Seattle, WA

Seattle police officer recorded on body camera laughing about Northeastern student’s death fired by department

Published

2 years ago

July 21, 2024

Seattle police officer recorded on body camera laughing about Northeastern student’s death fired by department

The Seattle Police Department officer who was heard on body camera footage last year laughing and joking about the death of a Northeastern graduate student was fired July 17, officials confirmed to The News.

Interim Chief of Police Sue Rahr terminated the officer, Daniel Auderer, after an internal investigation by the Seattle Police Department, or SPD, found that he violated the department’s professionalism policy, SPD told The News July 18. In body camera footage released by the department in September 2023, Auderer was recorded laughing and saying that 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula, a graduate student at Northeastern’s Seattle campus, had “limited value” after she was fatally struck by a police cruiser in January 2023.

In an internal email to the department confirmed by The News, Rahr said that Auderer’s “cruel comments and callous laughter about [Kandula’s] tragic death” caused pain to her family and “immeasurable damage” to public trust of SPD and law enforcement officials across the world.

“This case has been covered extensively in the public, has garnered international media and diplomatic attention, and I am confident that everyone in this organization has had the opportunity to learn about the case and hear for themselves the officer’s words,” Rahr wrote in the email, noting that it is “unusual” for a police chief to explain the reason behind a termination to the department. “I am choosing to share the outcome of this case with all of you because the far-reaching impact of the officer’s actions reflect on all of us, not just as members of the Seattle Police Department but on the profession of law enforcement.”

Auderer, who was hired by the department in 2008, made the crude remarks while on the phone with Seattle Police Officers Guild President Mark Solan the day after Kandula’s death. Kandula was struck by SPD officer Kevin Dave Jan. 23, 2023, while walking in a crosswalk, according to an incident report.

During the phone call, which Auderer unintentionally recorded on his body camera, Auderer said that Kandula was “a regular person” and suggested “[writing] a check … $11,000, she was 26 [sic] anyways, she had limited value.”

Auderer’s remarks resulted in international outrage and received widespread scrutiny from the Northeastern community, prompting a response from Northeastern’s Chancellor and Senior Vice President of Learning Ken Henderson, who called Auderer’s actions “callous and insensitive.”

Auderer was reassigned to a non-operational position in October 2023, SPD told The News at the time. In January, Seattle’s Office of Police Accountability, or OPA, found that Auderer violated SPD’s policies of professionalism and biased-based policing.

In her email to the department, Rahr said she had to balance “intent versus impact” when deciding whether to terminate Auderer, adding that Auderer intended the conversation with Solan to be “private” and that he was engaging in “gallows humor.”

“Gallows humor is a common coping behavior among those who routinely witness traumatic events,” Rahr wrote. Merriam-Webster defines “gallows humor” as humor that “makes fun” of life-threatening or serious situations. “Most of us in law enforcement have engaged in gallows humor from time to time,” she said.

Rahr also said that Auderer is “well-regarded, if not beloved,” by his peers and superiors.

“He has done many positive and noteworthy things during the course of his career. I expect that many of you will disagree with my decision, and perhaps be angry,” her email reads. Auderer’s colleagues wrote letters of support for the officer amid the investigation into his conduct, according to a disciplinary action report, or DAR, produced by SPD and obtained by The News.

According to OpenOversight, a database that provides public data about law enforcement, Auderer has been the subject of 29 OPA complaints since 2014. The complaints include allegations of misuse of force and biased policing, and 14 of them resulted in sustained findings or recommendations for supervisory action.

In the DAR, Rahr wrote that the decision to terminate Auderer included consideration of his previous violations of the professionalism policy. In 2018, the officer reportedly “ridiculed” a subject after she told him she was unable to follow his instructions due to a medical condition. In 2017, Auderer pretended to be a pizza delivery person while helping arrest a subject even though he was off-duty and outside of his jurisdiction, Rahr wrote in the DAR.

“Thus, the insensitivity you demonstrated in this case cannot be characterized as a one-off,” Rahr wrote in a letter to Auderer notifying him of his termination. “There is evidence that your lack of professionalism has not been confined to instances in which you thought you were speaking privately.”

In her email to the department, Rahr said she has had conversations with community members who she described as “very ‘pro-police’” who thought the “dehumanizing laughter” was “more outrageous and disturbing than the death of Ms. Kandula.”

“Our government gives police officers the authority to deprive people of their liberty and in the most extreme circumstances, their life,” Rahr wrote. “This authority rests on the public’s trust that officers will demonstrate respect for the sanctity of human life. The officer’s laughter and callous comments about the ‘limited value’ of Ms. Kandula’s life displayed a cruel mockery of the sanctity of her life. That is a betrayal of that sacred trust.”

According to the DAR, Auderer had two hearings with SPD leadership to defend himself from misconduct allegations — one with Rahr and one with former SPD Chief Adrian Diaz, who stepped down in May amid controversy surrounding allegations of rampant sexual and racial discrimination in the department, PBS reported.

