(The Center Square) – The majority of the City of Seattle is concerned over comments made by a Seattle Police Officer after a pedestrian was killed in January 2023.
The Seattle Police Department released footage showing Seattle Police Officers Guild Vice President Daniel Auderer on a phone call, reportedly with Seattle Police Officers Guild President Mike Solan, on Jan. 23. That night, Jaahnavi Kandula, 23, was hit and killed by a marked Seattle police vehicle going 74 mph in an intersection.
After Auderer is heard confirming that the pedestrian had died, he laughs in response.
“It’s a regular person – just write a check – $11,000; she was 26 anyways, she had limited value,” Auderer said, getting Kandula’s age wrong, in the released body-worn camera footage.
The footage further divides the crippling relationship between the police department and Seattleites. Seamus Kearney is one of the Seattle residents who is disappointed in what was said in the footage. Kearney said the comments made by Auderer showed a clear demonstration of the lack of humanity Seattle police officers have when they put on their uniforms.
“It seems like the Seattle Police see these people as bodies,” Kearney said to The Center Square. “If [Kandula] is seen as a nobody, then who does the police consider as a somebody?”
“If [Auderer] is the vice president of the police union, we’re in trouble,” Kearney added.
The reported explanation by Auderer for his comments was that he was mocking lawyers.
The Center Square reached out to Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell for comment regarding the footage. Jamie Housen, the director of communications at the Seattle Mayor’s Office, said that the Seattle Municipal Code prohibits Harrell from commenting on the Seattle Office of Police Accountability case while it is ongoing. However, Housen said Harrell will share a statement once a decision is issued and the case is complete.
Housen forwarded The Center Square a letter from Harrell addressed to members of the Kandula family. In the latter, the mayor said Kandula’s life had “immeasurable value,” and any sentiment, shared by one person, that expresses otherwise does not represent the very real feelings of heartbreak that the entire city has over the loss of her life.
“I want to be clear that the comments made by one person do not reflect the feelings of our city or the communities that call it home,” Harrell said in the letter.”
The footage has garnered national attention as well. The Consulate of India in San Francisco found Auderer’s comments “deeply troubling,” adding that the consulate and the Embassy of India will continue to closely follow up on the matter.
The Center Square reached out to the Seattle Police Officers Guild for comment on this story, but did not receive a response at the time of this publication.
Seattle residents are calling for justice in regards to the footage and Kandula’s death at the hands of a Seattle police vehicle. A rally is being held on Sept. 14 at Thomas Street and Dexter Avenue North.
