Washington
Related: About this forumSeattle officer fired for 'cruel comments and callous laughter' following Indian grad student's death, police chief says
A Seattle police officer has been fired over the dehumanizing laughter and cruel comments he made after the 2023 death of an Indian graduate student who was struck by a police vehicle, the police chief says.
Seattle interim Police Chief Sue Rahr terminated former officer Daniel Auderer on Wednesday and justified her decision to the department in an internal email, attaching the departments disciplinary action report alongside it.
There is no doubt that the named officers cruel comments and callous laughter about the tragic death caused deep pain to Ms. Kandulas family, but also immeasurable damage to the public trust of police in the Seattle community, across the nation, and around the world, Rahr wrote in the internal memo, noting many in the community said Auderers dehumanizing laughter heard on video was more outrageous and disturbing even than Kandulas death.
It is my duty as the leader of this organization to uphold the high standards necessary to maintain public trust, Rahr wrote. For me to allow the officer to remain on our force would only bring further dishonor to the entire department.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/seattle-officer-fired-cruel-comments-225329507.html
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Judi Lynn
(161,794 posts)![](https://themorningnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Jaahnavi-Kandula.jpeg)
. . .
The footage was captured on his body camera while he had made a call to a colleague.
"But she is dead," the officer was heard saying before laughing. "No, it's a regular person. Yeah, just write a cheque," he said, before laughing again.
"Eleven thousand dollars. She was 26, anyway. She had limited value," he added.
The video was widely circulated on social media and sparked outrage online.
. . .
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3848dx6ngo
Arabela
(66 posts)What a disgusting human being he is. We have a ways to go with our police force here in Seattle, but this is a start.
Diraven
(827 posts)Disgraced police don't go away, they just change towns.
70sEraVet
(3,903 posts)We can make convicted sex-offenders alert neighbors to their status -- we should be able to make bad cops wear a tag that says, "I disgraced the uniform I wore".
Not being serious on that last sentence. But, really, some cops should NEVER be allowed to wear the uniform again!
ItsjustMe
(11,449 posts)I recall posting this story last year when it happened.