OPA Recommends Sustained Findings in Investigation of Seattle Police Officer Daniel Auderer

by Lauryn Bray

The Office of Police Accountability (OPA) said this week that "callous remarks … disparaging remarks" made by a Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) vice president regarding the death of 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula violated Seattle Police Department's (SPD) professionalism and bias-based policing policies.

On the one-year anniversary of Kandula's death, Tuesday, Jan. 23, the OPA issued a press release announcing that it recommends sustained findings that Seattle police officer Daniel Auderer's comments violated SPD's code of conduct.

OPA Director Gino Betts Jr. described the officer's words as "derogatory, disturbing, and inhumane," according to the press release.

Last year, Kandula, a graduate student of Northwestern University's Seattle campus, was killed by SPD officer Kevin Dave while walking in the crosswalk at Dexter Avenue North and Thomas Street. Dave, who was responding to a priority-one call regarding an overdose nearby in South Lake Union, struck Kandula with his patrol car, throwing her body over 100 feet, according to reports.

Auderer, who was off-duty, was wearing a body cam while on the phone with SPOG president Mike Solan discussing the incident. Auderer's body cam footage records him saying, "He [witness] said she was in a crosswalk — there is a witness that said, 'No she wasn't,' but that could be different because I don't think she was thrown 40 feet, either."

Footage also captures Auderer telling Solan that Kandula was just a "regular person" and suggesting that he "just write a check." Regarding the amount of money that could compensate for Kandula's death, Auderer can be heard saying, "Just [laughs] $11,000. She was 26 anyway — she had limited value."

The footage was forwarded to the OPA by a whistleblower working at SPD, and the office launched an investigation. According to the City of Seattle website, the OPA is an independent office within SPD led by Betts and responsible for investigating complaints of police misconduct.

In September 2023, SPD publicly released the footage. The comments sparked local and international outrage with Councilmember Tammy Morales releasing a statement calling for heightened accountability and a culture shift at SPD; Bruce Harell apologizing to Kandula's friends and family; and the Consul General of India in San Francisco posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, that they have "taken up the manner strongly with local authorities in Seattle & Washington as well as senior officials in Washington D.C."

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

The press release also states, "SPD prohibits 'behavior that undermines public trust,' including 'any language that is derogatory, contemptuous, or disrespectful toward any person.' It also forbids prejudice or derogatory language about someone's discernible personal characteristic."

Previously, the SPOG released a statement on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, saying, "The video captures only one side of the conversation. There is much more detail and nuance that has not been made public yet."

In Nov. 2023, KING 5 reported that Auderer had been reassigned to a "non-operational position." The OPA declined the Emerald's request for an interview with Betts, responding "Director Betts is waiting until the disciplinary process is complete before providing any further comment."

📸 Featured Image: Screenshot from bodycam video released by the Seattle Police Department in connection with the death of Jaahnavi Kandula.