Seattle officer’s remarks about death of graduate student from India violated policy, watchdog says

SEATTLE (AP) — A Seattle police officer violated policing standards when he made callous remarks about the death of a graduate student from India who was struck by another officer’s vehicle in a crosswalk last year, the city’s Office of Police Accountability said this week.

Police Chief Adrian Diaz will decide on discipline, which could include termination, for officer Daniel Auderer after members of the chief’s chain of command discussed the findings and recommendations from the watchdog group at a disciplinary hearing that was held Tuesday, The Seattle Times reported. Auderer is also vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild.

Civilian OPA Director Gino Betts Jr. did not announce his discipline recommendations. They were sent to Diaz, who must justify his findings in writing if they differ.

The watchdog group had been investigating Auderer since September, when police officials heard audio from his body camera recorded hours after the death of 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula, who was struck and killed in a crosswalk by officer Kevin Dave’s SUV on Jan. 23, 2023.

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Dave was driving 74 mph (119 kph) in a 25 mph (40 kph) zone on the way to an overdose call and started braking less than a second before hitting Kandula, according to a report by a detective from the department’s traffic collision investigation team. It determined that Dave was going 63 mph (101 kph) when he hit Kandula and his speed didn’t allow either of them time to “detect, address and avoid a hazard that presented itself.”

The vehicle’s emergency lights were activated and Dave “chirped” his siren immediately before the collision, the report said, adding Kandula was thrown 138 feet (42 meters).

A criminal investigation is pending. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office hired an outside firm last fall to review the police investigation. Its results are expected within a few weeks.

Betts concluded in his report that Auderer’s statements — in which he laughed, suggested Kandula’s life had “limited value” and said the city should just write a check for $11,000 — damaged the department’s reputation and undermined public trust on a scale that’s difficult to measure.

“(His) comments were derogatory, contemptuous, and inhumane,” Betts wrote. “For many, it confirmed, fairly or not, beliefs that some officers devalue and conceal perverse views about community members.”

Auderer violated policies that say officers should strive to act professionally at all times, according to the report. The department prohibits “behavior that undermines public trust,” including “any language that is derogatory, contemptuous, or disrespectful toward any person.”

The city’s Office of Inspector General, which reviews and certifies police disciplinary investigations, found Betts’ conclusions “thorough, timely and objective.”

There was no immediate response to messages sent Wednesday by The Associated Press seeking comment from the police department, the union or Auderer.

Auderer inadvertently left his body-worn camera on as he called union President Mike Solan after he left the crash scene, where he had been called to determine whether Dave was impaired.

Solan and Auderer have said their call was private, mostly union-related and never intended to be made public. The Seattle Police Officers Guild has called the comments “highly insensitive.”

They have sparked outrage around Seattle, nationally and in India. Seattle’s Office of Police Accountability has said the department received nearly 400 complaints.

Auderer was reassigned to desk duty pending the outcome of the investigations.