In the meetings, Auderer and his representatives from the Seattle Police Officers Guild defended the officer of bias allegations, saying that Auderer did not know Kandula’s “name, race or ethnicity” and was laughing at the “absurdity of the situation,” according to the DAR.

“[The representative] acknowledged all of the media attention and public outcry this case generated but argued that ‘clicks and complaints are not evidence’ that [Auderer] engaged in biased-based policing,” the DAR reads. Rahr agreed that Auderer did not violate the policy and said she would take steps to overturn OPA’s finding on that allegation.

In his hearing with Rahr, Auderer told her that he was “born” to be a SPD officer and loved the job, acknowledging that trust is the “most important aspect” of the work, according to the DAR.

“Trust is gained in drips and lost in buckets: I’ve dumped my bucket over,” Auderer told Rahr, adding that he wanted to “refill [the] bucket drip by drip.” The report said Auderer issued a “heartfelt apology” in the hearing and said he wished he could “bear the pain” for Kandula’s family.

Auderer previously told OPA that his comments were intended to mock lawyers that could be tasked with litigating the case and reiterated that he thought the conversation was private, according to the DAR.

Seattle Councilmember Tammy Morales released a statement July 18 saying Rahr made the right decision to fire Auderer but that it “shouldn’t have taken a year and a half to happen.” Morales also called for discipline of Dave, who was driving at 74 mph in a 25 mph zone when he struck Kandula, according to the incident report.

Dave was issued a traffic infraction for negligent driving in March, but prosecutors announced in February they would not pursue criminal charges against him for Kandula’s death. In May, The Seattle Times reported that Dave was late in paying a $5,000 ticket related to the collision.

Rahr said in the DAR that terminating an officer for violating the professionalism policy is rare but that the circumstances in the case are unique.

“Your comments here were so derogatory, hurtful and damaging to community trust, that this case is unique, both in terms of the inhumanity of your comments and laughter, and in the devastating impact they have had,” she wrote to Auderer in his termination letter.

Source link

Seattle, WA

Seeking a House in Seattle for About $600,000

Published

2 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Seeking a House in Seattle for About 0,000

Ted Land had almost given up on being a homeowner.

When he moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2014, he was an award-winning television journalist, having lived and reported in Indiana and Alaska before arriving in Seattle to work for a local station, King 5. At first, he rented a studio apartment in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

[Did you recently buy a home? We want to hear from you. Email: thehunt@nytimes.com. Sign up here to have The Hunt delivered to your inbox every week.]

“It’s very walkable, with lots of transit, very L.G.B.T. friendly, great restaurants, nightlife, parks,” said Mr. Land, 40. “It has everything I like in a neighborhood.”

His journalism career had been fraught with unexpected transitions, so it didn’t seem sensible to buy a home. “I thought I was going to move up and be a reporter in New York City or L.A. or D.C.,” he said. “I had my sights set on that. It really wasn’t even on my mind. Buying a house seemed so out of reach for me.”

As the years passed and he bounced from rental to rental, the hustle of TV news began to wear him out. Finally, in 2022, he grabbed an opportunity to move into corporate communications. With that choice came a higher income and a more stable future in Seattle with expanded living options.

“I kept signing lease after lease, not wanting to confront the daunting process of purchasing, and increasingly frustrated with the fact that I didn’t lock in a low interest rate during Covid like so many of my peers did,” Mr. Land said.

He had up to about $620,000 to spend, but as a single-income buyer, he was vexed by the down payment. “Everyone says that you’ve got to put down 20 percent. It’s like, ‘Where am I going to get $100,000? Does anyone know? Can you please tell me that?’”

With help from his broker, Mark Chavez of Windermere Real Estate, Mr. Land arranged to structure a purchase with 10 percent down using a mortgage insurance that costs him less than $100 per month, with his payments reducing in size until they total 20 percent of the home price. “I mean, $50,000 is a lot easier to save for than $100,000,” he said.

But even with that cushion, options were limited in pricey Seattle, especially for the kind of home he wanted. “Apartments are noisy places,” Mr. Land said. “They just are. And that kind of gets old after a while. I was looking for something a little quieter where I’m not hearing neighbors all the time.”

Most of Mr. Chavez’s clients want single-family homes, the broker said, but “it’s a bigger expense and there’s more to take care of, like the landscape. It used to be that to get into a condo, the entry point was more affordable. However, with many homeowner associations underfunded for future expenses, it is becoming more challenging to buy into a condominium.”

The middle ground? Townhouses. But every square foot needed to count, and location was critical. Mr. Land loved Capitol Hill, but felt he couldn’t afford to buy there. “I just really like being in the central part of the city,” he said. “The more I looked, the more I realized that walkability is a really important attribute for me.”

