Jaahnavi Kandula: Following the death of Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula early this year, the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild came out in defence of one of its officers on Friday, claiming that some viral footage of police activities circulated by the media failed to provide the whole context and explanation.
Controversial Incident Involving Student’s Death and Officer’s Comments Unfolded on January 23, 2023
On the evening of January 23, 2023, Kandula, a student at Washington’s Northeastern University, was struck by officer Kevin Dave at a pedestrian crossing. On his route to a complaint of a drug overdose, he was travelling at a pace of more than 119 km/h. Officer Daniel Auderer chuckled about the fatal collision and denied any suggestion that Dave might have been at blame or that a criminal investigation was required in bodycam video released by the Seattle Police Department on Monday. In the video, Auderer can be heard saying, “Yeah, just write a cheque. USD 11,000. She was 26 anyway, she had limited value.”
Officer Claims Comments Were Satirical and Calls for Contextual Understanding
“Only one side of the dialogue is seen in the video. The Seattle Police Officers Guild released a letter written by one of its officers, Auderer, in which the latter claims that he intended the comment to be seen as a satire of solicitors. “The video captures only one side of the conversation. There is much more detail and nuance that has not been made public,” the guild stated in a statement. In a letter dated August 3 to the Office of Police Accountability, Auderer claimed he had laughed at the absurdity of the legal proceedings surrounding these instances as well as the absurdity of watching these incidents unfold as two people settle a tragic dispute.
Officer Explains Circumstances Surrounding the Private Conversation
“At the time I believed the conversation was private and not being recorded. The conversation was also not within the course of my duties,” he wrote in his letter to Gino Betts, director Office of Police Accountability. “On January 23, 2023, I was dispatched from home to assist with a fatality collision involving a city vehicle,” he said. “While enroute home, I called Mike Solan to give him an update regarding what had occurred. The phone call was inadvertently recorded on my BWV which had turned on. The conversation took place in my patrol car. I was the only occupant. During that phone call, Mike Solan stated something to the effect that it was unfortunate that this would turn into lawyers arguing ‘The value of human life,” he wrote.
Explanation of Officer’s Comment and Intent in Private Conversation
“Mike Solan asked me as he was lamenting the loss of life something similar to: ‘What crazy argument can a lawyer make in something like this? What crazy thing can they come up with.’ I responded with something like: ‘She’s 26 years old, what value is there, who cares.’ I intended the comment as a mockery of lawyers – I was imitating what a lawyer tasked with negotiating the case would be saying and being sarcastic to express that they shouldn’t be coming up with crazy arguments to minimize the payment,” Auderer wrote. “I laughed at the ridiculousness of how these incidents are litigated and the ridiculousness of how I have watched these incidents play out as two parties bargain over a tragedy. At the time, I believed the conversation was private and not being recorded. The conversation was also not within the course of my duties,” he said. “I understand that without context, the comment could be interpreted as horrifying and crude. Without context, the comment was insensitive to the family of the victim when, in reality, I was involved in a conversation regarding the callousness of the legal system. At the time I had no idea who the victim was,” he wrote.
Officer’s Acknowledgment and Intent in Seeking Accountability
Auderer acknowledged that, if a citizen were to hear it, they may reasonably conclude that he was being callous to the loss of a human life.I am also aware that if this were to be said, it might damage public confidence in the Seattle Police Department and make our duties all the harder. Having said all of that, the comment was not uttered maliciously or with a hard heart; on the contrary. “My intent in requesting rapid adjudication is to be as transparent as possible. I am willing to accept any reasonable discipline our accountability partners and the Chief of Police wish to hand down,” he said. In a statement, the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild claimed that certain popular films of police actions circulated by the media exclude crucial details or context.
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