An online petition calls for Daniel Auderer’s dismissal from the Seattle Police Department.
Washington:
The Seattle Police Officers’ Guild on Friday defended its officer who made insensitive comments following the death of Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula early this year, saying some viral videos of police actions shared by media could not tell the full story to declare. and context.
Ms. Kandula, a student at Northeastern University in Washington, was struck in a crosswalk by Officer Kevin Dave on the night of January 23, 2023. He was driving at a speed of more than 70 miles per hour on his way to a reported drug overdose. phone call.
In bodycam footage released Monday by Seattle police, Officer Daniel Auderer laughed off the deadly crash and dismissed any implication that Dave might be guilty or that a criminal investigation was necessary.
In the video, Auderer can be heard saying, “Yeah, just write a check. $11,000. She was 26 anyway, she had limited value.” “The video captures only one side of the conversation. There are many more details and nuances that have not yet been made public…” the Seattle Police Officers Guild said in a statement while also publishing a letter written by officer Auderer. in which the latter says he meant the comment as a mockery of lawyers.
In the Aug. 3 letter to the Office of Police Accountability, Auderer said he laughed at the ridiculousness of how these incidents are being adjudicated and the ridiculousness of how he has seen these incidents unfold as two sides negotiate a tragedy.
“At the time, I believed the conversation was private and not recorded. The conversation was also not within the course of my duties,” he wrote in his letter to Office of Police Accountability Director Gino Betts.
“On January 23, 2023, I was sent from home to assist with a fatal collision involving a city vehicle,” he said.
“On the way home, I called Mike Solan to inform him of what had happened. The phone call was accidentally recorded on my BWV which was turned on. The call took place in my patrol car. I was the only occupant. During that phone call Mike Olan said something to the effect that it was unfortunate that this would turn into lawyers arguing ‘the value of human life,'” he wrote.
“Mike Solan asked me, while lamenting the loss of life, something like, ‘What crazy argument can a lawyer make in something like this? What crazy argument can they come up with.’ I responded with something like, “She’s 26 years old, what’s the value of that, who cares.” “I meant the comment as a mockery of lawyers – I was imitating what a lawyer in charge of negotiating the case would say and was sarcastic to express that they should not come up with crazy arguments to minimize the payment,” Auderer wrote .
“I laughed at the ridiculousness of the way these incidents are being litigated and the ridiculousness of how I have seen these incidents unfold as two sides negotiate a tragedy. At the time I thought the conversation was private and not recorded. The conversation was also not in the context of my duties,” he said.
“I understand that without context the comment could be interpreted as gruesome and rude. Without context, the comment is insensitive to the victim’s family, when in reality I was engaged in a conversation about the insensitivity of the justice system. At the time I had no idea who the victim was,” he wrote.
Auderer said he understands that if a citizen heard this, they would rightly believe he was insensitive to the loss of life. “I also understand that if we hear this, it could damage confidence in the Seattle Police Department and make all of our jobs more difficult. That said, the comment was not made with malice or a hard heart, quite the opposite.
“My intention in requesting a speedy ruling is to be as transparent as possible. “I am willing to accept any reasonable discipline that our accountability partners and the police chief wish to impose,” he said.
The Seattle Police Officers’ Guild said in its statement that some viral videos of police actions shared by the media fail to explain the full story and context.
“This video from the Seattle Police Department is an example of that reality. The video captures only one side of the conversation. There are many more details and nuances that have not yet been made public… SPOG is confident that citizen-led police accountable The system known as the Office of Police Accountability / OPA will conduct a thorough and fair investigation,” the guild wrote.
When Auderer was informed of the existence of this video, he immediately took responsibility for his actions and wrote a statement requesting the director of OPA (Gino Betts) to consider the course of “Rapid Adjudication”, the statement said.
“Rapid Adjudication is a disciplinary process agreed to by the City of Seattle and SPOG to expedite investigations into police officer misconduct so that accountability can be quickly addressed and reasonable disciplinary action can be imposed. This was done by Dan over four weeks before the release of the video,” the guild said.
Meanwhile, an online petition has been launched and signed by thousands of people who want to end Auderer.
“By allowing Auderer to remain in a position where he interacts with the public, we are endangering our community. His actions have demonstrated that he does not prioritize public safety or respect the rights and dignity of individuals under his jurisdiction,” the spokesperson said. online petition on Change.org.
~CHECK~Auderer was captured on his body camera making a disturbing statement in the moments after the accident, indicating that Jaahnavi’s life had “limited value.” When the bodycam footage was leaked this week, several petitions were started on Change.org demanding accountability.
“We call on Mayor Jenny Durkan, city councilors and other relevant authorities to prioritize the well-being of our community by quickly addressing these issues. We want justice. Jaahnavi is our daughter, our sister,” said Nishtha Raheja Goel, who initiated the online petition. As of Friday evening, the petition had more than 6,700 signatures.
Petitioners urge authorities responsible for overseeing the decisions of law enforcement personnel in Seattle to immediately remove Auderer from his position, conduct thorough background checks during hiring processes, implement stronger accountability measures within law enforcement agencies, and provide comprehensive training on empathy, cultural sensitivity and appropriate behavior towards victims and their families.
“By taking these actions, we can restore trust in our police department and ensure the safety of all Seattleites. Let us unite against those who abuse their power and demand justice for Jaahnavi Kandula and all the victims who suffered from the actions of Daniel Auderer. actions,” the petition said.
Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant called in a statement for an immediate, independent, public investigation into this outrage.
“Auderer, the vice president of the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild (SPOG), a deeply reactionary organization that has fought against any form of police accountability, should be fired immediately. Mike Solan, the president of SPOG, should also be fired. from the Seattle Police Department,” she said.
The OPA has failed to hold police accountable, and the working people of our city need independently elected community oversight with full authority over the police, including hiring and firing, and policies and procedures.
Seattle Police Officer Auderer laughed following the death of Kandula, a young Indian exchange student, after she was run over by Officer Dave’s police car, saying her life “had limited value.” Auderer’s callous disregard for human life, as shown in this video, is particularly chilling because he has a government-funded weapon with the authority to use deadly force,” Sawant said.
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
