SEATTLE — In a statement released Friday, Seattle’s police union says a video of its vice president joking after the death of 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula lacks context.
In the video, Daniel Auderer, vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, is heard talking to union President Mike Solan after Auderer was assigned to do a standard impairment assessment on the officer who struck and killed Kandula in January at a South Lake Union crosswalk.
While Solan is not heard in the video, Auderer is clearly heard laughing afterward, calling Kandula a “regular person” and suggesting the department “write a check.”
“Eleven thousand dollars. She was 26 anyway,” Auderer said, misstating Kandula’s age. “She had limited value.”
Auderer’s comments sparked national outrage this week and spurred heightened scrutiny of the department’s culture and oversight process, as well as the role of union leaders.
In their first statement since the video was made public, SPOG leaders say the guild “understands the attention and outrage” spurred by Auderer’s “highly insensitive comments” but claim the video presents his remarks out of context.
“Without context, this audio is horrifying and has no place in a civil society. It sullens the profession of law enforcement, the reputation of all Seattle Police officers and paints Seattle in a terrible light,” the statement shared late Friday morning says, offering condolences to Kandula’s family.
The union’s statement — which includes signatures from Solan, Auderer and union secretary Ben Hughey — says there is context missing from the video and that the release of the footage has “revictimized” Kandula’s family.
“Some viral videos of police actions shared by media, fail to explain the full story/context. This Seattle Police video is an example of that reality,” it continues. “The video captures only one side of the conversation. There is much more detail and nuance that has not been made public yet.”
Auderer’s comments stoked a rally of more than 200 people on Thursday near the site where Kandula was killed when Officer Kevin Dave struck her in a crosswalk with his vehicle going 74 mph in January.
Sen. Manka Dhingra, deputy majority leader in the Washington Senate, called Auderer’s comments “revolting” in a statement released Friday and said these incidences are “precisely why there is a lack of trust between the community and law enforcement.”
“We need partners in law enforcement, not adversaries. We need guardians, not warriors,” Dhingra wrote.
The union also claims that “upon being made aware of the existence of this video, (Auderer) immediately took ownership of his actions and authored a statement requesting that the Director of OPA (Gino Betts) consider the course of ‘Rapid Adjudication.’ ”
In an attached copy of Auderer’s statement to OPA, which is dated after the OPA investigation began, Auderer says Solan initially raised concern about how attorneys would argue over “the value of human life,” prompting Auderer’s commentary, which is heard in the video.