Find out what happened next by answering these two questions:

Source link

Seattle, WA

Huard: Rams’ trade a ‘direct’ response to Seattle Seahawks

Published

14 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Huard: Rams’ trade a ‘direct’ response to Seattle Seahawks

One of the Seattle Seahawks’ biggest rivals delivered the first big shockwaves of the 2026 offseason.

Why Salk ‘blanched’ at a Seahawks Maxx Crosby trade proposal

Los Angeles Rams have agreed to a deal that would send four draft picks to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for All-Pro cornerback and former UW Huskies standout Trent McDuffie, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday morning.

McDuffie, who is entering the final season of his rookie contract, is expected to sign a long-term extension with the Rams, according to Schefter.

Shortly after the news broke, former NFL quarterback Brock Huard gave his reaction on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

“This feels like a direct move to match up with JSN and the Seahawks,” Huard said.

Widely considered to be the two best teams in the NFL this past season, the Seahawks and Rams squared off in three epic battles, capped by Seattle’s 31-27 win over Los Angeles in the NFC Championship.

Over those three games, the Rams’ shaky secondary struggled to contain NFL receiving leader and AP Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The Seahawks star wideout totaled 27 catches for 354 yards and two touchdowns across those three matchups, including 10 catches for 153 yards and a TD in the NFC title game.

Smith-Njigba also had a career-high 180 receiving yards and two touchdowns in an overtime loss to the Rams in 2024.

“It’s kind of like an old NBA world,” Huard said. “Like, alright, we know we’re gonna have to deal with Jordan or we’re gonna have to deal with Pippen or we’re gonna have to deal with Bird. Like, how do we match up? And (the Rams) know that that was the one area – in their back seven – that could not match up.”

Listen to the full Brock and Salk conversation at this link or in the audio player in the middle of this story. Tune into Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

Seattle Seahawks offseason coverage

• What Brock Huard makes of Seahawks’ Ken Walker situation
• A possible replacement if Seahawks don’t re-sign Walker
• Huard: Jobe is most likely free agent the Seattle Seahawks re-sign
• Report: Seattle Seahawks not tendering restricted FA Jake Bobo
• The Seattle Seahawks’ risks with Walker set to be free agent

Follow @CameronVanTil

Source link

Seattle, WA

Seattle leaders mark 100 days until FIFA World Cup with artwork, security plans

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Seattle leaders mark 100 days until FIFA World Cup with artwork, security plans

The countdown to the FIFA World Cup hit a milestone Tuesday, approximately 100 days from the start of the global soccer tournament, which is being played this time in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Seattle is one of 16 host cities for the tournament, with the first game at Lumen Field scheduled for June 15.

Seattle-area hosts could net $3,800 as Airbnb eyes home sharing for FIFA World Cup fans

City leaders at a press conference on Tuesday described specific changes underway to welcome an estimated 750,000 people during the six matches, from adding new artwork in downtown to bolstering security.

“Our aim is actually to revitalize, reinvigorate, rejuvenate the downtown core,” Seattle World Cup Organizing Committee CEO Peter Tomozawa stated.

People who take a trip through downtown Seattle will see that part of that work has started in anticipation of the World Cup, with 53 colorful paintings on the columns of the monorail, showcasing the flags of the countries of the competing teams.

“In just 100 days, people will come back to Seattle and will be using the system to travel back and forth to various events related to [the] FIFA World Cup,” Seattle Monorail Services Megan Ching said.

“The visitors who are coming here for the World Cup are already booking their trips: where to stay, how to get around and what to explore,” added Jorge Gotuzzo with Visit Seattle.

Darkalinos restaurant hopes the events planned for Pioneer Square will convince new customers to return beyond the tournament.

“The summer season is what keeps us going,” General Manager Crystal Hernandez told KOMO News. “We’re going to have a beer garden in the plaza. There will be some live music outside.”

Behind the scenes, work continues to plan for crowd control and security. That means round table meetings and partnerships at the international, federal, state and local levels.

Iran’s participation in Seattle World Cup match up in the air following US strikes

“We’ve been working on the security plan for over three years,” Tomozawa explained. “We hired former SPD Chief John Diaz to design the plan and I have to say this is one of our highest priorities, for sure.”

Downtown Seattle Association President and CEO Jon Scholes adds that businesses are eager to build on the success of the recent Seahawks Super Bowl parade. He said there will be watch parties for the matches at Westlake, Pacific Place and along the waterfront.

“Seattle’s a big event town, and we can do it well and produce a lot of joy for hundreds of thousands of people,” Scholes stated.

The World Cup Organizing Committee mentioned Seattle’s walkability makes it a great location for the tournament. It’s why they also announced a new walking path to connect multiple neighborhoods that will stay beyond the summer.

Seattle to host 4 free FIFA World Cup 2026 fan celebration venues starting June 11

It’s called the Unity Loop, runs about four-and-a-quarter miles and will connect the stadiums, waterfront, Seattle Center, Westlake and the CID, but no specifics were provided.

Source link