Seattle police officer heard joking about woman's death reassigned to 'non-operational position'
A Seattle police officer who has been under investigation by authorities for making callous remarks about a woman fatally hit by a patrol car was administratively reassigned, authorities said.
Body-camera footage released earlier this month showed Officer Daniel Auderer on the phone with Seattle Police Officers Guild President Mike Solan, where he laughs and jokes about the death of 23-year-old graduate student Jaahnavi Kandula. In the recording, Auderer calls Kandula a "regular person" and suggests her life had "limited value."
He also proposes to "just write a check" for $11,000 when discussing potential repercussions. Auderer's comments about Kandula sparked international scrutiny, with the Consulate General of India in San Francisco demanding a "thorough investigation."
The Seattle Office of Police Accountability opened an investigation into the incident after receiving a complaint from a Seattle police employee. The Seattle Police Department confirmed to USA TODAY on Thursday that "Auderer has been administratively re-assigned to a non-operational position."
The officer's status was first reported by The Seattle Times.
Auderer's reassignment follows the Community Police Commission's, a Seattle police oversight group, recommendation last week that the officer be suspended without pay. Demonstrators had also marched to demand the resignation of Auderer and Dave two weeks ago.
In a statement earlier this month, the State Department called the incident disturbing.
“We are aware of, and are disturbed by, what was said about Ms. Kandula’s death in the bodycam footage recently released by the Seattle Police Department,” the State Department told the Associated Press. “We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere condolence to Ms. Kandula’s family and loved ones.”
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Jaahnavi Kandula fatally hit by Officer Kevin Dave's patrol vehicle
On Jan. 23, Officer Kevin Dave had been driving 74 mph in a 25 mph zone while responding to an overdose call, according to a report from the police department’s traffic collision investigation team. The report said Dave started breaking less than a second before colliding into Kandula, who was thrown 138 feet.
The report also found that Dave was going 63 mph when he hit Kandula, which did not give enough time for Dave or Kandula to "detect, address and avoid a hazard that presented itself."
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is conducting a criminal review of the collision.
Auderer, who is a drug recognition expert, was assigned to evaluate whether Dave was impaired at the time of the crash. He inadvertently left his body camera on when he called Solan after leaving the crash scene.
The body-camera footage showed Auderer discussing details of the crash to Solan, where he says "it does not seem like there's a criminal investigation going on" before making remarks on Kandula's death.
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Police oversight group recommended Daniel Auderer's suspension
The Seattle Times reported last week that the Community Police Commission called for the city’s police chief to suspend Auderer without pay.
The oversight group also called for the chief to “immediately engage in a workgroup” with the commission, the Office of Police Accountability and the Office of Inspector General to “address repeated concerns with the culture of policing and police practices” in his department, according to The Seattle Times.
The commission also questioned the “apparent conflict of interest” of Auderer's investigation into a rank-and-file officer and why union leadership would be involved in any significant disciplinary action decisions. Auderer serves as the vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild.
According to the commission's letter, there have been 29 complaints involving Auderer to the accountability office, “including allegations of policy violations related to bias-free policing, unprofessional conduct and use of force.”
"Three of these complaints resulted in sustained findings, while eleven resulted in a recommendation for his supervisor to address the conduct directly with him," the Community Police Commission said in the letter. "In total, the City has paid settlements totaling over $2 million following alleged misconduct involving Detective Auderer."
In response to the incident, the Seattle Police Officers Guild had recognized the “highly insensitive comments,” but said the conversation was taken out of context.
“There is much more detail and nuance that has not been made public yet," the guild said in a statement on Sept. 15.
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Contributing: The Associated Press
