Seattle officer caught laughing after Kandula’s death has been fired

Seattle Police Department (SPD) Officer Dan Auderer has been fired by Interim Chief Sue Rahr, “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH confirmed the news Wednesday.

BREAKING: After mocking the way Seattle lawyers would dismiss the life of a victim in order to pay out less in a lawsuit, Officer Dan Auderer has been fired by interim chief Sue Rahr.

Rahr made the announcement in an internal memo to officers since he is “beloved” by colleagues…

— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) July 18, 2024

SPD confirmed Auderer’s termination later Wednesday evening.

Auderer was caught through bodycam footage laughing and joking about the death of 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula on Jan. 23, 2023. While Auderer currently faces no criminal charges for his remarks, then-SPD Chief Adrian Diaz previously pulled him from the field, assigning him to desk duty within the department. It was unclear what Auderer’s current duties were.

“The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH received the Disciplinary Action Report issued to Auderer, which was sent internally within the department before it was disseminated to members of the press. Rahr began her statement noting how unusual it is for a police chief to publicly disclose a decision on discipline.

I recognize that it is unusual for a chief to explain a disciplinary decision to an entire organization. This is, however, an unusual enough circumstance that I believe I owe it to all of you to do so.  This case has been covered extensively in the public, has garnered international media and diplomatic attention, and I am confident that everyone in this organization has had the opportunity to learn about the case and hear for themselves the officer’s words. I am choosing to share the outcome of this case with all of you because the far-reaching impact of the officer’s actions reflect on all of us, not just as members of the Seattle Police Department but on the profession of law enforcement.

I also know the named officer is well-regarded, if not beloved, by many of his fellow officers and supervisors. He has done many positive and noteworthy things during the course of his career. I expect that many of you will disagree with my decision, and perhaps be angry. And that’s OK. But I think you deserve to know how and why I made it.

The remainder of the report, which includes the factors Rahr considered when she made her decision to terminate Auderer, can be found as a PDF here.

What happened Jan. 23, 2023

The controversy stems from Kandula’s death on Jan. 23, 2023. Kandula, who was a student on the Seattle campus at Northeastern University, was walking in a crosswalk when Officer Kevin Dave hit and killed her. Dave was responding to an overdose call when hit her with his SUV, and Auderer responded to perform a routine sobriety test on Dave.

Body camera video from that night captured Auderer laughing and making offensive comments about Kandula.

“Yeah, just write a check. Just $11,000,” he is heard saying during a phone call with the president of the Seattle Police Officer Guild. “She was 26. Anyway, she had limited value.”

From 2023: Seattle officer Daniel Auderer reassigned

Auderer claims his comments were taken out of context and meant to satirize the hypothetical arguments of city lawyers.

In a 2023 statement, the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) offered sympathy to the victim.

“We feel deep sorrow and grief for the family of Jaahnavi Kandula as this video has revictimized them,” SPOG wrote. “We are truly sorry.”

SPOG noted at the time the comments were “horrifying” and have “no place in a civil society” when taken out of context.

Previous coverage: Seattle Police’s union reacts to officer’s controversial comments captured on video

The union also claimed in its letter that “viral videos of police actions shared by media, fail to explain the full story/context.”

“The video captures only one side of the conversation,” the letter also reads. “There is much more detail and nuance that has not been made public yet.”

SPOG emphasized Auderer “self-reported” his actions to the Seattle Office of Police Accountability (OPA), but SPD has not said who originally brought the controversial video to the attention of the department.

“I am willing to accept any reasonable discipline our accountability partners and the chief of police wish to hand down,” Auderer’s letter concluded.

OPA’s report on Officer Auderer

Earlier this year, OPA said Auderer violated professional standards after he was captured on camera last year joking about the cost of potential lawsuits regarding Kandula’s death.

The OPA-led discipline meeting for Auderer was held Tuesday, with the office’s discipline recommendations being forwarded to Diaz.

“SPD prohibits ‘behavior that undermines public trust,’ including ‘any language that is derogatory, contemptuous or disrespectful toward any person,'” OPA wrote in a release. “It also forbids prejudice or derogatory language about someone’s discernible personal characteristics.”

Additional coverage: Auderer violated policy with bodycam-captured comments, OPA reports

OPA Director Gino Betts Jr. described Auderer’s words as “derogatory, disturbing and inhumane.”

“The officer’s comments undermined public trust in the department, himself and his colleagues,” Betts said in OPA’s statement. “For many, it confirmed, fairly or not, beliefs that some officers devalue and conceal disparaging views about community members.”

Contributing: KIRO Newsradio and MyNorthwest editors

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