SPD cop who joked about pedestrian’s death to speak at national conference

SEATTLE — Daniel Auderer, the Seattle Police officer who triggered a furious backlash with his comments after the death of student Jaahnavi Kandula, is due to speak at a national conference.

Publicola reports that Auderer will speak at the August event on traffic safety in Washington, D.C., despite the controversy surrounding his comments.

UPDATE: After this story was published, a spokesperson for the Seattle Police Department said Auderer is not representing the Seattle Police Department at the national conference. The spokesperson also said SPD is not covering the costs and Auderer did not put in a travel request.

Auderer was captured on bodycam making jokes and insensitive remarks about Kandula’s death, a day after she was hit and killed by another officer, Kevin Dave.

Dave crashed into the international student while she was in a crosswalk in South Lake Union in January 2023.

He was going more than 70 mph while heading to an overdose call, but Auderer’s video wasn’t publicly released until months later. It led to an immediate outcry in Washington and in Kandula’s native India.

Seattle’s Office of Professional Accountability found Auderer’s behavior was biased and unprofessional.

OPA Director Gino Betts Jr. described the officer’s words as “derogatory, disturbing, and inhumane.”

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