dave (or his attorney) can choose to appear at his hearing either virtually or in-person in September. According to court documents, Dave is represented by Mark Conrad of Frey Buck, the firm that also represents former police chief Adrian Diaz. Frey Buck did not respond to PubliCola’s request for comment. 

In late July, SPD officer Daniel Auderer, who was fired by interim police chief Sue Rahr for joking and laughing about Kandula’s death, filed a $20 million tort claim against the city for “Personal reputation harm, wrongful termination, mental pain and suffering” because of the firing.

Auderer, who was vice president of Seattle Police Officers Guild, was caught on his body cam joking with SPOG president Mike Solan that Kandula’s life had “limited value.” In his tort claim, Auderer argued that “Seattle PD leaked false information concerning wrongfully initiated disciplinary proceedings as well as my personal information, including my home addresses. SPD then wrongfully terminated me. This was retaliatory at least due to my union leadership.”

Meanwhile, the Office of Police Accountability’s investigation into Dave and the fatal collision has been put on hold until the negligent driving civil case is resolved. The SPOG contract requires OPA to complete investigations within 180 days, although that clock is currently on pause pending the outcome of Dave’s challenge to his traffic citation.

Dave was hired by SPD in 2019. The department was aware that he’d been fired by the Tucson Police Department, where he had a troubled history.

In addition, court records indicate that when Seattle Police wrote the citation for negligent driving this past March, Dave still didn’t have a valid Washington driver’s license. PubliCola previously reported that for unknown reasons, Dave surrendered his license on November 18, 2021 because he “transferred out of state” and took an Arizona driver’s license, even though he worked for SPD at the time. According to Department of Licensing spokeswoman Christine Anthony, Dave did not have a valid Washington license on the date of the collision, January 23, 2023, and did not reinstate his Washington license until April 9, 2024, after the negligent driving citation was issued.

Police

Interim Police Chief Sue Rahr Fires Officer Who Joked About Death of 23-Year-Old Pedestrian

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.

Police

Decision on Discipline for Daniel Auderer, Police Union Leader Who Laughed Over Death of 23-Year-Old, Imminent

 

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.