The Seattle police officer who was caught on body camera footage making vile comments about an Indian student who was fatally hit by a police vehicle has been fired.
The police department had been facing calls to fire Detective Daniel Auderer, who was not in the car that hit the student but was responding to the scene, since body camera footage was released last year showing him laughing at the death of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old Indian graduate student.
In the footage, he suggested officers could “write a check” to Kandula’s family for $11,000, claiming it was “of limited value,” after she was run over by a fellow officer near Northwestern University.
Auderer was “administratively reassigned to a non-operational position,” Seattle police later announced.
But on Wednesday, Police Chief Sue Rahr announced she had fired the officer.
Seattle Police Officer Daniel Auderer was fired for making vile comments about an Indian graduate student who was beaten by a fellow officer.
“If I allow the officer to remain on our force, it would only bring further disgrace to the entire department,” he wrote in an internal email. according to KUOW.
He acknowledged that it is “unusual” for a police chief to explain the reasons for firing an employee.
“However, this is a rather unusual circumstance,” Rahr wrote. according to WCYB.
“This case has been widely covered by the public, has attracted international media and diplomatic attention, and I am sure everyone in this organization has had the opportunity to learn about the case and hear for themselves the officer’s words,” she continued.
‘I have decided to share the outcome of this case with all of you, because the far-reaching impact of the officer’s actions reflects on all of us, not only as members of the Seattle Police Department, but on the law enforcement profession.’
Auderer was caught on camera belittling 23-year-old Indian graduate student Jaahnavi Kandula (pictured), saying she had “limited value”.
Rahr went on to say that at the heart of the case was an “extremely difficult” decision about how to fairly balance Auderer’s intent versus his impact.
He said he considered a number of factors, including the fact that Auderer thought he was having a private conversation with a colleague when he left the scene of the crash in January 2023, engaging in what he has since described as “dark humour”.
Most people who work in law enforcement have resorted to dark humor from time to time, Rahr noted, but because their conversation was captured by a body camera, it was provided to the King County District Attorney’s Office and therefore became part of the public record.
The purpose of these body cameras is to give the public insight into police actions that may occur out of public view, and for years, Rahr said, the Seattle Police Department has taken steps to improve public trust.
Rahr said that when he considered those factors, he realized there was no question that Auderer’s “cruel comments and callous laughter” about Kandula’s death caused a considerable amount of pain to her family.
He also said the comments cause “immeasurable damage to public trust in police in Seattle, across the country and around the world.”
Overall, Rahr concluded that the “impact” of Auderer’s comments “is so devastating that it cannot be mitigated by his intention to keep their conversation private.”
Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr announced her decision to fire Auderer in an internal email Wednesday.
But police sources He told the king 5 Rahr was seriously considering a 30-day suspension.
She decided to fire her, they said, because she didn’t want to appear too lenient.
Still, Rahr noted in his email that Auderer “is well respected, if not liked, by many of his fellow officers and supervisors,” and said he has done positive and noteworthy things.
He went on to acknowledge that “many of you will disagree with my decision and may be angry,” according to KING 5.
He noted that Auderer is “well respected, if not liked, by many of his fellow officers and supervisors,” and said he has done positive and noteworthy things.
After the body camera footage became public, Auderer insisted in a letter to the Office of Police Accountability that he was not mocking Kandula’s death but was instead trying to “make fun of the lawyers.”
“I laughed at the ridiculousness of how these incidents are litigated and the ridiculousness of how I watched these incidents unfold as two sides negotiated over a tragedy,” he wrote.
Auderer acknowledged in the statement that anyone hearing only his version of the conversation “would rightly think I was being insensitive to the loss of human life.”
“The comment was not made with malice or hard-heartedness,” he said, but “quite the opposite.”
But in January, the Office of Police Accountability ruled he had violated police rules when he made “inhumane” comments and laughed.
Gino Betts, the office’s director, said at the time that her comments were “disparaging, disturbing and inhumane.”
“The officer’s comments undermine public confidence in the department, in himself and in his colleagues,” Betts said.
‘For many, it confirmed, rightly or not, the belief that some officers devalue and conceal disparaging views about community members.’
Seattle police commanders then recommended the highest level of discipline: 30 days without pay or possible termination.
Authorities say Auderer eroded public trust in the police department following Kandula’s tragic death in January.
On Wednesday, Mayor Bruce Harrell said he agreed with Rahr’s decision to fire the officer.
“Our officers do an incredible job serving our city every day – they are here to protect and serve every member of our community, regardless of their age, gender, race or religion,” he said.
“Effective policing requires public trust,” he added. “It cannot be effective if the people it serves have doubts about the motives, conduct or character of our officers.
‘I support Chief Rahr’s decision because it recognizes our values of accountability, continuous improvement and the public trust necessary for our police officers to protect the people of Seattle.
‘The officer’s insensitive comments and behavior captured on video damaged the relationship between our Seattle Police Department and the communities our officers strive to keep safe; simply put, this incident damaged the public trust we have been working to strengthen since day one of my administration.
“In collaboration with Chief Rahr, we will continue to work with officers to ensure effective policing based on genuine public trust by creating a positive culture in our public service, elevating the good work our officers do every day, following the accountability process when misconduct occurs, and fostering safety in our city through a community-based, values-centered approach,” the mayor promised.
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